Walking with the Wise #287: Riveted

“The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,


but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

A foolish son is a grief to his father


and bitterness to her who bore him.”

—Proverbs 17:24-25

Life is hard and can be very complicated, but with God’s help, we can know which way to go and what way He desires we live. If we seek His face, we will find wisdom and discernment. In Hebrew, today’s passage is literally, “in front of a man of discernment is wisdom.” The idea is that the man of discernment is riveted on getting wisdom. He is focused on knowing what to do and how to do it in a way that is pleasing to God.

The fool is not so inclined. He isn’t concerned about wisdom, but on the “ends of the earth.” The thought is that his attention is on everything but what is in front of his face. The discerning man is locked in on the teacher to learn, but the fool is looking all around the classroom and out the window, unable to focus on anything. Floating through this world without an anchor to stabilize him, the fool becomes a source of pain and bitterness to his parents as he never grows up. Instead, he is a perpetual adolescent, wasting his life on the vacuous interests that continually pull him away from growing up and taking responsibility for the person he ought to be.

If you want to be wise and live a life pleasing to God, then you need to seek God’s truth, which is found in the Bible. The Bible contains within it the secret to a happy and successful life. Don’t bother with chasing unattainable dreams or too-lofty pursuits—rather focus on how to live a life that is pleasing to God. Then you will find wisdom, peace and abiding joy.

Let God direct your path, and may your eye ever be upon Him as you learn what it is that He has for you—for what He has for you to be and do is that which is absolutely best and blessed for your soul. Amen.