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Psalms of Wisdom

Movies are full of tropes, common themes or characters that show up again and again and again. The damsel in distress is one of them; the knight in shining armor is another. Another common occurrence is the old wise man. When you hear that, maybe you picture the wise wizard Gandalf, puffing on his pipe and holding all the answers. Perhaps you see Mr. Miyagi teaching the Karate Kid the mysteries of martial arts through waxing a car. Or maybe you imagine a Muppet-like Yoda, riding on a Jedi’s back through the swamps of Dagobah. The list could go on and on, couldn’t it? Movies are full of these wise mentors who hold the answers to life’s hardest questions.

There’s a reason movies are so full of these characters. We know that life is full of choices we have to make and the decision rarely seems obvious. Should we go to college? If so, where? Which jobs should we apply for? Should we move or not? And that’s only a small sample of the choices we face. Life is loaded down with decisions – and sometimes the burden is crushing. Where is Gandalf when you need him?

The Bible doesn’t aim to give us a Gandalf, but it does one better. The Scriptures intend to make us like Gandalf. God’s goal isn’t to give you nuggets of wisdom, but rather to make you wise. Instead of relying on the wisdom of others for every hard choice, God wants to craft us into wise people who make godly decisions. One of the ways he does that is through the Book of Psalms, specifically the wisdom psalms.

Wisdom psalms sound more like the Book of Proverbs than they do song lyrics. They contain some of the same language as wisdom literature, such as “X is better than Y” or contrasts between the wise and foolish or righteous and wicked. Psalm 1 is a potent example, beginning like this:

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he mediates day and night.

We’re set up for a contrast here. There’s a kind of person who delights in God’s commands and a kind of person who delights in sin. The one who delights in God will be blessed. On the other hand, verse 5 and 6 tells us:

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

The one who delights in wickedness isn’t heading toward blessing. Their road leads only to doom. So Psalm 1 invites to do a cost-benefit analysis. Do you want to walk the road that leads to ultimate prosperity or final affliction? It’s an easier decision when you frame it like that, isn’t it? Sometimes the road of faith is hard in the present and it might be tempting to choose the wicked path. However, Psalm 1 teaches us that the final outcome is worth the price – and wisdom means keeping that eternal view in mind. Don’t take the short cut. Don’t tire out and quit. If we want to be wise people, Psalm 1 teaches us we must be people with a long-view perspective.

Where do you need wisdom? Do you find yourself making bad decisions and seek to break the habit? Do you find yourself putting your foot in your mouth, wishing you could take it back? All of us could stand to be wiser than we are right now. One of the ways that God teaches us to be wise is through wisdom psalms like Psalms 19, 32, 34, 37, 49, 73, 112, 119, 128. Give them a read and pray that the God of all wisdom would make you wise in Jesus Christ.

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