wisdom

I’ve been reading Proverbs for the past few weeks. My time in Proverbs has shown me how important wisdom is. Wisdom is the best foundation we could build our life on, but not just any kind of wisdom. Godly, biblical wisdom. I wrote about wisdom last week, so I wanted to share a couple of verses throughout Proverbs that have stood out to me. 

The book of Proverbs is a book about practical wisdom. A foundational theme that I've seen in Proverbs is that the beginning and essence of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Fearing the lord doesn’t mean being scared of the Lord. It means to be in reverent awe of His holiness. So to gain wisdom, you must first fear the Lord. 

Wisdom lays the groundwork for deciphering what is good and what is sin. Sin can be tricky. It’s deceiving. Proverbs 12:5 says that “the thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” It may sound good at first, but only with godly wisdom are you able to decipher if it is truly good or not. 

Righteousness is born through the cultivation of wisdom. There are so many times throughout Proverbs where righteousness and wisdom go hand in hand. Righteousness is following God’s will and His way. Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” When we begin to cultivate godly wisdom, we begin to understand the importance of following God’s will and way. When we understand the importance, we begin to follow. When we follow it gives God room to work all things for His glory. 

Proverbs 15:25 “ The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.” The widow is a picture of a humble, needy person who looks to and is dependent on God. Both you and I are needy. It’s human nature to want things. However, we must realize that we wouldn’t be able to have these things without God. We have to remain humble. 

The wisdom of God and righteousness are worth far more than any amount of money. Proverbs 16:8 says “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.” This scripture got me because, in today’s society, it’s all about how much money you have or how much you can get. Everything is so dang expensive too, so that doesn’t help. But I am guilty of prioritizing work and money over gaining wisdom from God. The money I make means nothing without the wisdom of how to steward it or use it for God’s glory. 

Godly wisdom has to be the foundation of your life. We’re called to build our house on a strong foundation. That begins with wisdom.