We see in the book of Proverbs, that wisdom is not only personal, but it is a path or way that we should take and principles we should apply in any given situation. Wisdom (hokma) includes more than making moral decisions, it is the ability to make the right decisions when there are no clear moral laws telling us what to do.
The path of life requires more than just having the correct knowledge or truth on a matter:
It is knowing what truth to apply and how to apply it in a particular situation or circumstance.
By applying godly principles in our daily decisions we begin to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually into the type of person who is able to make wise choices in life.
As we will read in Proverbs 2, there is a price for learning Wisdom’s way which far outweighs the costs.
1 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. 2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. 3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. 4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. 11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.
12 Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted. 13 These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. 14 They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
15 Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong. 16 Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman. 20 So follow the steps of the good, and stay on the paths of the righteous.
21 For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it. 22 But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted (Proverbs 2:1-16,20-22 (NLT).
This passage reveals that any believer can develop a relationship with wisdom and learn wisdom’s way - it’s a decision we make each day. Proverbs 2 reveals:
The Way of Wisdom
The Way of the Wicked
The Way of the Righteous
The Way of Wisdom
Are you willing to pay the price for spiritual wisdom? If you are then it will take...
1. Being receptive to what Wisdom has to say
V. 1 says: If you will receive my wisdom - being receptive means you welcome God’s instructions and welcome God into your life as your Teacher and Friend as you would warmly welcome a guest into your home, readily receiving His truths with open arms, mind, and heart.
“God’s Wisdom first comes through instruction - training and strong accountability. ”
2. Storing up and treasuring my teaching
In v. 2 Solomon is exhorting his child to give undivided attention to what is being said, to let what he has heard find a place to land deep in his heart.
Wisdom is saying: you will find my way if you humble yourself and listen to my instruction, if you store my lessons in your heart, if you learn from them and really labor to find me like you were mining for gold or silver. This is Wisdom’s way.
Not only will wisdom protect you from so much evil, vv. 9-10 says,
Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
God’s wisdom gives us the ability to choose the best way, it gives us the ability to discern the many sides of people’s motives and character.
It gives us the integrity to work with people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, in a myriad of circumstances in a way that is right, just and fair.
The more wisdom one learns the better we are at handling life, in fact wisdom protects us from making poor decisions that we may later regret in life.
The Way of the Wicked
Wicked -“describes what is unpleasant, bringing pain and misery” from evil people... whose words are twisted. Twisted speech described here refers to two things:
The first is about those who speak falsely against us with deliberately offensive speech. The Hebrew word (tahpukot) used here describes dishonest and wicked speech, which is purposefully offensive, contrary, rebellious, or obstinate. Secondly, it includes using even good words for the purpose of turning things upside down and inside out.
V. 16: Wisdom also saves us from the seductive, flattering words of an immoral women.
The promiscuous woman knows how to use flattery successfully. She has no respect for God because she breaks His law (Ex. 20:14); she has no respect for her husband because she violates the promises she made to him when she married him. She no longer has a guide or a friend in the Lord or in her husband because she has taken the path of sin.
The ways and outcome of the wicked clearly indicates why we should not follow in those paths because they take us far from God and His people.
Instead we are encouraged to follow the steps of the good - and stay on the paths of the righteous. Wisdom is more than avoiding sin, wisdom actually directs us onto the right path and places us with the right people.
The Way of the Righteous
So follow the steps of the good, and stay on the paths of the righteous (Proverbs 2:20).
He who walks with the wise becomes wise, but a companion or friend of a fool comes to destruction. We need to walk in the way that godly men and women have walked, and keep the paths of the righteous because the way of the godly leads to life - not to death (Proverbs 12:28).
Wisdom says that when you walk on my path you will never lack godly friends.
“Who are your closest friends?”
For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it (Proverbs 2:20).
There is a promise of a future blessing/reward for the Godly, for those who have integrity. Having integrity means being without blemish, complete, mature, sound in faith, upright and whole.
We want to be people of integrity which is only possible with God’s power.
If you search for the Source of all wisdom and knowledge, the writer says, then you will find God. This is not only where wisdom begins, it is its end goal.
Jesus said there is a blessing waiting for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They will be completely satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted (Proverbs 2:20).
“But” shows a contrast here between the future of the godly and wicked. The wicked may appear to be succeeding, but in the end their ways catch up with them (Psalm 37). There is no future promise, no blessing waiting for them, there is no hope for the wicked.
If you are standing at the crossroads, with different paths to choose from and knowing where the path leads to, the question is which path will you choose? Who’s word will you believe? God’s or someone else’s opinion?
We are faced with choices everyday: what to prioritize in our schedule, how to spend our money, relate to people, move forward each day.
If we aren’t focused on God and on what’s important to Him we will likely make short-sighted and unwise decisions that we will eventually regret.
Instead, we can choose each day to store up wisdom, to walk with integrity, on the path of righteousness - being sound in faith, upright and whole.
“Because the path and the direction you choose will determine your destination. ”
