Back to School
Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown.Proverbs 4:5-9
A lot of kids are starting school by us today. Others will be starting later this month. Pray to God that he would give you motivation to learn and to use the gifts he’s given you to the best of your abilities.
What does the Bible say about school? The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, wrote the words you see above.
Solomon was a man of learning. We hear in 1 Kings 4, “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. … He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five” (1 Kings 4:29,32). He was an accomplished poet and songwriter.
We also hear, “He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish” (1 Kings 4:33). Solomon was a man of science.
And he encourages us to get wisdom and understanding, too. To know the world around us, the world that God has created. If you read the book of Proverbs, you’ll see his encouragements for understanding the world and the people who live in it.
Jesus gives us that same encouragement. He said to his disciples when he sent them out on mission work, “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). In other words, know how the world works, know how people work, without falling into sin.
After all, we do still live in this world, though we are not of this world. There are plenty of religions that’ll tell you to detach yourself from the physical world. But not Christianity. Instead, we’re encouraged to understand the world we live in. Understanding doesn’t mean condoning its flaws.
And there are two reasons for this. One is that life will not go well for us if we don’t understand how the world works. If we live with a pie-in-the-sky attitude that everything will just work out, that the world needs no interaction from us for us to continue on living here. Solomon would say that’s foolishness.
The second, and more important reason is this: We need to understand this world so we may tell the world about the good news of Jesus. If we’re ignorant of what’s going on in the world, how will we tell the truth about God’s law and sin? If we’re ignorant of what this world needs, how will our gospel message ever dig deeper than “Jesus loves me”?
Our goal for studying this world is to come closer to God. God tells us much in his Word. But he doesn’t tell us everything. And yet, Solomon reminds us what’s most important in all our learning. Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”