Tag: wisdom

Chronicles, sermon

Wise Enough to Ask Directions

Posted on by Jay Givens

Two Americans were sitting at a bus stop when a Swiss man pulled up in a car to ask directions. “Entschuldigung, können sie Deutsch sprechen?” he asked. The two Americans just stared at him. “Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?” he tried, but the two continued to stare. “Parlare Italiano?” No response. “Hablan Ustedes Español?” In discust at their blank stares, the Swiss man drove away to find help elsewhere. The first American turned to the second and said, “You know, maybe we should learn a second language.” “Why,” said the other. “That guy knew four languages and it didn’t do him no good!”

I am not good at asking directions. My wife Lucy is great at it, however. Any time we are going somewhere, she will ask the person on the phone for directions . . . and then hand the phone to me! Lucy, you see, is wise enough not only to ask for directions. She’s wise enough to know that she is bad at directions. In 2 Chronicles 1:1-13, David had died. Solomon was now the king. Chapter 1 tells us about the first act of this new king. In it, we find that Solomon was wise enough to know that he needed wisdom if he was to rule his people effectively.

The first thing we discover in the text is that wisdom begins with humility. Proverbs 11:2 tells us, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” In Solomon’s first act as king, he gathers Israel’s leaders together and they accompany him to Gibeon, where the tabernacle from Moses’ wilderness wanderings still offered daily sacrifices. Solomon went there with the leaders to “inquire” of God (v. 5). The Hebrew word that this translates is the same word that was part of David’s advise to Solomon prior to David’s death, “If you seek God, he will be found by you” (1 Chron 28:9). So Solomon’s first action is to do as his father commanded.

That night, we are told God appeared to Solomon and told him to ask whatever he wanted and God would give it to him” (2 Chron 1:7). Solomon begins his response by noting that God had “shown great kindness [hesed]” to David (v. 8). Hesed is the covenant love of God that ensures the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people. Solomon says, because of your covenant love–the love that fulfills your promises–“let your promise to my father David be confirmed” (v. 9). The covenant or promise God made with David was twofold. First, David’s son would reign. Solomon is asking God to fulfill that promise. God has already made him king, but he asks God for wisdom to be able to govern well. He has come to the tabernacle to offer sacrifices with the leaders. He wants them to know of his desire to govern well and wants their prayers to be with him in that regard.

The other part of God’s covenant to David was that his son would build a temple. Solomon would build a temple. What is Solomon doing in his first act as king? He has gone to Gibeon to see the tabernacle that was build in the days of Moses. He has gone to inspect it and possibly to gain insights from it. Note that there is an emphasis about the tabernacle-builder, Bezalel (v. 5). God gave the plans to Moses, who was instructed to give those plans to Bezalel to build the tabernacle and all its accoutrements, such as the bronze altar on which sacrifices were made. So we were told earlier that God gave David plans for the temple, which Solomon would now build. Solomon had the designs of his father, but he has come to inquire of God before the tabernacle of Moses to make sure these designs conform with the will of God and not his father David.

When God says, “Ask whatever you want me to give you,” he is not some magical genie coming to grant any wish Solomon can conceive. This invitation is related to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus tells us to ask and it will be given (Matt 7:7-12), but this command has embedded within it a call to humility (if you are evil yet give good gifts to your children) and a call to serve others with whatever it is we request (do to others what you would have them do to you). And when Jesus commands us to ask “in his name,” we are told that what we ask for will be in order to do “the works I have been doing,” not for selfish motives or self-glorification, but to glorify the Father in the Son (John 14: 12-14). Or, as Proverbs 15:33 states, “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor.”

A second lesson we find in the text is that wisdom is the most precious gift. Solomon is wise enough to know that he desperately needed wisdom! “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it costs all you have, get understanding” (Prov 4:7). This proverb can sound oxymoronic, but Solomon understood this great truth. What if we substituted something else for “wisdom”? How do you learn to play the piano, for instance. “The beginning of playing the piano is this: Play the piano.” That makes perfect sense to us. No one sits down and suddenly plays like Beethoven or Mozart. But if they sit down and play the piano, and play the piano, and play the piano . . . eventually they will truly be able to play the piano (especially better than the many who never take the time to sit down and play!).

God’s response to Solomon (v. 11) shows us that Solomon’s request for wisdom truly was the most precious of gifts. Wisdom is better than wealth (or investments or property or “stuff”–as in my favorite VeggieTales episode about “Stuff-mart”). Wisdom is better than honor (or power or glory or titles). Wisdom is better than victory (or as the text says, “the death of those who hate you” or vengeance). Wisdom is better than long life (or heath or heritage through progeny). God says, because you did not ask for any of these . . . I will also give these to you along with the wisdom you requested. It is like Jesus’ teaching, if we “see first God’s kingdom and his righteousness [that is, his wisdom], then all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33). In fact, if you read through Proverbs 3:13-18, it indicates that those who find wisdom also find wealth, honor, peace, and long life– for these things are but the overflow of wisdom. And the wisdom Solomon asked for wasn’t wisdom for himself or for his own sake. It was wisdom for others, to lead his people.

