1. Wisdom Keeps Us on Course (verses 11-12)
2. Wisdom Brings Us Blessing (verses 13-18)
3. Wisdom Created the Cosmos (verses 19-20)

I want for you to think about the things that are really important to you. This may be people. It may be a prized possession. This may be ideas or values that you hold. I just want for us to think about for a moment the things in our lives that are valuable. Here is a list of what you may value:

- Your Spouse.
- Your time.
- Peace.
- Your truck.
- Your computer.
- Your phone.
- Aesthetics.
- Free time.
- Guns.
- Money.
- Technology.
- Your appearance.
- Family.
- Football teams.
- Books.
- School.
- Independence.
- Traditions.
- Time with family.
- Heirlooms.
- Safety of your children.

All of these things are good and well. But there is one thing that is more valuable than all of these things.

If you are tracking with me at all, you know that I’m talking about wisdom. For the past month, we have been looking at wisdom from the book of Proverbs. This morning, we land in the heart of Proverbs, chapter 3. The title of my message this morning is “The Value of Wisdom,” because this is what we see in the text this morning.

Last week we looked at verses 1-10. We will be looking at verses 11-20. Next week, we will look at verses 21-35. It’s appropriate that we split up the chapter this way, as each section begins with Solomon’s exhortation to his son. Proverbs 3:1: “My son, do not forget my teaching.” Proverbs 3:11: “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline.” Proverbs 3:21: “My son, do not lose sight of these—keep sound wisdom and discretion.”

So let’s read our text.

Proverbs 3:11-20
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
    as a father the son in whom he delights.
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
    and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
    and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
    and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
    those who hold her fast are called blessed.

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
    by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
    and the clouds drop down the dew.

1. Wisdom Keeps Us on Course (verses 11-12)

In our lives, we are bound to stray. As Charles Bridges, the great commentator, said, “Children of God are still children of Adam; with Adam’s will, pride, independence, and waywardness” (pp. 27-28). In other words, we all are sinners, bound to stray from the ways of the LORD. If we are children of God, correction will come into our lives to keep us on course. The wise person will accept the corrections, while the foolish will reject them.

Proverbs 9:8
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
    reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

It all has to do with perspective. When the corrections come in your lives, how do you receive them? Do you welcome them? Or do you despise them? Verses 11-12 call us to welcome the corrections that come into our lives.

Proverbs 3:11
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,

This is incredibly difficult to do! Who likes discipline? Who likes it when our sin is pointed out? Who likes it when we are told how wrong we were? Who likes it when we are suffering for our wrong? What child likes to be spanked? What adult likes to be fired because of mistakes made on the job? Who of us likes to pay the speeding ticket because they broke the law? Who enjoys it when you are humbled and forced to confess your sin before others? I would say, none of us. Yet the call of verse 11 is a call to welcome the LORD’s discipline in our lives.

It is so counter-intuitive. Yet wisdom understands that these corrections are what keep us walking in the way of the LORD. Or, as I have said it: "Wisdom Keeps Us on Course (verses 11-12)." But this is the way of blessing.

Think about it. How kind it is of God to correct us! Left to our own ways, we would stray from the LORD. But it’s the rebuke and discipline that keeps us on the way. The rebuke of God is an expression of the love of God in our lives. Look at verse 12.

Proverbs 3:12
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
    as a father the son in whom he delights.

At this point, Solomon is calling on us to reflect upon how a parent deals with his wayward child. Any loving parent will discipline his child.

Proverbs 13:24
Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
    but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Sadly, in our society today, there are many parents who simply let their children make their own choices and do their own thing, all in the name of love. We hear parents say, “I love my child too much to spank him!” That is worldly wisdom. That is not love. As the secular proverb rightly points out, he who spares the rod spoils the child. If you fail to discipline your child, you will raise a fool. It will be to your shame (Proverbs 10:1). In our text today, Solomon is addressing God’s discipline in our lives. The discipline that comes is an expression of God’s love for us.

