Proverbs 16:16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
Proverbs 3:14,15 For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her.
I wish we believed that. If we did, it would radically change our priorities and pursuits. It would change our very definition of what we understand being blessed truly means.
Look what wisdom offers according Proverbs 8:12-21NIV:
I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power. By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just; by me princes govern, and all nobles [judge rightly].NAS I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.
Wisdom makes possible a wealth that exceeds cash in the banks. Wisdom may bring monetary wealth as we make wise financial decision through seeking the Lord’s direction on investments, His prudence in spending and His Spirit-enabled self-control. On the other hand, His wisdom also encourages and enables generosity and selflessly prioritizing the needs of others. The rule needs to be: if blessed with monetary wealth, it is for the purpose of blessing others. We are blessed to bless. Actually that applies to any of the ways God blesses us. What He said to Abraham in Genesis 12:2 applies to us as well. “And I will bless you… and so you will be a blessing.”
When it comes to monetary wealth, Proverbs 23:4,5 warns, “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies towards the heavens.” 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” That sounds neither blessed nor wise. Hebrews 13:5 counsels, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have, for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” Our security and stability needs to come for God’s presence and provision. Not from what we can count and control.
According to Proverbs 3:13, being blessed is being wise. Being wise is true wealth. How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.
As we’ve learned in previous lessons, there are several different words translated “blessed,” this one is esher, which actually means to be happy, to have great joy. If the key to happiness is being blessed, then we need to understand what that truly means.
Psalm 21:6 says, “You have made [me] most blessed forever; You have made [me] joyful with gladness in Your presence.” Several years ago, under the Holy Spirit’s prompting, I made a one year commitment to intentional pay attention to how “most blessed” I truly am. Attuned to His blessings I saw them everywhere and in everything. It was incredibly eye (and heart) opening. In the midst of this challenge, a sweet Vietnamese friend of mine asked me how I was doing. I responded that I am so very blessed. I wasn’t trying to sound all holy or making a pompous religious sounding statement, but sincerely stating an overwhelming personal truth. Her response took me by surprise. “Yes, you are so lucky. No wonder you are always so happy.” She was right that being blessed filled me with great joy. She saw that joy as being happy. She was wrong about the reason why I was so joyful. She saw it as my being lucky. Luck had nothing to do with it, but a God who abundantly poured His lovingkindness into my life. My joy was the result of being overwhelmed by how the Lord continually blessed me.
My sweet friend isn’t the only one to have an askew understanding what blessed means and a faulty assumption as to why we are so blessed. We buy into some pretty big lies when it comes to being blessed.
Lie I am blessed when I have certain things or something specific happens.
Until we can see it, count it, or check it off the list, this narrow definition of what being blessed has to look like makes us feel shortchanged, discontent, or even envious. Jesus tells us in Luke 12:15 that “not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
Being satisfied and content, is an incredible blessing. However, it is vital that we ask: What longing is being satisfied, and whom or what is satisfying it? In Ecclesiastes 5:10, Solomon tells us, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.” In Proverbs 13:25, he tells us that “The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the stomach of the wicked is in [constant] need.” (I don’t think he was talking about food.)
There is incredible blessing in knowing that “my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19 However, the blessing is not in the control of knowing that we have countable resources or dateable happenings, but knowing “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” 2 Cor. 9:8
He wants to bless us. It actually gives Him great pleasure to do so. He knows what, when and how that are best. We have to trust Him to wisely choose how best to bless. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. Jer. 17:7
Lie I am blessed when I feel blessed/happy.
Let’s be honest, there is a feeling of being happy when all is good and going great. The Lord really does want us to be happy, but even more He wants us to be joyful.
The origin of the word “happy” is actually “happen.” It does have a way of simply happening – come and go, often based on our mood. It also has a way of being anchored to something happening. Joy, however, has roots. According to Galatians 5:22, joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Paul prayed in Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The blessing of joy isn’t based on all being good and going great. It is the joy of Christ made full in us through believing in Him and His Spirit filling and flowing in and through our lives. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be made full. Jn 15:11
Lie I am blessed when I am in control.
We tend to see being in control as an indicator of being blessed, whether it is of self, others or just the situation. Control has all kinds of nuances. Beginning with the control of knowing: what, when, where, why and how. We often base our sense of peace on this kind of control. And we don’t even have to actually be the one in control, just know who is, and that they are going to do things the way that we are comfortable with. Often this is our problem with trusting God. We don’t know that he will do it the way or when we want.
We have even come to define respect as others agreeing that we are right and doing it our way. In other words, bowing to our control.
Lie I am blessed when I only have to worry about me, not about what others think, feel or how they are impacted.