This leads to the final lesson in the text, wisdom has a purpose. The tendency when you read 2 Chronicles 1 is to focus on the request for wisdom in order to govern well. That is the most clearly stated reason Solomon gives. But recall that the promise to David was twofold. It was that David’s seed would reign, but it was also that he would build the temple. Note where Solomon goes before God gives him this gift. He has gone to the tabernacle to offer sacrifices in front of it on the bronze altar. Normally, this altar is either called the bronze altar or the altar of YHWH. But in this story, it is specifically called “Bezalel’s bronze altar” (v. 5). While he is there, he no doubt studies the construction of the tabernacles as well as the altar and other vessels. Underlying his prayer for wisdom was the concerns he had about his ability to be the temple-builder. David had given him the plans but could he accomplish the project? The Chronicler changes certain aspects of Solomon’s request to help us see this unspoken desire. In the 1 Kings version of the story, Solomon asks for a “discerning heart.” in 2 Chronicles, however, Solomon asks for “wisdom and knowledge.” The most likely reason for the change of wording is Exodus 35:30-35. The passage is Moses’ proclamation that YHWH had chosen Bezalel and filled him with the Spirit, “with wisdom . . . with knowledge” to accomplish the work of the tabernacle. So Solomon (or the Chronicler) is referencing this statement about Bezalel to emphasize that Solomon also would now have the wisdom to accomplish his calling as temple-builder. It is the unspoken reason for his request for wisdom. This is why the altar is called the altar of Bezalel. It is why in 2 Chronicles, Solomon almost immediately afterwards begins the building of the temple (2:1) where the writer of Kings first emphasizes several stories of the great wisdom of Solomon. In Chronicles, virtually all the stories of Solomon are of his work in building and dedicating the temple. The wisdom stories from Kings are either absent or relegate to the end of the Chronicler’s history.

Solomon’s request, then, is twofold. Help me rule over these people. Help me fulfill my charge to build the temple. The shift away from an emphasis on Solomon’s wisdom as his crowning glory (as the writer of Kings presents it) to immediately beginning the temple project (as in Chronicles) is the Chronicler’s way to say wisdom is not for yourself. Wisdom, at least the wisdom truly from God and for God, is for others. It has a purpose and that purpose is to serve the community. This is how James sees it in the New Testament. James tells us that Godly wisdom is humble, it is for others and not selfish, and it produces good fruit all around the wise one (3:13-18).

Yet another hint that the Chronicler is thinking of wisdom in terms of temple-building is the idiom he uses for the people of Israel. When Solomon asks for wisdom to rule, it is to rule “a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth” (v. 9). The only time that phrase is used is in Genesis 28:14. It is made by God when he is speaking to Jacob (the man who later would be known as Israel). The phrase is in the middle of God’s promise to make the Abrahamic covenant pass through Jacob and his offspring, which included the promise to bless all nations through Abraham’s seed. The dust of the earth phrase is stated to Jacob at Bethel, the “house of God.” (The term “house” is the primary way the temple is referenced in the Davidic covenant.)

Ultimately, Solomon was simply the foreshadowing of the true seed of David, Jesus. Jesus’ calling was to be the great temple-builder. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus built the temple, the people of God who become the temple wherever they meet and go. Through the forgiveness of the cross and its expansion to all peoples of every tribe and tongue, Jesus blessed all the nations. We who follow Christ are called to get wisdom through humility in order to serve others. We are to build the temple through serving one another, encouraging and discipline one another in our faith, and comforting those who are in sorrow and helping those who are in need. We bless the nations–those outside our community–through our witness and aid, through our encouragement and comfort, and by addressing the injustices of society around us and improving the lives of all people in our communities.

Peter spoke of the Christian community in the language of the covenant with David, the covenant with Abraham, and the covenant with Israel through Moses. He says we are being built into a temple (Davidic promise). He says we are to bless all nations by living good lives among the non-believers (Abrahamic promise). He describes us as a kingdom of priests and a chosen people (Mosaic promise). We are chosen to serve (1 Pet 2:4-12).

