Feb 23 - Teach a Man to Fish

Feb 23

Teach a Man to Fish

Pr 16:16 ¶ How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!... 

There is a well-known proverb that says “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish and he eats everyday”  That is what Proverbs 16:16 is teaching.  People who get a lot of money but no brains start doing the stupid things we see young celebrities do.  How is it possible that someone who is 15 or 16 can be a millionaire?  It seems to happen all the time. Soon they start doing outrageous things because they are surrounded by people who will do their bidding for a price. They begin to think they can do whatever amuses them with impunity. Too bad they didn’t get wisdom before they got gold!

I heard a wise man say that he was richer than Rockefeller because Rockefeller wanted just a little more while the wise man said he was satisfied with what he had.  That is because wealth is a relative thing.  

How often have you heard someone say “I would be happy if I just had what he pays in taxes”?

Pr 3:13 ¶ Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding

When the US military found Saddam Hussein he was sitting in a hole under a building with a suitcase full of money. He wasn’t smiling and did not appear to be happy even though he was rich!

There is an interesting example of that in the Gospels.  Mark was a young man without much wealth. When he uses the word money in Mark 6:8 it comes from a word that means copper (or brass).  When Mark thought of money he thought of copper. But Luke was a physician and had more than Mark. When Luke thought of money he thought of silver (Luke 3:9) and when Matthew, the tax collector thought of money he included Gold!

Mt 10:9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

But I have failed to answer the question in the verse we are meditating on. 

Pr 16:16 ¶ How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!

 and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

How would you answer that question?  How much better is wisdom than gold?  If you are thinking you would skip the wisdom and take the gold do not forget “A fool and his money are soon parted”.  Your choice of gold over wisdom would result in your ending up with neither wealth nor wisdom.  But if we choose wisdom instead of gold does that mean we wind up wise and broke?  No, if we choose wisdom, Godly wisdom, we will be given such wealth as God knows we need or can handle.

I once heard a preacher admit “God will never let me become rich because He knows I would run off and leave Him!”  If a person is broke because they have done a poor job of handling what God has given them why would they think God would give them more?  Or perhaps they are in need because God has them in the school house of learning to trust him (wisdom!)   

Do not confuse education with wisdom. Our universities are filled with some of the best educated men in the world, yet many of them have no interest in Godly things, and are spiritually fools. Worse than just ignoring God they teach that which is contrary to God and His word.  Remember education is learning facts, not wisdom.

But we need money to live on! Yes certainly there is no need for us to follow Francis of Assisi and strip naked in the public square and denounce possessions.  The verse is not saying wisdom OR gold.  It is asking which is better, wisdom, and the ability to handle whatever God blesses us with or should we seek gold first?  We have all heard about the people who win millions in a lottery and in a few years are broke again. They had gotten oodles of money without a noodle of wisdom. 

The book of proverbs answers the question, which should we seek first, wisdom or gold?

Pr 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:

and with all thy getting get understanding.

Anyone with a lick of sense will answer it is better to get wisdom than gold.  Most of us think we have enough wisdom to handle more money.  But the wisdom we are discussing is wisdom beyond just the ability to handle money.  Wisdom does not start in Econ 101, or advanced bookkeeping class.

. Pr 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

and the knowledge of the holy is understanding  

There is a process to gaining this heavenly wisdom.  It starts by obeying Gods word.

Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

a good understanding have all they that do his commandments:

OK, you already knew all these things. You understand wisdom comes from God, and you have obtained it. Now you just need some more money. Not so fast!  There is a little check list that will help you determine how much wisdom you have and how much more there is for you to acquire. The check list is found in the book of James.

Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

May I remind you the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:  Now go back and slowly review all the parts that make up Wisdom from above.  How did you do with this wisdom check list?       

If you get to Wisdom class before me, save me a seat near the front.