by David Scott Robertson
(Proverbs 9:1 NJV) Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.
(Proverbs 9:1 KJV) Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.
There are many factors in Life that are beyond our control – our height (not our width!), the color of our eyes, our blood type, into what race we are born and where. These circumstances are outside the realm of our control.
There are, however, factors in our lives that are directly under our control. They are contingent upon our will. They are items which, I believe, we will be judged by at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
As the text suggests, wisdom has built her house on seven pillars. I would suggest that the bedrock and foundation of our faith is none other than the Lord Jesus Chris Himself. He is not only the cornerstone, the capstone, but He is the Rock Christ Jesus and he will be standing after the storm has passed.
But what about the seven pillars that sit squarely on this foundation? What could they be? What might they represent? Perhaps they could be likened to seven acts of our conscious will that we have direct control over…
1. Faithfulness
Only we determine how faithful we will be. We alone have the power to be faithful in stewardship, faithful in prayer, faithful in relationships, faithful in responsibilities. Jesus commends the “faithful” servant. The faithless have no share in the Tree of Life.
2. Obedience
To obey is better than sacrifice. God has this thing about obedience. With it, you will eat the best of the land. Without it, you will be swallowed up, your enemies will overtake you, and you will be the cause of your own destruction.
3. Humility
God instructs us to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up (James 4:10). Humility brings wealth and honor and life (Proverbs 22:4). Humility lines the pathway to greatness. Jesus Himself came as a humble man to serve and not be served; to save and not condemn (Mark 10:45; John 3:17). The Father places a great deal of emphasis on humbling yourself because of His exceeding hatred of pride.
4. Gratitude
An attitude of gratitude leads to longevity in Christ. The Holy Spirit chose to include a story in the sacred text about ten lepers who were healed and only one healed ex-leper returned to give thanks, and he a foreigner (Luke 17:12-16). Our children are wonderful working models of gratitude linked to more grace granted by a parent when they display an attitude of gratitude.
5. Attitude
Dr. John Maxwell says that, “Your attitude determines your altitude.” Although this is not scripture, it is scriptural. How many times have we seen our own attitude do us in? How effective is a negative, pessimistic attitude in spreading the gospel? Most people, given the choice, would rather be around a positive, upbeat, joyful person than a person who looks like they were baptized in pickle juice.
6. Love
God is love. It all begins and ends there. Jesus essentially reduced the ten commandments down to two main ones – love God and love one another. Greater love hath no man than this, than he lay down his life for his friend (John 15:13). In this final analysis, only three things remain – faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). And guess what God says is the greatest?
7. Hunger
Perhaps “hunger” seems like an unusual pillar of wisdom, but hunger is critical. The prophet asked the Lord for two things: neither riches, or he might be swelled with pride and think that he didn’t need God; nor poverty, lest he steal and so defame the name of the Lord (Proverbs 30:7-10). Proverbs goes on to say that hunger works for you, it keeps a worker motivated (Proverbs 16:26). Jesus said that those are blessed who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Without hunger the Christian and non-Christian are in trouble. When we lose our appetite, either for physical food or spiritual things, it is an indicator that something is wrong. Hunger for God is important.
These are the seven pillars of wisdom that I see that you and I have direct control over. Many things are out of our hands. But I believe that as free moral agents created in God’s image, having the knowledge of good and evil, we can make choices that either glorify Christ or deify man/ourselves.
DSR, July 9, 1998