He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Benefits Of Possessing Wisdom - (2) The
Lord’s Protection: Prov 2:10-11
10) When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and
knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11) Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding
shall keep thee:
INTRODUCTION:
Solomon will now explain
to us one of the great blessings we can receive when we possess Godly wisdom in
our lives… protection from the forces of evil we find in this fallen world…
EXPOSITION:
10) When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant
unto thy soul;
We
have described two of four assets given to us by God to protect us in the midst
of a fallen world…
1. wisdom – the Hebrew word translated “wisdom” in
this text is the word for “skill”. The
basic idea of this word is putting into action that which we know. It is applying God’s Word to our outward
actions.
Wisdom,
in the context of spiritual living, is taking what we know of God’s Word and applying
it to our actions.
2. “knowledge – this Hebrew word for “knowledge”
speaks of possessed information. Anytime
our senses receive information we are increasing our knowledge. This can be done through observation,
instruction, or experience. In Solomon’s
case, by knowledge, he meant the truths of God that are found in His Word. These truths can be received through reading,
preaching or teaching, or by watching the example of other Godly Christians.
Notice
the terms “heart” and “soul”. It is not
enough to possess these things in our “mind” but they must be a living part of
our lives… genuine knowledge and wisdom when applied by the Spirit of God, will
affect our desires (heart) and our physical life on earth (soul).
“Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)
11) Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
Solomon
mentions the other two assets given by God that we keep us safe in this fallen
world, “discretion” and “understanding”…
1.
“discretion” – it’s Hebrew word of origin carries with it the idea of “planning
ahead to achieve a goal”. Discretion,
from the aspect of spiritual living, describes looking ahead and discerning the
future results of decisions that we have yet to make. It is being able to “think through” our options
to help us make the best choices.
2.
“understanding” – comes from a word with the idea of “to separate and examine
the pieces” . This involves not only
possessing a truth but knowing why that truth is so and how it applies to the
subject at hand. A good example of this
would be the truth that “God is gracious”.
It is one thing to know this truth it is something else to understand the
definition of grace and all the different ways that it affects man. That is
understanding grace.
These
four gifts (wisdom, knowledge, discretion and understanding) work together in
harmony to promote safety in their spiritual walk. This safety is described as “shall preserve”
(to build a hedge) and “shall keep” (to guard).
Application of these four gifts results in a hedge being built around us
that acts as a daily protection from the evil that is around us.
See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are
evil. Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is]. (Ephesians 5:15-17)
SUMMARY:
Do we want to have a
divine hedge of protection built around us as we seek to serve our Lord on
earth? If so, we need to look to the
Lord and rely upon Him for the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, discretion and
understanding. As He graces us with
these gifts, let us strive to make these an active part of our lives, affecting
our desires and outward actions.
Different aspects of all
four of these gifts can be found addressed in the book of Proverbs.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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