Written ~ 12-16-2023
Proverbs 24:13-14
13 My child, eat honey, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.
14 In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a bright future,
and your hopes will not be cut short.
In the world today we see unwise choices and decisions being made every day by people who really don’t know any better. But with Christ we have a choice, to live our lives based off of His Word. To make good decisions after learning how to live a godly life through reading the Bible. The more we dive into the Scriptures, hopefully the less often poor decisions will be made.
In our verses for today, wisdom is compared to the sweetness of honey, it is delightful and actually quite good for you! The Book of Proverbs is filled with lessons of wisdom. Why do you think it’s better to be wise than to be a fool? Creating a wise atmosphere helps us to understand right from wrong very quickly. If foolish, unwise decisions are your norm, listen to the following verses in Proverbs. Let them sink in. Think about your life, think about some of the decisions you have made lately, what has been the outcome?
The first verses give us the reason King Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs. It’s basically an instruction manual for us to follow, to do what is right and it points out the foolishness of continuing on the wrong path.
Proverbs 1:1-3,
1 “These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.
2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.”
Reading through the Proverbs regularly is a great idea, it helps to make sure you are on the right path.
Let’s continue reading more passages from Proverbs, the truth from these verses will give you great insight to apply wisdom to your own life…
Proverbs 2:1-6,
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.”
Having open communication with the Lord through prayer and reading the Scriptures will help you gain wisdom, it will help you gain knowledge. The Holy Spirit will step in and open your mind to increase your wisdom and knowledge. It’s up to us to ask…
Proverbs 2:9-12,
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.”
Are you beginning to see why having wisdom filling your heart and mind will help in every decision? The best way to gain wisdom is by trusting in the Lord. With your every choice and with your every decision consult the Lord first and you’ll see that the outcome will be a lot smoother…
Proverbs 3:5-8,
5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek His will in all you do,
and He will show you which path to take.
7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.”
By trusting in the Lord and having Him show you the better path to take, this action strengthens you! Where fear, anxiety and laziness have settled into your bones, put your life into the hands of the Lord, there you will find healing for your body and strength for your bones. Turning away from doing wrong and making those unwise decisions can make a world of difference in how your body feels.
Before today, if your decisions have not been too wise and you find yourself in a place of despair, loneliness and maybe even anger… you do not need to stay in that place. No, Jesus came to give us life and life in abundance! Your life can change in an instance if you ask the Lord to help you and to provide the wisdom you need from here on out…
Proverbs 3:13-18,
13 “Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
14 For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
15 Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
17 She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.
18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.”
Just like our verses from Proverbs 24:13-14 where it says wisdom is like sweet honey, in these verses it says we are joyful when we find wisdom. Wisdom is more precious than anything material that we can possess. Wisdom brings delight, satisfaction, and life. We need to hold tightly to the hand of wisdom so we can learn how to maneuver through this life with ease.
A gentle reminder from Proverbs 3:35 tells us when we seek wisdom, it brings honor to our lives, but if we continue to make unwise choices and continue to walk on our own path it only leads to foolishness…
Proverbs 3:35,
35 “The wise inherit honor,
but fools are put to shame!”
Let’s continue…
Proverbs 4:5-8,
5 “Get wisdom; develop good judgment.
Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
Love her, and she will guard you.
7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
8 If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.
Embrace her, and she will honor you.”
Are you beginning to understand the importance of gaining wisdom? It changes the entire trajectory of your life! Where you may have been traveling along a road leading to nowhere… when wisdom and understanding enter in, there can be an explosion of change. But…
Here’s another warning…
Proverbs 4:27,
27 “Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.”
I love that… “Don’t get sidetracked…” when we start looking to the world and it’s “wisdom” we can get way off track and follow a belief system that does not honor the Lord. Keep your eyes on the Lord and the wisdom found in the Scriptures, more and more you’ll find that becoming sidetracked lessens and your strength in the Lord will increase and help you overcome the desire to make unwise decisions.
Proverbs 9:10-12,
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
11 Wisdom will multiply your days
and add years to your life.
12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
Ah. These verses right here tell us what will happen if we continue to live by our own choices and not lean on the Lord for help. If the desire to gain wisdom and understanding is not apart of your thoughts, and your actions prove you are not seeking the Lord, you will suffer the consequences. Verse 9:11 says, “Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.” Hand in hand wisdom and knowledge work together. If you refuse to gain knowledge from the Scriptures, then wisdom cannot be gained either. As a believer, our primary goal is to please the Lord in all we do. If we are pushing away the wisdom that comes from leading a godly life, then it seems to me our days would be numbered, that may not mean length of days on this earth, but certainly the joyous, abundance of life will be stunted.
The next Scripture I want us to turn to is not from Proverbs, but from the Book of James…
James 1:5,
5 “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you (or blame you) for asking.”
So here’s our first choice! It is our decision to ask God for wisdom. Lets’ not go through this life without gaining wisdom and knowledge. Let’s be diligent to learn from the Scriptures and gain wisdom and knowledge!
I hope this study through Proverbs gives you the push you need to ask your generous Father in heaven for wisdom. King Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs and back when he was crowned King he asked the Lord for wisdom…
1 Kings 3:5b, 9a, 10-12,
5b …God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”
9a Give me an understanding heart… and know the difference between right and wrong. For whom by himself is able to govern this great people of yours? 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 11 So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people… 12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart…”
When we ask God for wisdom and understanding, that is one request He will not refuse. If it is truly a desire of your heart to have wisdom and understanding, then ask the Almighty God to give it to you!
My prayer is that I will always seek the wisdom and the understanding that I can only get from the Lord. In my every decision, I pray that the Lord’s wisdom will be the driving force to everything I do. Giving glory and honor to the Almighty God is what I desire the most.
~AMEN~