Live as Wise Person in this Foolish World-Proverbs 1:1-7

Key Verse: 1:7

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Today, we will study first chapter of the book of Proverbs. It was written by King Solomon. It stands as the primary source on biblical wisdom. The main purpose of the book is to teach people to live Godly, disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. Specifically, we’re going to take some time to reflect on the word wisdom. The Hebrew word for wisdom is hokma, it means to be wise, skillful, experienced, or to act with understanding.

As we open today’s passage, let’s ask God to shape us into people who: 1. Prize wisdom, 2. Pray for wisdom, 3. Pursue wisdom.

First, Prize Wisdom

What does our culture prize? Among them are success, wealth, fame, comfort, etc. Usually, these are the byproduct of being smart and making good decisions. Our culture puts a huge premium on being smart—getting good grades, getting into the right schools, landing the best jobs. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a good thing to pursue learning and excellence. But what it can’t teach you is Godly wisdom.

Being smart and being wise are two very different things. Being smart can definitely open doors, but without wisdom, sometimes those doors lead straight into trouble. History gives us plenty of examples of brilliant people making some not-so-brilliant choices.

Take Isaac Newton, for instance. We think of him as this genius—mathematician, theologian, physicist—the guy who basically explained how the universe works. He wrote the laws of motion and universal gravitation, calculus, optics, etc. But when it came to money? Not so much. In 1720, he lost what would be about 3 to 5 million dollars today in a bad investment. Afterward he admitted, “I can calculate the motions of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.” In other words: “I can figure out the planets, but the stock market? Forget it.”

And then there’s Elizabeth Holmes. She was a gifted student, went to Stanford, and at just 19 started her own company, Theranos. It all sounded so impressive… until it turned out to be built on lies. She was eventually convicted of defrauding investors and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

So yeah—being smart is good, but without wisdom, even the brightest minds can make some pretty stupid and costly mistakes.

Wisdom, on the other hand, is what keeps us on God’s path. It helps us make the right decisions—even if we’re not the most intelligent person in the room. But here’s the bigger question: Do we prize wisdom?

Throughout the book of proverbs, the author reiterates that wisdom is the most valuable asset you can have in this life. We should value it. We should prize it! Proverbs 3:14–15 – Wisdom brings more profit than silver, yields better returns than gold, and is more precious than rubies. A gold bar of pure gold is worth 1.5 million dollars. Wisdom yields hundred-fold better than investing in Tesla or NVidia stocks. Proverbs 16:16 – “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” Proverbs 4:22 – Wisdom’s words are “life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” Wisdom is very good physical medicine that keeps us healthy in mind, body and spirit.

What exactly is wisdom? Going back to Proverbs 1, let’s look at some valuable assets that wisdom provides. Proverbs begin this way: “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight.”

Let’s look at some fruits of wisdom. Verse 1 says gaining instruction, insight, prudent behavior, doing what is right, just and fair, Knowledge and discretion. Gaining instruction is through discipline, correction and training. Wisdom helps in building character and integrity in a child that can be carried unto adulthood.

Wisdom also provides words of insight. The Hebrew word for insight is binah, which carries the idea of noticing differences, of picking up on fine distinctions that others might overlook. It’s like a master detective at a crime scene. Everyone else spots two clues, but he notices twenty. There was a popular show in the early 2000s called House. Dr. House was a brilliant and skilled doctor: while the average person just sees “a cough,” he sees patterns, symptoms, and hidden causes that lead to the right diagnosis. Insight also widens the horizon. While most people see only two options—A or B—the insightful person sees option C, D, E and so on. It’s the ability to say, “Wait, there’s another way we haven’t thought of yet.” In short, wisdom isn’t just about knowing facts; it’s about perceiving life clearly, making distinctions, and choosing well when the easy path looks tempting but the better path is hidden. The hidden path might be harder, but it’s the best route to take.

Wisdom provides prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair. It helps those who are simple. Another synonym for the word ‘prudence’ is shrewdness, cleverness, craftiness, or strategic thinking. It means to be practical; it means how to get things done. How to make a goal into a reality. It’s not just to talk about it, but to get it done. Wise people don’t just diagnose the problem, know how to solve it. Plus, they know how to practically make decisions what is right, just and fair. Three weeks ago, we learn as Christians we are the salt of the earth. It takes prudence to know the proper amount of salt for food. Too little salt makes it tasteless; too much salt makes is uneatable.

It’s the same with how we deal with people. We need prudence—wisdom in knowing when and how to respond. Sometimes it means speaking up, and other times it means staying quiet and just listening. Prudence helps us choose our battles wisely and guides us to do what’s right, just, and fair. It shows us when to lean into truth, and when it’s better to lead with grace.

