Second Presbyterian Church

"Wisdom and Gratitude"
August 17, 2003

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2003 » Sermons for August 2003

20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
by The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• 1 Kings 3: 3-14
• Psalm 111
• Ephesians 5: 15-20

Wisdom and Intelligence, is there a difference? Why do really intelligent people sometimes make stupid decisions? Can average, even below average in intelligence, people develop wisdom? A few years ago Reader's Digest had an article that was titled something like this: "Why Do Intelligent People Make Stupid Mistakes?" The point of the article was that really intelligent people sometimes become arrogant and then make foolish decisions. It is just what the Bible says. In Proverbs 16:18 we read:

Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Arrogance is a form of idolatry; it is a form of self worship. When we are arrogant we are putting ourselves above everything else, even God. It is idolatry. The tragedy of arrogance is how it is based upon our fears of being nothing and our fears of the world. Arrogance is based upon deep personal fears.

And fears are dangerous. Fear also influences intelligent people to make foolish decisions. It has happened to me on several memorable occasions.

So, what about wisdom? What does it really mean to be wise? Wisdom is acknowledging, before God, just how insignificant and limited we are as human beings. Wisdom also begins with fear, but it is a different fear. It is a healthy fear. Wisdom begins with the fear of the LORD, fear of God.

I can hear it now, "Oh no, preacher! Are we supposed to be afraid of God, like he is some old angry grandfatherly figure sitting on his throne frowning down at us, just waiting for us to sin, or make a mistake so that he can ZAP us?" No. Fear of the LORD means you realize how small and insignificant you are and how totally powerful, all knowing, AND ALL LOVING God is! It is like comparing our puniness to God' infinity.

Let me explain further. I get a sense of how awesome God is when I look from the top of a mountain and can see for miles and miles. I get a sense of how awesome God is when I look up in the sky on a clear night and see all the planets and stars, the Milky Way. I get a sense of how awesome God is when I try to understand the atom, quarks, quantum theory. Now here's the point. None of these things are God. They are just mere aspects of His creation. If they give me so much awe and wonder, just imagine how awesome and wonderful God Himself really must be!

So, wisdom begins with the fear of the LORD. It begins with a sense of just how incredibly awesome the LORD really is. And I find that this is good news for me. It is great news for me to realize that I can develop wisdom and that my wisdom is not dependent upon my intelligence. I may be reasonably smart, but I would not want to rely upon it for my wisdom. Let me share with you one of my favorite verses from Proverbs, 17:28:

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Of course the writer did not have preachers in mind. I firmly believe that one who can keep his mouth shut is wiser for doing so. But it feels strange to me in that it's hard to preach with one's mouth shut! So, in all that I do, I have to risk the foolishness of preaching in order to trust that the Word of God, Jesus Christ, is preached.

Let's touch upon the ramifications of true wisdom. Since wisdom is the fear of the LORD, then it means that we don't have to fear anything else. We don't have to fear our limits. We don't have to fear our puniness. We don't have to fear tragedy. We don't have to fear death. We don't have to fear terrorists. Don't get me wrong we are going to have feelings of fear about some of these things. It's just that we don't have to let those fears take over our lives like they would if we were not believers in the Lord.

For example, let's talk about terrorism. We can do what we can, and we should, to prevent terrorism. But there is absolutely no guarantee that we can prevent another act of terrorism. It is probably just a matter of time before terrorists strike again. Let's get very clear what the goal of terrorists is: it is to generate fear, so much fear into the hearts of people that their unreasonable demands are met. It is blackmail. So, if the goal of terrorists is to generate fear, then OUR GOAL is to REMAIN FEARLESS. A society that chooses not to become afraid is a society that defeats terrorists. Easier said than done, but that is our role as a congregation, as Christians. We are the ones who are to go out and witness to our nation about whom we really ought to fear - God. We are the ones who need to let people know that the only thing we need to fear is fear itself (FDR). It is only with our wisdom that we can help others to begin to experience the wisdom that comes from fearing the LORD.

Finally, what does wisdom have to do with gratitude? The answer lies in another question? Are we more grateful when we are being foolish and arrogant, or are we more grateful when we realize just how dependent our life is upon God? We, as Christians, know that our awesome God is loving and gracious. He loved us so much that Jesus, His son, redeemed us from our sin and arrogance. And for this we are eternally grateful. Amen

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.