(Further reflections on “The Cheese Platter” of God’s Wisdom—Sunday 1-Aug-2021)
Everyone wants to be wise and usually we all have moments of being wise in our own eyes which is foolish in God’s sight. God’s word is wisdom to those who fear/revere Him. God’s rebukes are better than our best friends’ comforting words or compliments. Comforting words or compliments are good if they are pointing the hearers to God. And if they are not, it can be at best considered as ‘songs of fools’. (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:5). Hold on! Is this a bit too harsh? Yes, it is to those who want to be wise in their own feelings or definitions or understanding.
Blue cheese is ‘smelly’ or ‘stinky’ or unpleasant to those who first try/taste it. It is an acquired taste. ‘Tasting’ or applying God’s wisdom to our life, analogically speaking, is an acquired business. It does not come naturally to us as we are naturally inclined to own ways of understanding or doing things according to the patterns of the world. This is why we all need to have our mind being brainwashed by God’s word of wisdom. It needs to be renewed in order to experience a transformed life in Christ (cf. Romans 12:1-2).
Wisdom is good with an inheritance and advantage to those who see the sun (Ecclesiastes 7:11). What does this tell us? Reflecting on the journey of God’s people in Old Testament, it seems to suggest that God’s wisdom for His people resulted in God’s inheritance for them, of course if/when they trusted and obeyed His word. Now, they did fail, but God’s faithfulness and steadfast love prevailed. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, the ‘epitome’ of God’s ultimate wisdom and wealth to the world- God Himself in the flesh. He took the sin and the foolishness of the world on Himself and went to the cross. He offered God’s wisdom to those who believe in His word and are wanting to acquire His wisdom. Following Jesus is in away an acquired business, tasting the ‘blue cheese’ till you begin to love it and keep coming back for it. (Just to be clear, this is simply an analogy, okay? Eating or not eating blue cheese will neither make someone wise nor foolish).
When people first came to receive Jesus Christ, they were so joyful and this was good. But when they began to realize that they have to let go many things that they hold dear in their life, they were somewhat sad. For example, Christians can no longer be drunk and stay wise at the same time. They no longer can date 2-3 people at the same time. They cannot treat pre-marital sex as casual/social drinking events or simply view it as ‘testing it out’. They no longer can worship Jesus and are still visit the pagoda or bowing down to ancestral/familial altars. They no longer can live in sin and want to be free from it at the same time. They might persuade themselves that they can easily love Jesus but ask why some of His words are so harsh and ‘blue cheese’ to me. This is why, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad (Ecclesiastes 7:3) and “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death (2 Corinthians 7:10).”
When Christians who are struggling with (general/habitual) sins, they are not quite happy to read and heed this: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell (Matthew 5:29)” (meaning, we must be radical to sins and do everything we can to get rid of it). Or when someone who treasures someone or something more than Jesus, then it’s very hard to hear this: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26-27)” (meaning, putting Jesus first before those whom you love). Or when someone get offended or hurt by their loved ones at home or friends at church or when people don’t like their government and want them to be dead will try to avoid reading this verse or totally turn their deaf to this Jesus’ command: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men (Luke 6:35). As we can see, the wisdom of God most of the time is counter-cultural and oftentimes different from the common understanding and practice of the world. It will be a ‘blue cheese’ to those who never learn to acquire the ‘taste’ of God’s wisdom.
Wisdom with inheritance/possession is good. Inheritance without wisdom can be destructive or wasteful. Thus, wisdom comes first as inheritance or reward will follow (reading Luke 15:11-32 against this backdrop and see how the father’s wisdom and inheritance were unfolded). Although it is not always the case, acquiring wisdom and gaining possession are somewhat linked. It is the same for the case of poverty and foolishness. They are somewhat connected. Those who helped the addicts (e.g. gambling, substance-dependents, pornography, etc) know that giving people more stuff/money/possession will never be the solution. They just consumed more and more and it is exactly why they got into trouble in the first place. So detoxing and teaching God’s word of wisdom are critical in discipling/coaching and journeying with them with lots of prayers and hope till they begin to acquire God’s wisdom which will protect them from not going to live foolishly again. And not only that, it will save their soul from going back to darkness and walking toward self-destruction. This is why the Preacher (whom God spoke through) wrote, “For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12)
Acquiring wisdom, anyone?
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Pator Lap
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