No one shows us what true wisdom looks like better than Jesus. He was insightful, prudent, and full of depth. We see this all throughout the Gospels. Take John 4, for example. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, the disciples couldn’t see past the cultural barriers—they saw her as a problem, someone “unclean,” and they couldn’t figure out why Jesus would even bother talking to her (John 4:27).

But Jesus saw her differently. With wisdom, insight, and prudence. He recognized her deeper need—her soul was thirsty for living water. Instead of dismissing her, He revealed the truth about her life, but He did it in a way that also gave her hope. To Jesus, she wasn’t a lost cause; she was valuable, redeemable, and even had the potential to become an evangelist.

You know, I kinda relate to the Samaritan woman — Jesus knew everything about her, and honestly, He knows us better than we know ourselves. Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” Translation: even when you’re a hot mess, God’s still at work behind the scenes.
I used to feel like a total lost cause. Seriously — identity crisis, lazy streak, fear of everything. My big life plan? Mooch off my parents and become a rock star. But thank God — literally — that Jesus saw something different. He didn’t see a hopeless wannabe musician; He saw a future father, elder and pastor in progress. By His wisdom and grace, I somehow went from garage band to giving sermons. It is only by the grace of God!

May God endow us with heavenly wisdom in our everyday life. May God bless us to gain instructions, become people of great insight and prudence. May God help us to believe that God loves us in his own unique way. He sees us as valuable, redeemable and an instrument for his glory.

Second, Pray for Wisdom

We are not born naturally wise, nor do we seek wisdom. We are born simple minded. Proverbs 22:15a reads “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child…” Folly is another word for ‘foolishness’. Since we are born sinners, we are naturally born foolish and do foolish things. Even when we are adults, folly still remains in our hearts. How do we acquire heavenly wisdom?

Firstly, we must have the right attitude by having the Fear of God. Look at verses 5-7, let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools[c] despise wisdom and instruction.

[The fear of the Lord, is the foundation of knowledge and wisdom. When building a house, the foundation, the thing hidden structure is the most important. You can have the most elegant house with the most expensive furnishings. Without a solid foundation, it will easily collapse like a deck of cards. The fear of the Lord are the roots on a tree. Deep roots can help it withstand torrential rains and violent winds.]

Secondly, we need to pray that the fear of God would dwell in our hearts. Interesting that the Hebrew word for fear of God is Yirat Adonai. It’s a noun. It’s a person. Now, this kind of fear isn’t like being scared during a horror movie, or having a phobia, or even worrying about the unknown. That’s an adjective. The “fear” mentioned in verse 7 is about being overwhelmed with awe and wonder at God’s greatness and love. It’s about having deep reverence and respect.

Think about it this way: the actor Christopher Lee was a huge fan of J. R. R. Tolkien. When he finally got to meet Tolkien, he said he didn’t just want to shake his hand—he felt like bowing down and kissing his shoes. Later, he was thrilled to play Saruman in The Lord of the Rings movies. That’s a glimpse of what this kind of fear is like. It’s not terror—it’s admiration. It’s the kind of “fear” that comes from not wanting to disappoint someone you deeply respect and love.
That’s how we should be before God—ears open, hearts humble, ready to listen, and so moved by His greatness and love that we long to honor Him in everything.

Look at the second part of verse 7. “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” What is a fool? A fool means a person who consistently makes poor choices, ignores advice or acts without considering the consequences. They are prideful, short-sighted, repeats mistakes and incorrigible. No parent says to their child, I want you to grow up to be foolish. No, they want to be opposite; smart, kind and responsible.

What does it mean to be foolish? It is to despise wisdom and instruction. The Bible uses a strong word “despise.” It means to regard as worthless and treat it with disrespect. Wise people fear God. On the other hand, fools fear men more than God. Fools fear doing what is right and just but what benefits them. They don’t treat wisdom like gold, silver and rubies, rather like soiled diapers or bad gas station sushi.

What is your foundation of life? Do you value wisdom or despise it? Life is full of ups and downs, curve balls and fast balls. Without wisdom, we will not have the insight and prudence. One prominent Old Testament scholar, Gerhard von Rad (1901-1971). “Wisdom is competence to understand the realities of life’ and competence on how life works.

The truth is, we’re not really experts on how life works. We often don’t see the whole picture. There’s an old story from India—the parable of the elephant and the blind men. Each blind man touches a different part of the elephant and comes away with a completely different idea: one thinks it’s a wall, another a spear, another a rope. The point is clear: we all have blind spots, and our understanding is limited. We don’t see the elephant.