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“Wise Enough to Ask Directions” (2 Chronicles 1:1-13)

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Chronicles, sermon

Finding Wisdom in a Foolish Thing

Posted on by Jay Givens

When I was in middle school, I could do some very foolish things. Once, the history teacher left her room and all the students started egging me on to put her podium on top of her desk. (Not sure why everyone thought that would be funny. Probably just because she was very short and it would be incredibly difficult for her to get it down.) Needless to say, when she came back into the room, my friends who encouraged me to do this very quickly turned on me and let it be known I was the culprit. It was not my first visit to the principal’s office . . .

In 1 Chronicles 21:1-22:1, we can find wisdom in an equally foolish act of David. The main focus of verses 1-8 is that we should confess foolish things. In the story, “Satan” or an adversary of Israel incited David into a census. (Unlike the two clear examples of the Satan in the Old Testament, this one does not use the definite article, ha. While many translations translate it “Satan,” it is used in other parts of the Old Testament simply as an adversary, a human adversary. It could be either in this instance.) Joab gave David a wise warning. Why bring guilt on Israel by this act? Joab found it repulsive (v. 6) and God saw it as evil (v. 7). When forced to comply, Joab intentionally does not comply fully with the ordered census, not counting the Levites nor Benjamites. Yet, while Joab spoke of it as bringing guilt upon Israel, David comes to see it as his own personal guilt. In verse 8, David three times speaks in the first person (I sinned; my guilt; I did a foolish thing).

Are we willing to do what is right even if it means disobeying earthly leaders? Joab didn’t count Levi most likely because it was prohibited in the law. It is not clear why he didn’t count the tribe of Benjamin, though it might have been because the tabernacle was in Gibeon, a city in the Benjamite lands. Are you like Joab, willing to give wise counsel even when it might be unpopular to hear? Do you listen to wise counsel or ignore it the way David did? When you do a foolish thing, do you confess your error and take responsibility for your actions, like David finally does?

In verses 9-13, we see that we should trust in God’s mercy. The prophet Gad tells David that God will give him three options for punishment of his sin. None of the options are easy, as we are told that David is literally “tied up in knots” (v. 13, translated “deep distress” in the NIV). Once again, we see that David takes personal responsibility for the punishment. He says, let “me” fall into the hands of the LORD and not the hands of men. He asks God to punish him, because he knows that God’s “mercy is very great.” He knows God’s mercy is great, as the psalmist says (Ps 86:15-16).

David doesn’t want humans involved because they cannot be trusted. They might cause harm to Solomon and thus destroy the dynasty promised to David by God. War (fleeing before his enemies) could destroy his family, including Solomon. Famine could place the nation in the position of debtor to another nation who sold them food. This could leave Solomon in a weak position with having to re-develop the kingdom and owing debts to others. Plague was placing himself in God’s hands and hoping in the mercy of God to see them through. Do you pray for God’s mercy, for yourself as well as those who come after you? Do you have faith God will protect and defend you no matter the situation?

In verses 14-17, we see David intercede for others. God’s mercy did indeed prevail. Though 70,000 died, Jerusalem was spared. As the angel’s sword rises over Jerusalem, God cried out, “Enough!” His mercy seems to have cut short the plague of the angel (v. 15). We read immediately after (v. 16) that David and the elders were in sackcloth and face down in prayer. Perhaps they were already in this repentant posture of prayer and this led to God’s relenting. Perhaps their prayers were an act of contrition and thanksgiving following God’s mercy. I tend to think it is the former, but the text is not clear.

Yet again David confesses his sin and his alone (v. 17). “I ordered,” he says. “I sinned.” “I did wrong.” He asks God to punish him, the shepherd, and not his sheep. He even offers that God’s hand can fall on David and David’s family. That is, after all this, he offers God the option to rescind the covenant God made that his son Solomon would reign after him. He was willing to throw it all away if it would save his people. Do you intercede for others who suffer? Do you offer to suffer that others might live? Do you willingly share one another’s burdens?

In verses 18-24, we see that David sacrifices willingly. Gad told David to build an altar on the threshing floor where the angel had stopped his advance. David willingly obeyed this word (as opposed to his ignoring the counsel of Joab earlier in the story). David had to approach the angel and no doubt was well aware that he might be slain at any moment. The threshing floor belonged to Araunah. He and his sons saw the angel with the raised sword. Interestingly, we are told Araunah’s sons hide but Araunah himself continued to thresh (v. 20). Araunah was a Jebusite. His name may have meant “Lord,” and it is likely that he might have been the deposed king of Jerusalem. (The city had been a Jebusite stronghold before David conquered it and made it his capital.) Even if Araunah was not the deposed king, he may have no doubt viewed the angel as God finally bringing vengeance upon David and the Hebrews for the theft of their city and their lands. He certainly doesn’t seem put off by the angel’s advance.

