by Elise Redfield, Class Four Teacher
“A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”
How often has this proverb from God’s Word been a reminder to me after I have failed to be the “wise son”? Too many times to count. The reminders come soon after the lapse in judgment, when a word is too quickly spoken or a decision too hastily made.
The staff began our year in study and discussion of wisdom and its true meaning. Many often describe wisdom as being “the right application of knowledge.” Yet what is the right application? By what standard do we measure it? Of course, as believers we know the correct Sunday School answer is “Jesus,” but what does this look like in our pursuit of holiness, truth, goodness, and beauty? He is the source of wisdom and knowledge, and the pursuit of wisdom is to find Christ Himself. Whether one is in relationship with Him or not, all truth IS God’s truth and the pursuit of wisdom is an honorable endeavor. With just general revelation in mind, though, the pursuit of wisdom for its own sake is only part of the full story.
The key in Proverbs 13 is relationship. The son hears his father’s instruction because they are sitting together and walking along the road together. They are living life side-by-side. This is the beauty of parenthood, which I see in families, and the joy of teaching, which I experience myself at Clapham. My students and I seek relationship both together, and individually with Christ. In relationship we do not discuss truth for its own sake, but in pursuit of the Lord. If Wisdom is calling in the marketplaces and Folly is too, then we should learn to distinguish the voice of Wisdom by dwelling in truth in relationship with God and others, and by walking on the journey together.