On top of that, we’re not always prudent. Our perspectives are shaped by culture, politics, and personal biases—Asians, Africans, Europeans, Middle Easterners, all see things differently. We even struggle with cognitive dissonance: we say, “I want to be healthy,” but then eat fast food every day. Too often, our decisions are driven by feelings, based on FOMO, YOLO, echo chambers, or snap judgments instead of careful thinking. And because of that, we make mistakes more often than we’d like to admit.

There was a study that said the average person makes 35,000 decisions per day. Some are small like how to move, what words to use, what to eat, when to sleep, what to binge watch, etc. Some are much bigger. Where will I live? What should be my major? Should I get married? Who should I marry? How should I raise my children? etc. We will all face that proverbial fork in the road. Should I go to the left, or right? What can we do?

These days many turns to AI have become a source of knowledge and wisdom for people. Based on recent survey 52% feel comfortable using AI for everyday task. There are some AI tools like AI Jesus, text with Jesus, Bible AI. While they seem useful, it lacks moral depth to handle spiritual matters and personal struggles. There are some AI bots that are plain evil who prey on the simple-minded. Some children have committed suicide by the encouragement of an AI bot. What should we do? We should go to the source. We must pray for wisdom.

James 1:5 reads, If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (NIV)

God is gracious and generous, and He wants to guide us with wisdom in every decision we face. We pray, take steps of faith, and sometimes just move forward one step at a time. Often, it’s hard to know in the moment if a choice is right or wrong. What seems like a good decision might go sideways, and what feels like a mistake could end up bringing blessings we never expected.

Take the story of Charles Colson. In 1974, he was sent to jail for obstruction of justice in his role in the Watergate scandal. It was the worst time in his life, at the same time the best time. Ironically, it was this season in life that he became a Christian. His experience led him to found Prison fellowship. It provided Bible study, mentoring, and reentry support. His ministry Angel tree program helped children of incarcerated parents by providing Christmas gifts and support. He said “The real legacy of my life was my biggest failure—that I was an ex-prisoner. My great humiliation—being sent to prison—was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life.” It’s similar to what Joseph in the Old Testament Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” What seemed like a disaster at the time was actually part of God’s bigger plan.

Let’s be comforted in the truth that God is in control of everything. He can even take our foolish decisions and turn them toward His purposes and glory. Romans 8:28 reminds us: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” That really includes everything—our successes and our missteps alike.

Third, Pursue wisdom

Let’s face it — we’re all born sinners. In other words, fools. We don’t come into this world with an ounce of wisdom. Left to ourselves, we’re stubborn, rebellious, and constantly trying to run away from God. But here’s the beautiful part — even when we run, God runs after us. The same God who is wisdom itself didn’t give up on us. He found a way. He was wise and intentional in solving our sin problem.

John 3:16 tells us exactly what that solution was: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus is the ultimate picture of God’s wisdom. The cross wasn’t just a tragic event — it was the moment when God’s wisdom and love met. Jesus took the death we deserved, and in doing so, He showed us just how deep God’s love really is.

That’s the good news — the gospel. Like 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

We can pursue wisdom when we remember how God pursued us! So if we want to live wisely, it starts there — by living out the gospel, letting it guide how we think, how we act, and how we love others.

There is a problem, the gospel often doesn’t make sense to the world. It’s counter-intuitive and even offensive. 1 Corinthians 1:23 says, “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” The Jews wanted a Messiah who would smash their enemies and restore Israel—but a Savior dying on a cross? That didn’t fit their expectations. For the Gentiles, crucifixion was shameful and humiliating—how could that ever save anyone? The point is: God’s wisdom often looks foolish to us, but that’s exactly where His power and truth shine.

Paul encourages believers to live as ‘fools for Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.”

Paul’s basically saying, “So you want to follow Jesus? Get ready—people are going to call you names, mock you, and treat you like you’ve lost your mind.” Being a fool for Christ means you’re living for Him, not by the world’s wisdom but by God’s. While most people are just going with the flow of culture, a Christian chooses to swim against the current. And here’s the good news: in the end, that kind of life—the life rooted in God’s wisdom—doesn’t break you, it preserves you. It even brings healing.

In the Bible, there were many foolish wise people. There was Moses, who gave up royal privileges as an Egyptian prince. He gave up comfort and personal safety and chose to be mistreated along with the people of God (Hebrews 11:24-27). Most of all, he regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than all the treasures of Egypt. To the eyes of the world, he looked foolish. There was William Wilberforce who fought to abolish slavery despite ridicule and opposition from powerful elites. There was Brother Andrew who smuggled Bible into communist countries, risking imprisonment so share God’s word. When Erika Kirk publicly forgave her husband’s killer instead of condemning him, her act of forgiveness prompted others to forgive those who caused harm to them.

In today’s passage, we learn that we must prize wisdom, pray for wisdom and pursue wisdom. May God bless us to be a foolish wise person in this foolish world.