Today, in Proverbs, we are introduced to Lady Wisdom. There's a ton of symbolism to work through in those first few verses of Chapter 9, but I want to start with Verse 10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."
Fear in the Old Testament doesn't carry the same connotation that it does today. Fear comes from the Hebrew word yirah, which has a whole range of meaning within the Hebrew scriptures. It can mean the fear we feel in anticipation of danger or injury, but it can also mean awe or reverence. The "fear of the Lord" includes an overwhelming sensation of the glory, worth and beauty of God.
Some Jewish sages link yirah with another word that comes from the same root, ra'ah, which means seeing. They feel that if we really see life as it is, we will be filled with wonder and awe over the glory of it all. Think about that for a second.
Abraham Herschel, who write God in Search of Man, wrote "Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things, a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand … for something supreme. Awe is a sense for transcendence, for the mystery beyond all things. It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple: to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal. What we cannot comprehend by analysis, we become aware of in awe." He notes that such awe is not the goal of wisdom – like some state of nirvana – but rather its means. We start with awe and that leads us to wisdom.
So let's start there. Lady Wisdom invites the simple, those without sense, to come and eat the meal she has prepared. She's asking that they lay aside their simple, empty lives, to "live, and walk in the way of insight." She's asking that we step beyond the awe we feel, for that is not the goal, and step into wisdom.
Now interestingly, those words, while different, have the same meaning as the words Christ speaks in our Gospel lesson today. He invites us to a meal: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
And in taking that step from simply being in awe of Him and what He chooses to do for all humanity, we start our way into Wisdom, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them" – to live and walk in the way of insight.
Pretty words. But how do we go from simple to insightful? We've talked in the last month or so about asking God for our daily bread. In doing that, we allow ourselves to abide in Christ, and for Christ to abide in us. We've taken the first step. So what are other steps to gain wisdom?
Well, wisdom comes from making mistakes – but not just making them – learning from them, and not making the same mistakes again. There are plenty of mistakes out there for us to make. If we keep making the same mistakes, then we're not learning, and we're not gaining wisdom.
How do we find the right mistakes to make? By trying new things, gaining experiences that we haven't had before. While one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result, the definition of wisdom is the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight.
Someone once said that a wise man learns from the mistakes of others, because no one lives long enough to make them all himself. So, gaining experiences that are new to us, is one of the first steps to putting the path of wisdom found in the Bread of Life to use. Learning from both the mistakes of others, and more importantly, the wisdom of others is the next step.
Talk to someone you've never spoken with, old or young, with the intention of learning something from them. Everyone has something to teach. One of the best lessons I ever learned was from a 5 year old, who wanted to know why I took the word of someone else without even asking her what had happened from her perspective. I learned to never assume you have the whole story when you've only listened to one person.
You can take a class, teach a class with the intention of collecting the most useful and interesting questions, find a mentor, read a book. Step out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself. And know that even if you fail, you have gained knowledge, and know how to apply that knowledge to gain wisdom.
Finally, listen to Paul's words to the Ephesians: "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
Think about the people you know, particularly the simple and those "without sense." Invite them to a meal, where they can receive the Bread of Life, and start their own path to Wisdom and insight. If they lack the Living Bread, they won't find the path to Wisdom. And we vowed in our baptismal covenant to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ – with God's help. Our Daily Bread lives within us. The Holy Spirit is here to guide us to way of Wisdom.
This faith of ours isn't just a belief. It has to be an action.
Let us pray: O God, who by thy Holy Spirit does give to some the word of wisdom, to others the word of knowledge, and to others the word of faith: We praise thy Name for the gifts of grace and we pray that thy Church may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Fear in the Old Testament doesn't carry the same connotation that it does today. Fear comes from the Hebrew word yirah, which has a whole range of meaning within the Hebrew scriptures. It can mean the fear we feel in anticipation of danger or injury, but it can also mean awe or reverence. The "fear of the Lord" includes an overwhelming sensation of the glory, worth and beauty of God.
Some Jewish sages link yirah with another word that comes from the same root, ra'ah, which means seeing. They feel that if we really see life as it is, we will be filled with wonder and awe over the glory of it all. Think about that for a second.
Abraham Herschel, who write God in Search of Man, wrote "Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things, a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand … for something supreme. Awe is a sense for transcendence, for the mystery beyond all things. It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple: to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal. What we cannot comprehend by analysis, we become aware of in awe." He notes that such awe is not the goal of wisdom – like some state of nirvana – but rather its means. We start with awe and that leads us to wisdom.
So let's start there. Lady Wisdom invites the simple, those without sense, to come and eat the meal she has prepared. She's asking that they lay aside their simple, empty lives, to "live, and walk in the way of insight." She's asking that we step beyond the awe we feel, for that is not the goal, and step into wisdom.
Now interestingly, those words, while different, have the same meaning as the words Christ speaks in our Gospel lesson today. He invites us to a meal: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
And in taking that step from simply being in awe of Him and what He chooses to do for all humanity, we start our way into Wisdom, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them" – to live and walk in the way of insight.
Pretty words. But how do we go from simple to insightful? We've talked in the last month or so about asking God for our daily bread. In doing that, we allow ourselves to abide in Christ, and for Christ to abide in us. We've taken the first step. So what are other steps to gain wisdom?
Well, wisdom comes from making mistakes – but not just making them – learning from them, and not making the same mistakes again. There are plenty of mistakes out there for us to make. If we keep making the same mistakes, then we're not learning, and we're not gaining wisdom.
How do we find the right mistakes to make? By trying new things, gaining experiences that we haven't had before. While one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result, the definition of wisdom is the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight.
Someone once said that a wise man learns from the mistakes of others, because no one lives long enough to make them all himself. So, gaining experiences that are new to us, is one of the first steps to putting the path of wisdom found in the Bread of Life to use. Learning from both the mistakes of others, and more importantly, the wisdom of others is the next step.
Talk to someone you've never spoken with, old or young, with the intention of learning something from them. Everyone has something to teach. One of the best lessons I ever learned was from a 5 year old, who wanted to know why I took the word of someone else without even asking her what had happened from her perspective. I learned to never assume you have the whole story when you've only listened to one person.
You can take a class, teach a class with the intention of collecting the most useful and interesting questions, find a mentor, read a book. Step out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself. And know that even if you fail, you have gained knowledge, and know how to apply that knowledge to gain wisdom.
Finally, listen to Paul's words to the Ephesians: "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
Think about the people you know, particularly the simple and those "without sense." Invite them to a meal, where they can receive the Bread of Life, and start their own path to Wisdom and insight. If they lack the Living Bread, they won't find the path to Wisdom. And we vowed in our baptismal covenant to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ – with God's help. Our Daily Bread lives within us. The Holy Spirit is here to guide us to way of Wisdom.
This faith of ours isn't just a belief. It has to be an action.
Let us pray: O God, who by thy Holy Spirit does give to some the word of wisdom, to others the word of knowledge, and to others the word of faith: We praise thy Name for the gifts of grace and we pray that thy Church may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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