How to Get God’s Wisdom: What Proverbs Teaches About Wisdom and Foolishness

We live in a world overflowing with information but lacking wisdom, which is why we desperately need God’s wisdom. People have endless access to opinions, advice, and content, yet lives are still marked by confusion, bad decisions, and foolishness. The problem is not that we need more knowledge. The problem is that we need the wisdom that comes from the Lord. Job asked this same question when he grew weary of his friends’ clichés and empty platitudes. He wanted real wisdom, so he asked where wisdom could be found. That is still the right question for us today. And the good news is that Scripture does not leave us guessing. James 1:5 gives tremendous hope: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” God is not stingy with wisdom. He does not give it begrudgingly. He gives it generously to those who ask. https://youtu.be/LgA58i5HxQQ Table of contentsLesson One: God Wants to Give Us WisdomLesson Two: Fools Don’t Apply KnowledgeLesson Three: Wisdom Calls for RepentanceLesson Four: Rejecting Wisdom Brings Severe ConsequencesLesson Five: Acquiring Wisdom Requires EffortLesson Six: Wisdom Must Be Our Daily PursuitConclusion Lesson One: God Wants to Give Us Wisdom James 1:5 is one of the clearest New Testament verses on this subject, but Proverbs makes the same truth abundantly clear: God wants to give us wisdom. Wisdom is not hidden from those who seek the Lord. It is not reserved for spiritual elites. It is available. Proverbs 1 presents wisdom as a woman crying aloud in the street, raising her voice in the markets, and speaking at the city gates. That imagery is meant to show how near wisdom is to us. Wisdom is not whispering from some remote location. She is calling out in the busiest places of life, making herself known right where people live, work, and make decisions. This is encouraging. If you want wisdom, God is not playing hide-and-seek with you. He is not reluctant to guide you. He wants you to hear His voice through His Word. But there is also a warning here. Proverbs says wisdom cries out in the “noisy streets.” That reminds us that many competing voices are trying to drown out wisdom. Social media, entertainment, news, shallow conversations, and foolish influences can all make it harder to hear what God is saying. This means we should each ask ourselves: What is drowning out wisdom in my life? What distractions are keeping me from hearing God’s voice clearly? Lesson Two: Fools Don’t Apply Knowledge Proverbs 1:22 identifies three groups: the simple, the scoffers, and the fools. Each one reveals something about the human heart apart from wisdom. The simple are gullible. They do not know what to believe. Proverbs contrasts them with the prudent, who think carefully and consider their steps. The simple are easily led astray because they lack discernment. The scoffers are different. They are not merely uninformed; they are arrogant. They smirk at the correction. They mock wisdom because they think they already know better. Then there are fools. Proverbs says fools hate knowledge. That sounds surprising at first, because many fools are actually knowledgeable. They may know the truth. They may have heard sermons, read Scripture, and received counsel. But they do not apply what they know. That is what makes them fools. Wisdom is not merely possessing information. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. A wise person does what is morally and spiritually right with what he knows. A fool may know the right thing to do and still refuse to do it. That is why James 4:17 is so important: “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” Fools live in that dangerous place of knowing better while choosing disobedience anyway. This is deeply convicting because it moves the conversation from intellect to obedience. The issue is not simply whether we know the truth, but whether we will submit to it. Lesson Three: Wisdom Calls for Repentance Proverbs 1:23 says, “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.” The call to turn is a call to repent. Why does wisdom begin there? Because wisdom exposes our foolishness and sin. If we are going to grow in wisdom, we must first be willing to repent of the ways we have rejected God’s truth. This is what happens whenever we read Scripture honestly. God’s Word confronts us. It reveals where we are wrong. It exposes sinful habits, prideful attitudes, and foolish patterns. If we humble ourselves and turn, we grow in wisdom. If we scoff, excuse ourselves, or refuse correction, we remain fools. There is also a beautiful promise here. Wisdom says that if we turn, she will pour out her spirit and make her words known. This points us to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who illuminates Scripture and gives understanding. Ephesians 1:17 speaks of “the Spirit of wisdom,” reminding us that true ...