The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1: 1-7, NIV.
Most Merciful God, this morning we thank You for showing us mercy, by not leaving us to grope in darkness, or fall into the snares of the evil one. Please continue to guide us in the light of Your Word, as we study today. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
We promised that we would return to this topic after the Christmas season, and here we are! We will continue to look at the reasons Solomon gave for writing the Proverbs. We will try to better understand the purpose for which they were given to us, and by God’s grace, we will endeavor to apply them, wisely! For today, let us spend a few minutes meditating on the following reasons: “for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life.”
“[U]nderstanding words of insight.” When we talk about a person having insight, we are actually saying that that person has access to information that the regular person lacks. It is hidden information. They are discerning things that cannot be seen with our physical eyes; they are seeing with the eyes of the soul, the true nature of things. We might say that they are seeing behind the scenes. I do not believe that everyone is born with this ability. But I would venture to say that we can all acquire it, based on what Solomon is saying.
Usually, when parents counsel their children, they do so, using “words of insight.” They do it from a sense of discernment. They have studied the situation that the child might be going through, and perhaps, adding to that a bit of what they have already experienced in their own lives, and observed in the lives of others, they may sense the need to warn the child to be careful of the decison they are about to make. Now, to the person, perhaps a youth, who has not been in this situation before, the advice of the parent, would make no sense at all; unless, they had the ability to “understand words of insight.”
As we read the book of Proverbs, we are exposed to much insight. Sometimes we smile at some of the allegoric situations that are described in these sayings, but after the laughter, in a moment of reflection, we begin to see the hidden truths that are enclosed. Jesus is willing to help us all to acquire this ability to see beyond what is before our eyes, to what is really involved in a decision, or a situation. I am sure that if we ask, we will receive. He will give it to us, willingly (James 1: 5)!
“[A]cquiring a disciplined and prudent life.” We usually refer to a person who exercises good judgment, as being a prudent person. They are what we would describe as being level-headed. They are known to weigh the circumstances before making decisions. If we had to use one word to describe them, we would most likely use the word, wise. Notice that prudence and discipline have been paired together. The logical reason for this is that prudence usually results in a well disciplined life.
But remember, our topic is, Knowing is not enough! We saw in the last devotional of this series, that even though Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, and he had all of this knowledge, He did not lead a disciplined life. Prudence, then, I believe, is the practical application of wisdom. It is not only intellectuality; it is also the use of common sense! The careful, and practical, application of wise principles, is the trademark of a prudent person. This, I believe, is what leads to a disciplined life.
We will continue.