Fit For A King

Listen, for I will speak noble things;  Proverbs 8:6

Noble Things –  “Listen,” says Wisdom.  Of course, there is no point in listening unless what you are about to hear has some bearing on your life.  Wisdom knows perfectly well that human beings are motivated by self-interest.  Not always, of course.  Sometimes we are altruistic.  But most of the time, we hope that what we learn and apply will help us.  God does not ignore this motivator.  In fact, He uses it (Why not?  He designed it).  Even the gospel is based, in part, on self-interest.  It is in your best interest to repent and be redeemed, right?

So, Wisdom offers something of value to you and me – noble things.  The Hebrew word sets the priority.  Nagiyd is a word for ruler, prince, leader and king.  In this case, it is about what is fit for royalty.  Wisdom is not going to entice you with the mundane.  You are invited to hear the secrets of the universe, fit only for those of special rank and privilege.  You are called into the presence of the Almighty in order that He can instruct you about life. 

If you had a chance to sit with Einstein, Newton, Gandhi, Kissinger, Luther or Livingston, would you refuse?  Of course not!  You would consider yourself honored just to be invited.  Now God comes to you, Wisdom Himself, the Author of everything, and invites you to sit comfortably while He reveals the secrets of the heavens.  You would be insane to walk away, proclaiming that you have appointments to keep and things to do.  But every morning, God invites.  And waits.

If you really want to know how things are and how things work and what to do about it, then listen to the Counselor of kings.  You’ll have to come without an agenda.  He reveals what He wishes to reveal, not necessarily what you wanted to know.  Usually you discover that your agenda was far too small, too myopic and misdirected.  God’s topics range from the sublime to the ordinary, but each one sheds light on the truth about living.  You could stand some truth about living, couldn’t you?  There is nothing more frustrating in life than working on an agenda that is out of alignment with reality.  Just be prepared for a very big picture.

Part of the art of spiritual transformation begins here – recognizing that God knows what’s going on and I don’t:  realizing that God invites me to understand life from His perspective, not mine:  acknowledging that I need to find solitude and silence if I am going to practice His presence. 

I want to hear those noble things.  That means I need to work toward entering into rest before Him.  Would you like to join me?