The Book of Proverbs - Chapter 2 - Personal Bible Study
After I finished my writing on Chapter 1 of Proverbs, I started thinking about a few other ways I could have gone with it. How many situations could that one piece of advice be valid in my own life and experience, especially in my younger crazy days giving into peer pressure.
Fortunately I'm much older and wiser now.
So far, our working meaning of Wisdom is having to do with the knowledge and understanding of doing the right thing and the consequences of what happens if you choose to do evil. It has something to do with accepting God's grace and avoiding sinful behavior. It has something to do with not giving into temptation.
So moving on to Chapter 2; which is entitled, "The Blessings of Wisdom," in my The New American Catholic Bible. Other versions of the Bible title it differently. "The Benefits of Wisdom" or "The Moral Benefits of Wisdom."
1 My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,
2 if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,
3 if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,
5 then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.
Wisdom is something that you have to work for. It's something that you have to earn by following the commandments. It's something you have to learn by listening to the wise who have come before you.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Wisdom is one of God's graces that he gives to those who stay true to his word. It's something given in little doses throughout our lives; from our parents who are our first teachers of right and wrong; from our elders who have walked the walk.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,
8 to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.
Integrity is defined as; the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.
Justice is something that can be loosely defined as, 1: fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made, and 2: the legal system, or the act of applying or upholding the law.
So you're not going to earn or learn wisdom by sinful or dishonest behavior. God gives wisdom as a shield to protect those who walk the straight and narrow path, by knowing what to do in every situation.
So wisdom has to do with acting morally, being fair in your dealings, and staying true to God's word and commandments, and understanding what it is you are doing. If you do that…
9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.
Then you will understand. You will be able to recognize and see the good things. You will know the right thing to do in every situation.
11 Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you,
12 to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,
13 from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.
You will be able to exercise good judgement and avoid or protect yourself from those who do evil. Or rather, protect yourself by avoiding these people or situations. For example…
16 It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
17 who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.
You will know enough not to hook up with somebody else's wife. This is just an example given.
18 For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.
19 None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.
And this would be the consequence of finding yourself in such a situation. She will suffer the consequences of her own sin and because you want along with it, so will you.
20 So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.
So back to our working definition of Wisdom: Having to do with the knowledge and understanding of doing the right thing and the consequences of what happens if you choose to do evil. It has something to do with accepting God's grace and avoiding sinful behavior. It has something to do with not giving into temptation. We will add fairness, exercise good judgement, act morally, etc.
When you do have wisdom, you will know enough to protect yourself from these people and situations. And will live a good live, loving and worshiping the one true God.
Chapter 3 Click Here
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