WISDOM FOR CADETS“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the

Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 This year Driven And Called is going to

cover the topic of wisdom, especially as it is related to young men through the Scriptures

in the book of Proverbs. There is much to be gained by looking at these topics, and it begins by recognizing that in a very real and tangible way the book of Proverbs was seemingly written specifically for a place like FUMA. Much of the information and commentary will be gleaned from the work of an acquaintance of mine, Rev. Mark Horne, and if you find yourself interested in more of his work you can find it at

https://solomonsays.net/category/solomon-says/.

Why would I write that “Proverbs was seemingly written specifically for a place like FUMA?” The answer is clearly seen at the end of Proverbs in Chapter 31. It may seem odd to begin our look at Proverbs by starting at the end of it, and even more so if you are familiar enough with it to know that people often refer to the “Proverbs 31 Woman.” The chapter is usually viewed as a description of the biblical woman, but it is the first verse of Proverbs 31 that helps us understand how important the whole book is to young men. In verse 1 the author writes, “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him.” You see, the whole book of Proverbs, even through the last chapter, is about instruction to a young man, especially in the ways of seeking after wisdom and living a

Fork Union Military Academy October 2018 Volume 2, No. 1

driven and called

DRIVEN AND CALLED…is a monthly pastoral counseling newsletter published for the community of Fork Union Military Academy. Its goal is to shine the light of the Gospel into common areas of challenge and concern with biblically practical counsel. It is meant to be the beginning of a conversation, not the end. Please feel free to contact Captain Jason Biette at biettej@fuma.org if you would like to discuss these issues, or others, further.

virtuous life. Although chapter 31 describes a virtuous woman, it decribes that woman in the context of instruction to a young man in what type of woman he should seek. This comes at the pinnacle of a book that has already covered just about every conceivable issue of wisdom that young men need to understand in order to live a life that is not only virtuous in the eyes of the Lord, but, practically speaking, a life which is prosperous.

So, how do we take the Proverbs 31 Woman and apply it as a life lesson to young men. One way to do this is to look at who this woman is. According to Proverbs 31 she is trustworthy (Proverbs 31:11-12), hardworking (Proverbs 31:27), strong (Proverbs 31:17, 21, 25-26), kind and caring (Proverbs 31:12, 20, 26, 28). Sounds like quite the woman, but how does that have anything to do with young men, and the life that they should live?

The answer to that question at least begins with the acknowledgment that any young man who decides that this is the type of woman that he wants to have in his life needs to live a life that is attractive to that type of woman. In this case opposites do not attract. Simply stated, if a guy is looking for a trustworthy, hardworking, strong, kind and caring woman (which is exactly what he should be looking for according to Proverbs 31), he needs to at least be trustworthy, hardworking, strong, kind and caring himself. Note here, that this is a minimum. He should at least be those things, but in reality, and according to all the rest of the instruction found in Proverbs, there is much more that should be in place with this young man.

Rev. Mark Horne expands on this very thing. He writes that…

Proverbs talks about creation and wisdom.

Trees of life spring up more than once.There is a lot about sons being a source

of sorrow to their mothers, who had originally praised God they had gotten a man with the

help of Yahweh.And there are fools refusing to listen to

rebukes or instruction, when a wise person says, “If you do well, will you not be

accepted?”Lots of warnings about the sons of God desiring the daughters of men.Violence receives a lot of attention.What kind of counsel a wife gives is

discussed.And what sort of wife ought to be

valued.Diligence is promised to be rewarded

with dominion.And though wisdom is more valuable

than the gold of Havilah, it is a way to get that too.

There are springs of life.And how cities are built is an important

issue.Anyone who has a young man in their

life, and the young men who find themselves in a position to read this, need to take note. It is too easy to just tell these young men that they need to make wiser choices. Yes, that is what we should want for them, and it is what they should want for themselves, but they need to be guided and directed into this. They need to be discipled. It is not enough for them to be told that they need to make wiser choices, when what they need is to be instructed as to how and why.

Finally, I think that this has a direct impact on the stresses that these young men face daily. We regularly see young men struggling with various issues. These range from pornography use, to substance abuse and addiction, to anger, anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, and poor self-image, among other challenges. Maybe you yourself are someone who has had to deal with, or deals

with some of these issues? It is too easy for us to chalk this up to bad decision making, or bad living, and walk away. I believe that if you have succumbed to some of these issues it is very likely because you have caved to the pressure that life is continually exerting on you. Everyone is looking for relief, a way out, and without wisdom in our life on the front end, very often the relief that we seek on the back end is ultimately self-destructive. I would submit that the beginning of the answer to this is wisdom, as Solomon writes in the first chapter of Proverbs…

To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive

instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the

simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth – Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their

riddles. The fear of the is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and

instruction. Proverbs 1:2-7

“BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR HIS OWN POSESSION, THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE EXCELLENCIES OF HIM WHO CALLEED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT.”