wisdom

Following the Wise Men to Raise Wise Children

December 26, 2017 by Ben

As a homeschool dad, I love seeing my girls put aside their rivalries to put on a Christmas pageant. Last Christmas, our first grader organized a Christmas Eve pageant that she and her sisters put on for us and their grandparents. Of course, one of the cutest parts was when three little “wise” girls presented gifts to their baby doll.

We often meditate on the symbolic nature the wise men’s gifts but may not realize that their presentation of gifts to the King plays a significant role in the unfolding story of creation, fall, and redemption. Their acts of worship before the Christ child are a pattern for what Christian parents are trying to accomplish in homeschooling. Let’s meditate together on the wise men, their role in “the old redemption story,” and how we can use it to inspire our homeschooling all year round.

The Past Worship of the Wise Men

Their Story

The wise men are mentioned in the Bible only in Matthew 2:1–12. Since they’re called wise men or magi (from the Greek magos), it is clear that they had wisdom in their work that was respected by their community. It was probably because of this wisdom that they had prospered enough to be able to afford gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

In some way, they also had a heart toward God. As scholars, they were familiar with the Scriptures and apparently knew the messianic prophecy of Numbers 24:17. Since they were watching the heavens for a sign of God’s Messiah, they saw the star when it appeared and immediately set out to find the child. When they arrived in Bethlehem, their hearts rejoiced—not that they had found a new source of earthly treasure but that they had found the child.

The wise men went in and humbly bowed down in worship. They opened their treasures and presented their gifts to the King.

Their Part in God’s Story

In the unfolding of God’s redemptive story, the wise men’s worship of Jesus was a sign that He was the King of the Jews. Jesus was the Christ, the Chosen One, who was coming to break the power of the fall and redeem people and the creation.

Part of that redemption involves how men and women use God’s blessing of dominion over creation (Genesis 1:26–28). Fallen people pursue wealth through dominion to be independent of God. Redeemed people use the prosperity produced by their wise dominion to accomplish God’s purposes and give Him glory.

This is exactly what the wise men did. They had grown in wisdom by observing God’s creation in the fear of the Lord. Their exercise of that wisdom in dominion over creation led to prosperity. And they took that prosperity and offered it to their God in worship.

The Future Worship of the Wise Men

The wise men of that first Christmas were prototypes of future wise men. At the end of story of Scripture, the Father and Son rule from the new Jerusalem. There “the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into [the new Jerusalem]” (Revelation 22:24). These kings of the saved nations are exercising dominion in the restored earth and bringing their treasures to the King in worship. Notice how the unique treasures of the kings are called “their glory.”

In the eternal state, redeemed men and women will still use math, science, social studies, and language arts. And the end of their labor will be God’s glory.

Homeschooling Wise Men (and Women!) Today

So what does this have to do with homeschooling? Everything! It demonstrates the redeemed purpose for learning history, math, science, and language arts. Here are three steps our children can take to follow the example of the wise men in the past and in the future.

Grow in Wisdom

The wise men didn’t become wise by being lazy in their study of God’s creation. Remember, when we study how God’s world works, we’re learning His wisdom.

Prosper in God’s Calling

Exercising God’s wisdom in His calling led to prosperity for the wise men. It can for your children as well. If they’re faithful in their mastery of science and math and God calls them to engineering, they should prosper as engineers.

Offer the Glory of the Calling

Prosperity is piece of glory that we receive for acting wisely in the fear of the Lord. We should take that glory and offer it to God. When we use our skills in service to our neighbor or in the household of God, we are worshiping. When we take a portion of our treasure and give it to God, we are worshiping Him in the exact same manner as the wise men of old. We are literally giving glory to God.

This Christmas, as my homeschooled girls perform their Christmas pageant, I want them to know that they can follow in the footsteps of the wise men. They can daily study to become wise women so they can offer their treasures to King Jesus.

Wisdom’s Call and Homeschooling

November 14, 2017 by Ben

At a recent conference, someone posed an interesting question related to using wisdom in homeschooling. “Should I be focusing so much energy teaching my child algebra when I need to teach him to serve?” I think this question goes to the heart of Christian homeschooling.

My wife and I started homeschooling because we want to have God’s words in our hearts and “teach them diligently” to our children (Deuteronomy 6:5–6). But so much of homeschooling has to do with math, science, and other subjects. At times we do feel like we’re teaching our children about God through these subjects, like when we’re refuting evolution, but at other times training our children to be servants of the Lord doesn’t seem central.

Does Christian homeschooling allow for in-depth study of algebra?

Proverbs 8 is a critical chapter in constructing our Christian philosophy of education. In it, wisdom, personified as a woman, calls to young people and urges them to listen to her so she can equip them to make sound judgments. With our focus on developing children for adulthood, we should give careful attention to this chapter.

What is wisdom?

Before we can apply this chapter, we need a clear understanding of who this woman is who’s calling to our children. What is the wisdom of Proverbs 8?

