Sermon Leftovers: Wisdom in the Psalms

Bonus! Today's post is also on Youtube if you'd rather watch!

So far this summer we've seen the Psalms speak on a great many themes. 

• We've discussed helpful questions to think about when reading the Psalms. 
• We've seen the Psalms teach about who God is and what he's done through stories. 
• We've seen the Psalms speak about the messiah's sorrow and exaltation. 
• We've seen the Psalms invite us to live with joy and thanksgiving. 
• We've seen the Psalms declare judgement, and proclaim God's justice against evil. 

And now we come to the theme of Wisdom in the Psalms. Often when we would think about wisdom in the scriptures king Solomon and the book of proverbs come to mind. Those are good word associations to make, but so are the Psalms! The Psalms contain such a wide breadth of expressions, prayers, and instruction in wisdom. 

Sometimes we get hung up on the delivery method of wisdom. Wisdom can sometimes be conveyed in short "tweetable" sayings, and sometimes it comes in long stories. Wisdom sometimes is offered in short word pictures, and sometimes it comes in the experience of a situation. Wisdom in the Psalms comes to us through many different methods and we can be thankful that God uses many different means to communicate his Word and Ways. 

Yesterday during the sermon I cited a few passages regarding wisdom from the Psalms, and today I'd like to share a few passages that focus on God's Word and God's Ways. 

Wisdom is knowing God's Word.

One way the Psalms speak about wisdom is knowing God's Word. God's Word is continually spoken of throughout the Psalms as a source of wisdom and delight. 

Psalm 19 speaks with glowing refrains of the law, statues, precepts, commands, fear, and decrees of the Lord:

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

Psalm 119 is the longest single chapter in the whole of the Bible, and it's focus is on God's Word and following God's ways. In verses 9-14 the Psalmist begins with a question for young people:

9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 12 Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. 13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 

The life of purity is maintained by living according to God's Word. Seeking after God with an earnest, sincere devotion is the motivation of the pure. Calling upon God to keep them from straying is the request. The pure doesn't keep the Word of God at "safe social distance", rather the pure seeks to keep the Word of the Lord close in the heart. Praise is rendered to God in verse 12 based on the Lord teaching the pure His decrees. In knowing and recounting God's Word there is a source of joy for the pure. 

Later on in Psalm 119, the Psalmist speaks of the excellency of God's word and possessing a desire for God's word with a passionate, earnest longing:

129 Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. 130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. 131 I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.

From the very outset of the Psalms, in Psalm 1, we're given a paradigm for what the life of the person who is blessed looks like:

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

The blessed one as described in the Psalms is the one, who rather than living life according to the words of the world, lives according to the Word of the Lord. Blessing is found in relationship to God, through his revealed Word. As Christians, we have been brought into relationship with God through the Word made flesh (John 1:14). Jesus knew God's Word. He considered it, and daily strove (with perfect success) to live in accordance with God's Word. We, as believers follow Jesus. We follow his example, and we follow his leading in a life of knowing God's Word. 

Wisdom is following God's Ways. 

One definition of blessed is Obedience to God's ways. While the world shouts and rages around us giving us it's own definitions of what blessing means, the Word of God gives us wisdom as to what God's perspective on "living the good life" looks like. Psalm 19:10-11 speaks of the reward of wisdom in following God's ways:

10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. 11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 112:1-2 speaks of the blessing and glee to be found in the fear and obedience of the Lord. Obedience is something that has a present reward, and even the promise of a future reward. Future generations of descendants receive a blessing: 

1 Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. 2 Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Psalm 119:72 compares the word of the Lord to money and declares that earthly riches pale in comparison: 

The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Blessing and obedience go hand in hand. To live with obedience towards God is to live with blessing surrounding you. In Psalm 127:1-2 we read:

1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

The Wisdom of the Psalms speaks also to the wicked, offering them hope and a warning in Psalm 37:27-29:

27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28 For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. 29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. 

Wisdom calls out even to those whose lives are marked with evil. An invitation is extended to turn from evil, and do what is good. There is hope for those who turn from evil and seek what is good. Not what is good according to the world, but what is good according to the just judge - the Lord. The warning comes as a stern reminder that evil has no future, it has no inheritance, it has no eternal delight. Those who turn to the Lord do have an eternal future, and even those who are tangled in evil can shared in that eternal future promised by the Lord if they turn from evil and do good. 

As Christians we make it our daily ambition to live in obedience to God's ways. We don't live perfectly, though we strive to live in manners that are pleasing and obedient to our Lord. The life of the Christian is marked by the life of Christ. As Christ himself each day sought to live his life in blessed obedience to the Word of God, we too are now indwelled by the Holy Spirit to live each day pursuing obedience to the Word of God. This is perhaps the key distinguishing feature between knowledge, and wisdom. Knowledge understands something, wisdom then lives in light of that knowledge. Knowing God's Word is essential to wisdom. Yet knowing God's Word only doesn't make us wise. The evil one knows God's Word and throughout the scriptures often quotes passages of God's Word (with evil intent and twisting interpretations). Wisdom is knowing God's Word, and living in obedience to God's ways. 

In John 14:5-7 Jesus revealed, in no uncertain terms, that he is the way. To know Jesus is to know God the Father. To obey and follow Jesus is to obey and follow the Father. To know God's Word and follow God's Word is to know Jesus and follow Jesus. 

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

This understanding of wisdom puts obedience to the Lord as the focal point of our lives. Rather than all pursuits of the world such as pursuit of personal ambitions, immediate happiness, instant gratification, physical comfort, or pleasure. Wisdom from God's Word calls to the Christian, and it calls to those who practice evil. To both the believer and the unbeliever, wisdom offers warning and invitations of blessing, both presently and eternally. 

Wisdom is found in knowing God's Word and following God's Ways.