TRUE WISDOM begins & ends with GOD ALONE!
June 29
Bible Reading: Proverbs Chapters 1-3
TRUE WISDOM begins & ends with GOD ALONE!
"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His
mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the
upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly" (Prov 2:6-7)
Proverbs 2
describes a home environment in which parents give their children valuable
gifts (vv. 1–5) such as wisdom, self-appreciation, understanding, and humility.
Wisdom is also described as a path to
walk, and the word path is used
seven times in this chapter. It suggests to us that life involves direction,
decision, and determination, just like walking a path. God will do His part
(vv. 6–9) if we do our part (vv. 1–5).
Wisdom is
given to those who earnestly seek it as a prospector would search for gold (vv.
1–4). It is not an undirected search, however, since the parent’s instruction is the basis. The consequences of
obtaining wisdom are then listed: knowledge
of God (vv. 5–8) and right conduct
(vv. 9–22).
After we
have been saved through faith in Christ, we are then in a position to learn
divine wisdom from the Lord. He teaches us how to think straight, how to
evaluate, how to discern truth and error, and how to develop divine insight. He
provides rich stores of sound wisdom for the upright, and a special shield of
protection for those who walk in integrity.
The young person
who cries out for wisdom will find the knowledge
of God. It is the highest of all gifts to
know God who is the giver of all things that are good (John 17:3). The
knowledge of God will include the fear of
God, which is clearly represented in Scripture as the most valuable
possession of man (see Eccl. 12:13). True
wisdom is necessary to have an intimate fellowship with God, and wisdom is
not just accumulation of information (v. 6). When one knows God, he/she knows
how to live in integrity and righteousness (vv.7–11) and how to avoid the
pitfalls of wickedness (vv.12–15).
True wisdom begins
and ends with God alone. We need to have a teachable spirit and humility to
know true wisdom. For this, we should
incline our ears to true wisdom and
search for her as hidden treasures every day through God’s Word. The key to
avoiding the tragic results of foolish decisions is in embracing God’s wisdom as our guide through life (v. 9).
"The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility." (Prov. 15:33)