First, God created this wisdom before He created the world: “When there were no depths, [wisdom] was brought forth” (8:24). God made this wisdom, so it is something distinct from His eternal attribute of wisdom. While it is distinct, God delighted in it and used it to frame the world and to establish order.

Second, this wisdom is available all across the world. It is by wisdom that “all the judges of the earth [rule]” (8:16). This means that rulers from Asia to the Americas had access to wisdom even before the special revelation of God was available to them. That’s why wisdom’s call is universal and goes out to all youth everywhere. They all have access to it.

God used wisdom to create the universe, and He integrated its principles into the created order. We can call this wisdom “creational norms,” the principles God embedded in the creational order. And if we learn them, we can use them to live well.

As Christian parents, we can use the principles of Proverbs 8 in a least three ways:

1. Study creation

Teaching our children principles of algebra and physics is not incompatible with teaching them the “things of God.” As we study God’s good creation and apply it, we are learning from God’s general revelation.

We should not put algebra and serving God at odds with each other. They go hand in hand. For example, the good Samaritan had learned the best medical practices of his time. When he had the opportunity, he used that knowledge of creational norms to serve. If he hadn’t learned those principles, he would have been severely limited in how he could serve.

We should make learning creational norms in math, science, history, and language arts an important part of our homeschooling. Because creational norms are more valuable than “choice gold” (8:10).

2. Listen to authority

At their best, our children are “simple,” and at their worst they are “fools” (8:5). Wisdom’s words then are, “Hearken unto me” and “Hear instruction, and be wise” (8:32–33). If children are going to heed wisdom’s call, they must forsake their own way and listen to their authorities.

As parents, we can set the example of listening. We can listen to more experienced homeschool parents. We can learn about best practices for teaching children. Whenever we learn principles about how life works best in God’s world, we are learning creational norms. And we’re setting an example for our children.

3. Resist evil influence

There’s nothing “perverse” about God’s wisdom (8:8). In contrast, secular experts discovering and teaching creational norms often twist them to suit their own worldview. They teach evolution, for example, so they can pretend they’re free from God.

Wherever we gain wisdom from general revelation, we need Scripture to guide, correct, and straighten out what has been twisted by the wicked.

Heeding wisdom

At the end of Proverbs 8 we see wisdom standing at the city gates urging children and teens to listen to her. Her teaching through creation is more valuable than precious metals. “For whoso findeth [her] findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord” (8:35).

Fools try to live life as though creation doesn’t teach. Perhaps they’re spendthrifts, or maybe they don’t think they need to plow in the winter. Then they find trouble.

So, as we seek to diligently teach our children the ways of God, let’s not forget His teaching through His creation because those who find wisdom find life.

Gaining Wisdom

June 2, 2015 by BJU Press Writer

There was a time when people thought an educated person was someone with lots of information. But information is easy for everyone these days, too easy. Most people struggle to finish reading a post like this one because they know they’re just clicks away from the latest post about their favorite celebrity. (Thankfully, you’re not like most people!) Everyone has information. But most people still lack something that only education—true education—can give.

What is that something?

It’s the ability to look at information and see it in proper perspective. It’s the ability to sift through the piles of data that all of us slog through and discern what’s true and what’s really important. It’s the ability to know how to take what is most important and put it to use so that success—lasting, satisfying success—is achieved. It’s wisdom.

How do you get something as precious as wisdom?

Proverbs has the answer: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).

Fear? Modern secular education tells us to abandon our fears. Learning is possible, we are told, only if we are willing to call everything into question—our sexuality, our beliefs about where we came from, our beliefs about God. But such advice is a lie. The wise person has come to accept that some questions need not to be asked. He knows that God is to be feared. This doesn’t mean that the wise man runs away from God in terror. But it does mean he takes God seriously.

What else does wisdom require?

Proverbs says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. You can’t be wise without fearing God, but you can’t be wise without a lot of other things too.

Anyone who would be wise must also be a learner, a careful observer, a student. With the fear of God firmly in his heart, a person needs to study the world all around. He cannot make wise decisions unless he has a great deal to be wise with. So he’ll have to know about science, math, language arts, and social studies.

But he’ll have to know about these from the perspective that only the fear of the Lord can provide. He’ll need to understand that science is a powerful tool for ruling over God’s world under God’s greater rule over him. He will have to see math as a way to model God’s world for God’s purposes. He’ll need to understand that human communication is the result of humans having been made in God’s image and therefore it must be used to imitate God’s character and deeds. And he’ll have to learn about society with the understanding that government exists to ensure justice—justice on God’s own terms.

Where does a person develop this kind of understanding?

All the way through life in whatever situation he finds himself. But the best way to begin is through education. Not just any education, of course. A Christian education. An environment where Christian parents, students, and textbooks all work together to produce something far more profound and useful than mere information.

This post is part of our series highlighting our 2015 theme Gaining Wisdom and Knowledge and Joy. Bryan has worked in Christian education for twenty-five years. Since 2003, he has served at BJU Press as the senior manager for biblical worldview formation. He and his wife have six children.