God's Wisdom for Navigating Life

by Timothy Keller

  How determined are you to get wisdom—really?

  Prayer: Lord, I have set my heart on wisdom, but I confess that my spiritual resolve in the past has often flagged. My will is weak. So, to help me seek wisdom, capture my heart with a vivid view of Jesus setting his face to go up to Jerusalem to die for me (Isaiah 50:7; Luke 9:31). Amen.

  The Case for Wisdom

  January 29

  “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.” (8:4–5)

  FOR EVERYONE. Proverbs chapter 8 makes a grand case for the supreme importance of godly wisdom. True wisdom cries out to all people (verse 4), including even the simple—those who are extremely gullible and clueless (verse 5). No one needs to remain a fool.

  Perhaps the greatest encouragement in this passage is easily missed. Wisdom is literally seeking us. Proverbs 8 depicts Wisdom as an actual person, “so that our own search, earnest as it has to be . . . is a response, not an uncertain quest.”31 Who is that person? The New Testament reveals it to be Jesus himself, “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). The Greek philosophers believed that behind the universe there was a cosmic principle, the Logos, that only the educated and cultured could discover. But the Gospel of John reveals that the Logos behind the universe is Jesus—a cosmic person—who can be known and loved. In the end, the main way to become wise is to have a personal relationship with him to set our heart on him. And anyone can do that, regardless of status or education.

  How can you make your relationship with Jesus Christ less formal and more personal?

  Prayer: Lord, I thank you for being a God for all people. Your wisdom is not just for the mystics and philosophers. It is for anyone who can believe in Jesus Christ. “I praise you . . . because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (Matthew 11:25). Amen.

  January 30

  “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” (8:12–13)

  THE SAFETY. To be wise is to have the prudence and discretion that bring success (verse 12). Then verse 13 speaks of hating arrogance and pride. We must never divide verse 12 from 13. Why? David A. Hubbard notes that arrogance and conceit are faults “to which shrewd and clever persons are especially prone.”32 Without awe and wonder—fear before God—success can and usually does lead to a sense of superiority and hubris. Then the spiral begins. Pride moves you toward foolishness, such as overconfidence in your intuition, which ultimately results in bad decisions and downfall.

  Moral character is to success as the safety is to a gun: It keeps you from shooting yourself with it. “True wisdom is canny and resourceful,” writes Kidner, and that is the reason that only “being rooted in the fear of the Lord [can make it] free from the faults of worldly wisdom.”33 Don’t miss the fact that the word hate is used twice, and the second time it is spoken by Wisdom. “What is repugnant to godliness is repugnant to wisdom: there is no conflict of interest.”34

  If you have been enjoying any success, have you been secretly taking credit for it? Are you seeing it as the gift of God that it is?

  Prayer: Lord, my heart fears that if I am kind rather than ruthless, I will not be successful. But I see what your Word says, that humble goodness is the most practical in the end, because it walks in the same path that Jesus did, who triumphed through service and love. Amen.

  January 31

  Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. . . . [B]y me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth. . . . With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. (8:14, 16, 18–19)

  BY-PRODUCTS. All the things that create success—the right plan (counsel), the strategic resourcefulness to carry it out (sound judgment), and the boldness to execute (power)—belong to wisdom (verse 14). All accomplishment that is not mere luck is grounded in the attributes of wisdom.35

  The wise are practical. Yet true wisdom still sees success as only a by-product—not the main goal. Wisdom brings enduring wealth—a Hebrew term that means an inner richness of joy and divine favor that is better than fine gold (verse 19). Perhaps it would be best to say that real wisdom tends toward prosperity, but prosperity itself is never the wise person’s ultimate goal. The wise do what they do not because it is satisfying or because it works but because it is right and loving to God and his creation. Success may come or not—but that is not the point. If you see success as a possible by-product, not the main goal of wisdom, then you will indeed be wise. Even if “your hands shall flow with gold,” yet “over you gold shall have no dominion.”36

  Do you tend to be either too concerned with results and practical success or too unconcerned?

  Prayer: Lord, I pray for my community, country, and society. There is no social order without your wisdom, and even those who do not acknowledge you are dependent on it. Give us wise leaders, not fools. Give us peace so we can joyfully serve you and our neighbor “in all godly quietness.”37 Amen.

  February 1

  I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. (8:27–29)

  FOUNDATIONS. Wisdom was with God when he marked out the foundations of the world. The New Testament teaches the agent of creation was Jesus, the eternal Word and wisdom of God (John 1:1–14; Hebrews 1:1–4).