That works if you consider living all by yourself on an island as being blessed. Our lives are intricately interconnected. Truth is: we constantly impact and/or influence others! How we act towards and around others matter, not just in regards to them, but also to ourselves. We are all familiar with the Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31 NIV We may not be as familiar with the Reciprocal Rule: As you do to others, God does to you! “With the kind You show Yourself kind, with the blameless You show Yourself blameless; with the pure You show Yourself pure, and with the perverted You show Yourself astute.” 2 Sam. 22:26,27 The word translated “perverted” (iqqesh) is an adjective that means “distorted, twisted, crooked or perverse.” “Astute” (patal) is a verb meaning “to twist.” If our actions, attitude and motivation are twisted, He is going to twist it back to bite us in the behind. We are blessed if we are concerned about how we impact others, because it will end up impacting us.
Lie I am blessed when my life is conflict free, or at the least I am able to avoid or separate myself from conflict of any kind.
All I can say to this one is “Good luck with that!” Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” There are times that it does depend on you. There are times when it doesn’t. Our best efforts need to go into prioritize peace with God. That in turn impacts how we respond to others and they respond to us. “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” Prov. 16:7
Lie I am blessed when everyone like me and is pleased with me.
We tend to go in one of two directions with this: compromise to gain their approval, or contaminate the pursuit of a righteous godly life with expectations that it will guarantee other’s favor and acceptance – in other words godliness with a self-serving agenda. 1 John 3:13 gives us a heads up, “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.” Everyone is not going to like you nor are they going to impressed no matter how good or godly you are. Jesus tells us why. “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 15:19 The problems with buying into this lie are: (1) we are unprepared when hit with negative responses to our doing, giving and being our best; and (2) we can start pursuing godliness for what we get out of it instead of blessing God and others.
One of the biggest lies we buy is the BECAUSE lie: I am blessed because I am a really good person.
If constant goodness is the qualifier for being blessed, an honest evaluation of ourselves acknowledges “there is no one who does good, not even one.” Rom. 3:21 “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth whocontinually does good and who never sins.” Ecc. 7:20 We tell ourselves this lie as our way of assuring ourselves we deserve to be blessed. If we are the reason, than neither gratitude nor allegiance are necessary.
These are just a few of the lies we buy. They are pervasive in our culture because Satan is very persuasive. Jesus says, “He was a [manslayer] from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44
Compare his lies with the truth Jesus states in Matthew 5:3-12. For a fresh perspective, here is The Message version.
· You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.
· You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
· You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
· You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
· You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
· You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
· You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
· You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit Me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens — give a cheer, even! — for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
We need a heavenly perspective and a divine enabling to grasp being blessed in these ways and under these circumstances. It takes wisdom from God – being wise – to recognize true blessings. We need to keep repeating Proverbs 3:13 until we believe it: How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.
Prov. 8:32-36 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me [wisdom], for blessed are they who keep my ways. Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD. But he who sins against me injures himself; all those who hate me love death.”
The blessing of wisdom has to be pursued. We have to seek it – listen for it – watch for it – wait for it. The word “wait” in verse 34 is shamar, which means to actively look for an opportunity to do what needs to be done. Matthew 7:7 says, “Keep asking and it will be given to you; keep seeking and you will find; keep knocking and it will be opened to you.” There is unwavering persistency. ♬ We won’t go until we get some ♬ - is an annoying but fitting song lyric that needs to apply to the blessing of wisdom, not just figgy pudding.
Blessing – blessed – blesses … God has so much for us.
In New Orleans, there is a Cajun term called lagniappe, that means a little something extra. Here is a little lagniappe I’ve learned about blessing and being blessed while researching this lesson:
1. When we bless the Lord, it is an expression of worship, adoration and gratitude.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. Psa 103;1,2
2. When “the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of heaven above” Gen 49:25 blesses us, it is with the promise of what He knows is best.
For every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. Jms 1:17 God’s blessings are Him pouring His light into our lives and situations. Every good and perfect gift is from above, and everything that comes from above is good and perfect.
3. The intent of being blessed is so that we can be a blessing. Blessed to bless!
And I will bless you … so you shall be a blessing. Gen 12:2 So I will save you that you may become a blessing. Zech 8:13 I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing and I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessings. Ezek 34:26 [See Psa. 15 for Who may dwell on Your holy hill?]
4. It is an invitation into the circle of blessing: He blesses us – the blessed is blessed – the blessed blesses and is blessed even more – those who are blessed by the blessed bless others and are blessed even more – those who are blessed are blessed and bless others – the circles of blessing keep going.
5. When we bless others, it is commending them to the Lord – entrustment.
Now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all of those who are sanctified. Acts 20:32 Commend: paratithemi – to place alongside; set before – ENTRUST! In Acts 13:3 MSG they formed a literal circle of blessing, and “in that circle of intensityand obedience, of fasting and praying they laid hands on their heads and sent them off. Acts 13:3 MSG
Hosea 14:9 seems to be a fitting verse to conclude this list: Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them …
I cannot think of anything sweeter than being blessed by our precious all-wise God with the blessing of wisdom: how to be wise in any given situation – what to say or not say, what to do, how to respond, what to think and believe, how to pray. The blessing of being transformed by that wisdom, so that it impacts all our relationships and interactions with glory and grace. That to me is truly the blessing of being wise. Sharing any of that wisdom, it simply lagniappe.