Proverbs 3:12
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,

Now, this reproof can come in many different ways. Obviously, as Solomon is speaking here of children, it comes through the mouth of parents when children do what is wrong. (Parents, do enough encouraging so that the reproof doesn’t come in a vacuum.) But there are other avenues through which this might come, especially for adults.

It may be the word of a friend, who comes to us with a concern about some area in our lives. “Hey, I’ve noticed recently that you aren’t spending much time with your wife and children. It seems as if you are always out doing some activity with your friends. Is that really good for you? Is that really good for your family?”

Proverbs 27:6
Faithful are the wounds of a friend.

Such a rebuke may just save a marriage. Such a rebuke may make a huge impact on the lives of the children at home. This rebuke may also come from your boss. “Hey, I’ve noticed recently that you have been coming in a bit late to work. We really need to begin our work days at 8:00am. Don’t be late.” Such a rebuke may just save you your job, if you but listen to it. This rebuke may also come from a police officer. You are pulled over because you are going too fast, and you are given a ticket. The discipline comes in a fine from the government. You have to pay a few hundred dollars. But it makes you more attentive to your driving, and who knows what accidents you have avoided because you have driven more slowly.

Proverbs 15:10
whoever hates reproof will die.

This rebuke may also come directly from the LORD. In 1 Corinthians 11, when people in the church were celebrating the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy way, Paul said:

1 Corinthians 11:30
That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

This was the Lord bringing discipline upon the church in Corinth. Who knows what weaknesses and illnesses come upon us because we are being disciplined by the Lord. Who knows whether the anxious heart that cannot sleep is really the hand of the Lord bringing conviction upon the soul for not dealing with sin in our lives. So, church family, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, because God’s discipline keeps us on course. It comes from the loving hand of the LORD.

Proverbs 3:12
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
    as a father the son in whom he delights.

This passage is quoted in the New Testament. It’s quoted in Hebrews 12, and after quoting it, the author of Hebrews focuses on how discipline comes from our loving, heavenly Father, and how discipline is for our good. Listen to what he says.

Hebrews 12:7-11
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Do you realize that if you are without divine discipline for your sin, it may well be that you are not a child of God! If you are engaged in sin, facing few consequences for it, and thinking that you are getting away with it, it may be that you are getting away with it because you are not God’s child, and he is not disciplining you.

If you are engaged in sin with few consequences, thinking you are getting away with it, that may be a sign that you do not know Jesus and are not a child of God. If that is you, repent and cry out to the LORD. Trust in Jesus and his sacrifice upon the cross. Become a child of God, and then know the discipline that will keep you on the right way, that you might have some holiness. For without holiness, the writer of Hebrews says, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

So, don’t despise the discipline that comes upon you for your sin. It’s a demonstration of the love of God in your life! Oh, it’s not always pleasant, but it’s helpful. I think about my own dad and the discipline that he continues to bring in my life, though I’m 50 years old! This past few years, I have gained some weight. You may look at me and say that I’m not overweight. But my dad has noticed. On a few occasions, he has exhorted me to lose some weight. It’s not the most pleasant thing to hear from your father, and I don’t think it’s the most pleasant thing for him to say. Now, why has he done so? Because he’s a dad who loves me. He knows that 20 pounds will have a long-term impact upon my health. So I have a goal: 20 by 2020! One pound a week. I’m down about 5 pounds, as I have been going at it for about a month. I know that if I’m able to meet my goal of 20 by 2020, that it will be good for me. Now, I could be obstinate and ignore such a rebuke. But I have a dad who loves me, and he loves me enough to say the hard things to me. I value his discipline.

When it comes to the LORD, we ought to value his discipline in our lives. There is a difference between the person who, upon messing up, says, “My dad is going to kill me” and the person who says, “I need to go tell my dad.” The first is a fear that dreads punishment. The second is a love that runs to a father who disciplines out of love. Perfect love casts out that dread, knowing that even the discipline will come wrapped in the love of the father. That is the kind of God we have.

