Manhood is a Mindset. J. Colin Trisler

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СКАЧАТЬ Solomon made the rational choice in asking for wisdom. Solomon was inexperienced and scared. But he refused to surrender to his fear. He stood strong and accepted his responsibility like a man. He allowed his mind to rise above his emotions, and he made a good choice when he decided that long-term wisdom, not some easy or shortsighted scheme, was the solution to his inexperience.

      Skill. Solomon put his God-given gifts into action; and with God’s wisdom as his guide, he led Israel into a golden age of prosperity.

      Notice, though, that Solomon didn’t face his challenges on his own. When reality forced him to make a choice, he turned to two reliable sources for support.

       He looked up to God, his Heavenly Father, as the singular source of all that is right and true.

       He also looked back on the godly example of his earthly father to see what wisdom looked like in real-world everyday life.

      Solomon saw with his own eyes that David was a man who walked before God with integrity. He saw how God rewarded his father’s wisdom with great and faithful love (1 Kgs 3:6). He acquired the wisdom he needed to be a successful king by focusing his attention on both his Heavenly Father and his earthly father. He took what they taught him, all those things that are proven to be good and right, and governed his life by those truths day in and day out.

      And he found great success along the way.

      Solomon understood the insecurity that comes along with raw youth. But he also understood that God’s wisdom was the answer to solving the problems that inexperience and immaturity can bring about.

      The truth never changes

      Like Solomon, we all have a choice to make. In our daily decisions, we can choose to think long-term and act with wisdom. Or we can choose to pursue some short-sighted scheme and get tripped up by our own foolishness.

      The reason foolishness continues to thrive in our world is because, as sinners, we would rather trade knowledge, morality, rationality, and skill for their opposites: ignorance, immorality, irrationality, and incompetence.

Even wise men like Solomon are not immune to the temptation to indulge in foolish behavior. As Israel’s king, Solomon developed a worldwide reputation for unparalleled wisdom. But later in his life, he shifted his focus away from God and lapsed into severe disobedience. This does not mean that he stopped loving God or that God stopped loving him. It means that Solomon made a series of bad choices that caused him to stumble in his personal life and in his relationship with God. He chose to reject God’s wisdom for the sake of sinful distractions; and for a time, he sought fulfillment in the pleasures and possessions of this world. But after he considered all his foolish behavior, he realized such empty pursuits were “vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (Eccl 2:11). Solomon knew well the rewards of wisdom. But he also experienced firsthand the painful consequences of folly.7

      Before we pass too harsh of a judgment upon Solomon, however, let’s keep this fact in mind: The Bible tells us he was a wise man, not a perfect man. Since the beginning of time, the world has been full of people just like him: men who possess the capacity to be wise yet still choose to do foolish things. Even today, the wisest among us stumble over our own foolish choices because foolishness is easy. Acting like a fool requires no real effort. Living like a wise man, however, requires much effort. It demands self-control, rational sacrifice, and long-term thinking. The straight and upright path of wisdom is a challenging path to walk. But the wise man remains devoted to this way of life because he understands this simple fact: the rewards of living wisely make all the work more than worthwhile.

      God created us to live wisely because there is true happiness in it. Like any good father, he wants his children to do well. But to achieve the success God has in store for us, we must make the choice to put his wisdom into action in every area of our everyday lives. That’s why God inspired Solomon to share these words with us in the book of Proverbs: to instill wisdom in God’s people so that we may live meaningful lives and walk in a covenant relationship with our Lord forever.

      “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” (1:1) are just as applicable to us today as they were to the people of ancient Israel because God’s absolute truth never changes. It stands the test of time because God has woven his truth into the very fabric of our reality. Wise living is living in harmony with reality. With God’s truth. And any man who makes the day-by-day choice to live in harmony with the truth is a wise man in the making.

      vvv

      Son, wisdom itself is a choice—it’s your choice.

      If you choose to dedicate yourself to a life of wisdom, you will quickly mature beyond your youthful inexperience and grow into a strong man of good judgment.

      Throughout the course of these letters, I will use Solomon’s words of wisdom to teach you how to think, speak, and act like a man of true wisdom. I will impose upon you the highest standards of behavior so that you can grow into a man of personal excellence. That excellence includes these features: a strong mind, solid values, powerful principles, righteous confidence, and a healthy sense of self-respect.

      I invite you to follow Solomon’s example—to join with your Heavenly Father and with me, your earthly father, as we work together to train you in the wisdom of the truth and help you mature you into the man God has fearfully and wonderfully made you to be.

      Love,

      Dad

      1. The Holy Grail is an artifact of lore. It is the chalice Christ used at the Last Supper and, according to legend, possesses supernatural powers. In the cinematic universe of Indiana Jones, the Grail has the power to grant eternal life and healing to anyone who drinks from it.

      2. Mounce, Complete Expository Dictionary, 793.

      3. Hill and Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 390.

      4. Regarding the Messiah’s physical appearance, the prophet Isaiah said the Christ would have “no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him” (Isa 53:2).

      5. Regarding the Solomonic authorship of Proverbs, Hill and Walton note, “The book of Proverbs represents the literary legacy of the Hebrew sages, or wise men.” These wise men were generally associated with the king’s royal court. The Solomonic authorship of the proverbs credited to him is in dispute among some scholars. The arguments for or against Solomonic authorship extend beyond the scope of these letters. However, the following points are worth noting. Hill and Walton do not claim a Solomonic authorship. They do point out, though, that “King Solomon’s sagacity is well attested in the Old Testament.” Solomon is credited with uttering some three thousand proverbs (hundreds of which are preserved in the book of Proverbs). “According to 1 Kings 4:29–34, Solomon’s knowledge and understanding surpassed that of all the other sages in the academies of the ancient Near Eastern World. King Solomon stands as the ‘patron of the arts’ in ancient Israel. Not only did he popularize the wisdom tradition of the Hebrews, but also his example as sage and scholar served as the model for future generations” (A Survey of the Old Testament, 443). Raymond C. Van Leeuwen makes the following claim: “it is clear that Solomon is not the author of the book СКАЧАТЬ