  Because the Bible is the Word of our creator, it is our soul’s “owner’s manual.” The things it commands are the very things we were created to do. So godly wisdom comes from relating to God not as just a general divine being but as our creator (February 22). But if God’s wisdom is Jesus, then we must also understand the gospel in order to be wise (1 Corinthians 1:24). The logic of the gospel—that you are an undeserving sinner and yet an unconditionally loved child of God at the same time—brings a unique combination of humility and confidence that makes you wise in a way nothing else can (February 9). Biblical wisdom, then, takes us back to the very foundations of the earth. The only wisdom that works in daily life is that same wisdom that created and will redeem the world.

  How can thinking of the Bible as your “owner’s manual” help you better accept and use it in your life?

  Prayer: Lord, I have been perplexed by Proverbs’ dual call to not be “wise in my own eyes” and yet to face life with confidence and resolve. How can I do both? But the gospel is the answer. I am a loved failure, a righteous-in-him sinner. This is truly the beginning of wisdom. Amen.

  February 2

  Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind. (8:30–31)

  WISDOM’S JOY. The Father and the Son delighted in the world they made and in us. We see beauty in things when they are rightly related to one another.38 Thus an arch is more beautiful to us than a rock field, and love is more beautiful than hate. The more we discern how the parts of a piece of music, or of a flower, all fit together, the more we delight in the music and the flower, not for what it can do for us but for what it is in itself, as part of God’s creation. Wisdom is essentially about discerning and forming the right relationships and rejoicing in them.39

  God created us simply for the joy and love of it. He loves us not instrumentally—for what he can get out of us—but for us. So it is the height of wisdom to love God for himself alone, and to value human beings not simply for what we can get from them but as beings who reflect the image of our maker (Genesis 1:26).

  Next time you face a case of
unanswered prayer, ask yourself: Do you love God for God himself or for the things you get from him?

  Prayer: Lord, I am startled by this teaching that the heart of wisdom is joy and delight in things for themselves. My modern life makes me too busy to stop and ponder “the work of thy hands” until it triggers praise to my maker and redeemer. Let me take time for beauty. Amen.

  February 3

  She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says, “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.” (9:3–6)

  WISDOM’S BANQUET. The woman Wisdom calls us to find the way to her house where there is a feast waiting. Great food represents the desires and appetites of our hearts. “Over time, we grow in wisdom or folly according to the ultimate loves and commitments that move us.”40 We can’t overcome workaholism if we love money and status too much. We can’t overcome bitterness or slander if we love our reputation too much. It is not just willpower but a reordering of our desires that will bring wisdom.

  The way of wisdom is not the way of quick fixes and dramatic turnarounds. It is the way of long training and discipline. But train the heart, not just the mind and will. Don’t just believe in the goodness of God—savor it in worship and prayer. Christians know that the ultimate feast for the soul will be the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6–9), where Jesus, the Lord of the feast, will satisfy us fully, giving us the “best wine” of his saving love (John 2:1–11). Even the foretastes that we get now will heal our restlessness and so make us wise. “The hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets [even] before we reach the heavenly fields and walk the golden streets.”41

  Does your prayer life include much praise and savoring of Jesus, or is it mainly a time of asking for things?

  Prayer: Father, I have made many wrong decisions. As I look back on them, I now realize they were less a lack of know-how and more the result of an empty heart. Pour out your love into my heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Amen.

  February 4

  Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. (9:7–9)

  WISDOM’S PROGRESS. Life rebukes us through the hard knocks of trials and troubles, which show us our weaknesses and foolishness. Friends help us grow through the bracing love of correction. These are the two versions of wisdom’s main teaching method—the “comeuppance.”42

  The further you go down the road toward folly, the more you interpret all events as supporting what you always believed anyway. And when things go wrong, you blame others and circumstances for your problems. This hardens your heart rather than softening it, and it makes you less open to counsel than ever. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still, but try to tell the mocker anything and it will make him worse than he was before you tried. In the New Testament, Jesus laid out this principle. “Whosoever has shall be given more” (Matthew 13:12–16). The more wisdom you have, the more wisdom you will gain in every turn in the road of life. The less wisdom you have, the less you will learn from anything. So learn from your mistakes and from criticism—at all costs.

  When was the last time you let someone or something change your mind about a significant issue?

  Prayer: Lord, when things go wrong—or when I do wrong—help me to drop all my defenses, my blame shifting, and my self-justifications. These are the tools of fools. Like a soldier let me say to you, “No excuse, sir!” and learn what I should learn. Help me start with what happened yesterday. Amen.

