Walking with the Wise #5: Wisdom for Living

“For the LORD gives wisdom;
 

from His mouth come knowledge and understanding;


He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,


guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of His saints.” 

—Proverbs 2:6-8

When God is for you, no one can stand against you. God gives to His people wisdom to do what is right—because He loves and delights in them. And for those who continually live according to His Word, who love and fear Him, He gives more wisdom to do what is pleasing in His sight. He becomes their advocate, their protector, helping them when trouble comes.

When we try to live the way God desires us to live, and we continually seek God’s wisdom, God will give us that and so much more. Solomon well understood that fact. When he began his reign as King of Israel, God appeared to him at Gibeon saying, “Ask what I shall give you”—1 Kings 3:5. Solomon replied,

“You have shown great and steadfast love to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward You. And You have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give Your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern Your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this Your great people?"—1 Kings 3:6-9.

Solomon wanted wisdom—he wanted to shepherd God’s people rightly; therefore God gave him wisdom and much more. God said,  

“Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days"—1 Kings 3:11-14.

God’s wisdom is God’s way of showing us how to conduct ourselves in the midst of this world. It is His will expressed through His Word. And when one seeks to apply wisdom to every aspect of life, some fascinating things happen—we are protected, secure and safe from judgment. We don’t have to worry about getting caught for doing something we weren’t supposed to be doing, nor are we looking over our shoulder when tragedy strikes.

“Then you will understand righteousness and justice
 

and equity, every good path;
for wisdom will come into your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;


discretion will watch over you,

understanding will guard you,


delivering you from the way of evil,
 

from men of perverted speech,

who forsake the paths of uprightness
 

to walk in the ways of darkness,

who rejoice in doing evil

and delight in the perverseness of evil,


men whose paths are crooked,

and who are devious in their ways” 

—Proverbs 2:9-15.

When we refuse wisdom we are susceptible to all kinds of evil—but when we walk in wisdom, we know what it means to live in such a manner that God receives glory and we receive joy. We learn how to avoid evil and embrace that which is good.

How about you, beloved? Are you walking in wisdom or walking according to the standards of the world? Are you constantly worried about getting caught in some sin, or having your moral failure found out as you brazenly continue to do that which God has condemned? If so, then you are walking as a fool.

A fool continually runs back to sin, but a wise man seeks to understand and overcome the sin that so easily entangles—by applying God's Word. The reality is that the wisdom of God points to the Son of God as our only means of salvation. By accepting and trusting in Him, we are saved. We are given God’s Spirit to dwell in us—to "grow up" the Son of God in us, so that we might mature spiritually and truly walk in wisdom. And as we walk in wisdom—and seek to do what God desires us to do, we are able to say "no" to our past sin, and live the life God desires for us. Amen.