That’s the point of our text this morning: “The Value of Wisdom.” I encourage you to value the discipline of the Lord. It "1. Keeps Us on Course (verses 11-12)." Let’s turn to my second point.

2. Wisdom Brings Us Blessing (verses 13-18)

This is the point of verses 13-18.

Proverbs 3:13-18
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
    and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
    and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
    and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
    those who hold her fast are called blessed.

These verses begin with the blessing of wisdom: “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom.” These verses end with the blessing of wisdom: “those who hold her fast are called blessed.”

We looked at “The Blessing of Wisdom” last week in verses 1-10. If we listen to our parents, we can anticipate a long life (verses 1-2). If we are faithful, we will find favor in the sight of God and man (verses 3-4). If we trust in the LORD, he will guide us in our lives (verses 5-6). If we fear the LORD and turn from evil, we can hope for a healthy life (verses 7-8). If we honor the LORD with our wealth, we will experience plenty (verses 9-10).

Verses 13-18 speak in much the same way. They lift high the blessings we can expect in our lives if we but value wisdom. Wisdom will bring “health, wealth, and prosperity” into our lives! Health in verse 16: “Long life is in her right hand.” Wealth in verse 16: “in her left hand are riches and honor.” Prosperity in verse 17: “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”

Now, as I mentioned last week, these promises can be distorted and corrupted and used for all sorts of evil. People can seek health, wealth, and prosperity as ends in themselves, using God as a divine genie in the bottle to make their life better so they might use their prosperity to satisfy fleshly desires. But, of course, that’s not the heart of Proverbs 3. Proverbs 3 is about wisdom, and how much more valuable it is than health, wealth, and prosperity. That’s the point of verses 14 and 15.

Proverbs 3:14-15
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
    and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her.

We all know the value of silver. We all know the value of gold. We all know the value of jewels. And yet, none of these can compare with the value of wisdom.

This morning, silver is selling for $18.27 per ounce. Wisdom is worth more. This morning, gold is selling for $1,508.59 per ounce. Wisdom is worth more. This morning, jewels like diamonds and pearls are selling at even higher prices. But wisdom is worth more than this. This morning, people all over the world are spending their dollars on all sorts of things: homes, cars, phones, stocks, bonds, books, and buildings. They are spending their dollars on experiences like travel and vacations and tickets to football games. But wisdom is worth more than all of these things. This morning, people all over the world have desires for all sorts of earthly treasures, like yachts and private islands and trips to outer space. But wisdom is worth more than all that you can desire.

Is that not what verses 14 and 15 say?

Proverbs 3:14-15
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
    and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her.

So, if I had a typical bar of gold in my right hand, like those stored at Fort Knox, it would be about 7” x 3” x 2”, it would weigh 400 ounces (27.5 pounds), and it would be worth $600,000. If I had wisdom in my left hand, and I offered to give you one or the other, which would you choose? Now, of course, during a Sunday morning sermon, when you are thinking in your right mind, when you are thinking of spiritual things, you might easily say, “Give me wisdom! Give me the Bible!” Yet, in reality, we often choose the gold. But I’m telling you, wisdom is the right choice.

Here’s the amazing thing. I don’t have a golden bar to give to you this morning. I don’t have $600,000 to give you this morning. But I do have wisdom that I can give to you. In fact, if you have a Bible in your lap this morning (or on your phone), you have access to all the wisdom you need. You simply need to value it, and if you value it, you will seek it. If you value it, you will pursue it with passion. The Bible is worth what you are willing to invest in it. Gold is worth what others will pay for it. But wisdom is worth what you are willing to seek. If you pursue it like a treasure hunter, you will find it.

Proverbs 2:1-6
My son, if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
    and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Wisdom is within reach of us all. We simply need to pursue it with passion, and the LORD will give you wisdom. It comes down to this question: Do you value it? Do you value the things that wisdom brings?

Now, of course there are many things that Proverbs says about the blessings of wisdom. Here are but a few.

Wisdom brings peace.