  February 5

  If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer. (9:12)

  WISDOM’S FELLOWSHIP. Ancient wisdom taught that you would thrive as a person only if you put the needs of your family and community above your own self-interest. Our modern culture rejects that entirely. We are told to “be true to ourselves,” to decide who we want to be and then to demand that our community and family recognize and honor that regardless of its impact on relationships. Today we sacrifice the good of the group for the absolute freedom of the individual. The result is an increasing number of people who feel disconnected and lonely.

  Mockers sneer at the values and beliefs of any community. Thus the mocker has no real friends, and in the end he suffers alone. Christians absolutize not the will of either the individual or the community but the will of God. When we believe the gospel, the barriers of pride that divide us are taken away (Ephesians 2:14–16), and the lonely are put into families (Psalm 68:6; John 1:12–13). Salvation leads toward more and deeper relationships but sin toward being alone.

  Are your good friendships growing in quantity and quality, or are you letting the busyness and mobility of modern life have their way?

  Prayer: Lord, I praise you have made me part of a new people and a new family. It is not easy to be open, or to take the time to cultivate relationships. But I must, first, in order to honor you, my Father, and also so I will never have to suffer alone. Amen.

  February 6

  [Folly] sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way, “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” (9:14–17)

  FOLLY CAN ONLY SMUGGLE. Like Wisdom, Lady Folly also provides food in her house, but it is stolen. “Folly and sin are always parasitic of the good that God by Wisdom has made. Folly takes the goods and destroys their goodness by ripping them from their proper place in the coherence of things. . . . Folly has not built her house; she has stolen it.”43

  Many young adults are unreligious and relativistic, insisting that every person has a right to create their own moral values and no one can tell them how to live. Yet they have deep moral convictions against racism and sexism that they insist are true for everyone.44 Such moral absolutes are smuggled—they don’t make sense if there is no God and all morality is culturally relative. In Wisdom’s banquet you have all the goods a human being wants—meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, and hope. But they are not stolen. They flow naturally out of a relationship with the Lord.

  Do you have any friends who smuggle moral absolutes into a relativistic worldview? How can you speak to them about it?

  Prayer: Lord, I have many friends who don’t believe in God at all but believe intensely in human rights and in the importance of aiding the oppressed. They don’t see that these “goods” have been stolen. Help me find ways of explaining that without unnecessarily offending. Open their hearts to their need for you. Amen.

  February 7

  “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead. (9:17–18)

  THE WALKING DEAD. Proverbs tells us righteousness brings life while wickedness leads to death. This may be literally true. Many of the behaviors promoted in Proverbs—marriage, work, prudence, emotional self-control—are associated with longer life spans. “Accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many” (4:10). However, usually “life” and “death” refer not to length but to quality of life.45 Sometimes “to live” refers to having loving relationships (15:27) or to the psychological well-being of a “heart of peace” (14:30). And sometimes it means the spiritual life that is fellowship with God (21:21).

  To miss out on true life, then, is to enter the realm of death before your physical life on earth is ended. To live a life cut off from God, with ever-increasing spiritual blindness, brittleness, and hardness, is to become a spiritual corpse. Folly’s guests reside deep in the realm of the dead. So we must ch
oose life (Deuteronomy 30:19).

  Have you really grasped that having biblical wisdom is a matter of life or death?

  Prayer: Father, before I put faith in Jesus I was outwardly alive but inwardly dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). Now, though physically I weaken, inwardly I’m becoming more and more alive (2 Corinthians 4:16). I need to remember what true life and true death are, especially when I face the inevitable challenges of sickness, injury, and age. Amen.

  KNOWING GOD

  The Fear of the Lord

  February 8

  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (1:7)

  GOD-CENTEREDNESS. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom the way the alphabet is the beginning of reading. There is no wisdom at all without it. But what is it? There is a kind of fear that is just the dread of punishment (Joshua 2:14). But there is also a standing in awe of someone (Joshua 4:24), with the resulting fear of doing anything to grieve or dishonor the person. It is in this second sense that we must understand the true “fear of the Lord,” for it increases the more we admire and praise him in wonder (1 Chronicles 16:25).

  There are, then, only two ways of thinking about life. You can “let [the Lord] be your fear” (Isaiah 8:13 KJV)—your life center—or something else will be. Either God’s Word will be the unquestioned arbiter of truth or something else will serve that function (public opinion, your own feelings, or human scientific reasoning). Either God and your relationship with him will be the thing you esteem most—and every single other thing will be evaluated in light of that—or your relationship to some other thing (such as money) will define reality.