Discover His heart: He supplies all the wisdom we need to live right, just and fair
“These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.” (1-4) We want wisdom to be sure, but discipline? Not so much. Yet, they always seem to go hand in hand.
“Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.” Well, I’d stand in line all day for that! Wisdom, however, is not a destination, but a journey. We never stop gaining wisdom unless we want to stop, “but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (7) By nature, we don’t really want to hear about the disciplines of God. We want to hear sermons that only make us feel good about ourselves, pat us on the back and say “Good job!” Every pastor knows that a feel-good message will draw a crowd, but then according to Solomon, does this mean we are fools?
“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge.” (7) To fear God, which is to reverence and respect, to honor, and to obey, is what we are encouraged by Solomon to build upon for our entire lives. We can only respect and build on what we know. The Proverbs of Solomon, as well as the rest of God’s Word, were written so that we may know His wisdom and his disciplines (1). And the end result is true knowledge. Everyone seems to search for counsel today, but they tend to seek the negotiable areas of man’s wisdom rather than the well-defined areas of God’s wisdom. Doesn’t that seem… foolish?
I love Solomon’s picture of wisdom shouting in the streets, an ethereal form, calling out, “Follow me. Follow me.” Wisdom calls, “Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.” (23) When Jesus lived on earth, He was Wisdom personified as He called out, “Follow me! Follow me!” We, too, share in that calling when our message to the lost calls out to follow Him. “He who wins souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30 KJV)
The wisdom and disciplines of God are a constant source of comfort and security for me because they show me how to behave in life, how to respond to life and how to love in life. I’d rather know the disciplines of God than to be one who flounders through life like, say, a fool.
Moving Forward: Today I will look to wisdom in His Word and respond to its call to come and listen to its counsel. And if I take heed, it will make me wise.
Tomorrow @ Jeremiah 47-52
Phyllis Benigas 