Proverbs 17:1
Better is a dry morsel with quiet
    than a house full of feasting with strife.

Wisdom brings out good things.

Proverbs 18:4
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
    the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Wisdom is kind and receives benefits.

Proverbs 11:17
A man who is kind benefits himself,
    but a cruel man hurts himself.

Wisdom is patient.

Proverbs 14:29
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Wisdom is humble and avoids destruction.

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.

You simply need to read Proverbs, and you will see how valuable and helpful wisdom is to your life. But ultimately, beyond Proverbs, the Bible speaks of the wisdom of following Jesus Christ, living not just for this life, but also for the life to come. He is your only hope before a holy God. The only way that you will ever be right before God is to trust in him and his sacrifice for your sins upon the cross. The wise one will turn to Jesus. The foolish one will forsake him!

Let’s turn to my last point this morning.

3. Wisdom Created the Cosmos (verses 19-20)

This comes in the last two verses of our text.

Proverbs 3:19-20
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
    by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
    and the clouds drop down the dew.

I think the point here is to show how great wisdom is: that God himself uses wisdom. He isn’t above wisdom, as if he didn’t need any. On the contrary, when God created the world, he used wisdom and understanding. This world is a testimony to the wisdom of God. He created out of nothing. He suspended the earth in space. Yet its foundations are so secure that it cannot be moved (according to Psalm 93:1). The way that the world and the universe all work together displays the wisdom of God. Verse 20 speaks of the way the water fills the oceans and the way the clouds rain on the earth.

Scientists search for earth-like planets and find, planet after planet, that the conditions for life simply do not exist. We have been given a perfect planet. Even the discussions about climate change underscore this point: the suggestion that a shift of just a few degrees could have catastrophic consequences reveals how precisely calibrated our world is. God made it at exactly the right temperature, exactly what we need.

We could add further how God tilted the axis of the earth to give us seasons. God created the moon, which creates the tides and stirs the waters so they don’t become stagnant. God created the stars to help in navigation. All this didn’t just “happen.” God put it all together in wisdom to work perfectly. This is to say nothing of the laws of physics that God created to allow light and heat and gravity to work the way they do in perfect harmony. This is to say nothing of the amazing depths of wisdom shown in biology, and how life even exists. The wisdom of God in this creation is amazing!

These two verses are only a glimpse of what Solomon will expand upon later about God’s use of wisdom to create the world.

Proverbs 8:22-31
“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work,
    the first of his acts of old.
Ages ago I was set up,
    at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
    when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
    before the hills, I was brought forth,
before he had made the earth with its fields,
    or the first of the dust of the world.
When he established the heavens, I was there;
    when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
    when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
    so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
    then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
    rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
    and delighting in the children of man.

Again, like in chapter 1, we see the personification of wisdom: that wisdom preceded the creation in which we live, and that wisdom was used in creating our world. It’s all perfectly made by the wise hand of the LORD.

Just as God established the laws of physics to govern the physical world, so he established the principles of wisdom to govern our lives: that kindness will be rewarded, that faithfulness brings favor, that diligence leads to provision, that generosity is met with plenty. These are not mere human observations. They are God’s wisdom, established before he created the world. Of course, Adam and Eve introduced sin, which corrupted everything. But Jesus came and died upon the cross to restore it, and someday there will be a new creation in which we will enjoy it all perfectly.

God offers wisdom to us, if we but value it. So I encourage you this morning to place wisdom on your list of important things. Value it! 1. Wisdom Keeps Us on Course (verses 11-12). 2. Wisdom Brings Us Blessing (verses 13-18). 3. Wisdom Created the Cosmos (verses 19-20).

James 1 reminds us to be doers of the word, not hearers only. So as you leave this morning, consider the following question: "What is one thing you can do to be a little wiser tomorrow than you were today?" Perhaps you could write it down. Perhaps you want to bring it to your small group and share it.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on September 8, 2019 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] Charles Bridges, A Commentary on Proverbs (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1994), 27-28.