In the story, it is only as David approaches that Araunah ceases his work and bows down to the approaching king (v. 21). When David asks to purchase the threshing floor, Araunah responds, “take it! for the king can do whatever pleases him.” He then offers the oxen for the offerings, the sledges for the sacrificial wood, and the wheat for grain offerings. Either Araunah is very generous to God or he is sarcastically saying, you’ve stolen everything else from us Jebusites, why not take the rest (v. 23)?! David sees the sacrificial offer of Araunah (whether made in good faith or with biting sarcasm) and realizes that true sacrifice is costly. So David insists on paying “full price” for the land. He says, “I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burn offering that costs me nothing” (v. 24). David then gives Araunah 600 shekels of gold, which would have been far more than the full price of the land. It is quite possible that David in this moment realizes the injury he has caused Araunah and the other Jebusites and is making restitution for the city of Jerusalem that he had earlier taken. Do you take the easy way when it is offered to you (like David could have done)? Are you like Araunah, offering your gifts and material possessions in service to others (even begrudgingly at times)? Do you sacrifice your own time and possessions to serve God and to serve others?

Finally, in 21:25-22:1, we learn that we should look for good in the midst of darkness. David bought the threshing floor. David built an altar. David burned sacrifices to God. He called on God and God answered him and accepted his offering. The angel then finally sheathed his sword. The crisis had now been averted. David then offered more sacrifices in response to the good fortune and mercy of God. We are told that David was concerned about the sword of the angel (that it might become unsheathed again) and that, because of this concern, David continued to make offerings at the threshing floor altar. David did this even though the tabernacle still stood in Gibeon, including the bronze altar on which David had been offering sacrifices even after moving the ark to Jerusalem.

David became convinced from the outworking of his foolish act that God had determined the location for the future temple. It was to be upon this threshing floor. Whether it was Satan or a human adversary who first incited David to count his fighting men, God had been able to turn it into something good. As Joseph had said in the book of Genesis, “You intended it to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (50:20). Satan intended evil that day, possibly the disruption or destruction of the Davidic covenant, but God brought about the “discovery” of the location for the future temple. Similarly, Satan intended evil to Jesus when he brought about the death of the Messiah on the cross, but God through the resurrection brought about salvation and made the cross into a symbol of hope. Have you called on God in faith? Do you go beyond expectations to worship God and to serve him? Do you see God at work even in the most difficult of times, turning evil to good? We can find wisdom even in the most foolish things we do, if we confess and give these things to God.

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“Finding Wisdom in a Foolish Thing” 1 Chronicles 21:1-22:1

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psalms, sermon

The Way of Wisdom

Posted on by Jay Givens

Psalm 1 contrasts the way of the wise with the way of the wicked. We can hear the psalmist ask three questions of us. First, if you stop, what do you hear? Many of us today are so media and technology-driven that we honestly don’t stop. We cannot stand awkward silence. A slight pause in the conversation and our smartphone immediately pops out. The psalmist warns that those who begin by walking with the wicked soon find themselves stand among sinners. Ultimately, they sit down in mocking and scornful judgment of others (which sounds a lot like Facebook!). So the wicked “stop,” but they do not listen. In contrast, the wise intentionally cause themselves to stop and listen. We are told that they delight to meditate on the instruction of the Lord day and night.

Second, when trouble comes, how do you stand? The wise are described as the very Tree of Life deeply rooted beside the rivers of Eden. Drought will not damage them nor storms uproot them. In all seasons, the wise flourish. They bless the lives of others with fruit of their good works and comfort to the afflicted with their shade of their leaves. The wicked, however, are like chaff easily blown about by the slightest breeze. They are useless to themselves or to others when the trials of life come. (Sadly, Jeremiah 17:5-8 describes a “middle way”between these two–those who have a shallow faith–as a bush struggling in the desert for its own sustenance, unable to bless others.)

Third, in your journey, who do you trust? The psalmist describes life as a journey. With assurance he tells us the LORD watches over the way of the righteous. Like a GPS, God can guide the steps of the righteous even when our path is obscured by the storms of adversity, the fog of loss and struggle, or the darkness of fear and doubt. Not so the wicked, concludes the psalmist. He tells us that they vanish on their path and so will not stand in the judgment.

In Aesop’s Fables, Prometheus tells Zeus he created two roads. The path of freedom starts out difficult and rocky but ultimately becomes a wide easy plain with beautiful gardens and rivers. The path of slavery starts out easy and wide, a joy to behold, but eventually it becomes an impassible, treacherous climb. Thanks be to God who sent Jesus our Christ to show us the way–no, to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As his one body, he called his followers to help our brothers and sisters through those difficult parts of our journey. Together, we delight in our Christ, we meditate on the One who embodies the Law.

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“The Way of Wisdom” — Psalm 1

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