The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.
My son, let them not depart from your eyes—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
- Proverbs 3:19-21 NIV
I am blessed to be participating in a Bible Study of Proverbs on-line with my friend Rose leading the discussion. I love to learn from Rose because of her deep insight into the human condition and God, and her ability to draw out the experiences and wisdom from all the participants. Proverbs is the Book of Wisdom in the Bible and it is especially relevant today.
Wisdom comes in two forms, knowledge and spirit both which are gifts from God. Knowledge is obtained by studying the Bible and learning and practicing in our areas of expertise. Knowledge is finite and therefore, contains boundaries and is based on conscious reasoning. However, Spirit is based on intuition, which is infinite and within the unconscious. Spirit is pure knowing without reasoning. Spirit is based on love, and knowledge is based on the law defined as “a thing regarded as having the binding force or effect of a formal system of rules.” If we are truly led by the Spirit which is based on love, then actions do not need to be prescribed on conscious reasoning or the law.
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18). “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22)
But of course, other than Jesus, can anyone say they are completely led by the Spirit? So, we need to consciously study to change our behavior and that is why Proverbs is particularly powerful. In Proverbs 3:19-26, "God warns us to keep sound wisdom and discretion; So, they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck.” God is saying that when we act with love and wisdom, grace (or the favor) of God will be upon us. Grace is God’s protection which is given to us when we walk with love and wisdom as Proverbs 3:23-26 states:
"Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught."
In these verses, God is telling us even when we act with integrity and from love, the wicked can still attack, but as Rose says we can remain peaceful. The strategy of acting from love will always prevail in the end because God is love, and love is the most powerful force in the Universe - “the Lord will be your confidence.” This is because God is acting from the spirit or eternal, not the human and finite.
So many of us focus on our humanity and perceived mortality, that we fail to see the eternal or Kairos (God’s) time at work in our lives. God’s will does not determine individual consequences on our lives, but rather is in the response. To combat evil, we must respond with love knowing that God’s plan is infinite and eternal, not limited to our perceived existence as humans. Working together in love with God’s grace and favor, righteousness or God's Kingdom will prevail on Earth as it is in Heaven.
As Proverbs 4: 14-19 says, the wicked who do not walk in the way of love and the Lord, live in constant agony and paranoia because they cannot sleep without fear. And when they are defeated, they never see that their own wickedness and evil led to their demise.
"Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.
Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble."
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