Wisdom is Calling



Proverbs used to be my least favorite book of the Bible. 

I have been taught "Proverbs are not Promises" for as long as I can remember. But that never set well with me. The example given over and over is Proverbs 22:6 where it says "Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." We all know someone who seems to have godly parents who has walked away from the Lord. So it makes sense to say, "Well that is a principal that is generally true, but it's not a promise."

But if you take that same idea to Proverbs 3:5-6 how does it hold up? "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Doesn't it seem a little scary to think that a verse would say "Trust God, he MIGHT lead you?" 

So maybe there is a better way to understand Proverbs. I want to share two ideas that made Proverbs jump from my least favorite book to one of my most adored. 

1. "Proverbs are promises that generally come true now but always come true later." In this life sometimes it seems like the crook wins, the arrogant succeed, or the abuser gains power. But God is always just. His justice can sometimes be swift but other times it isn't meted out until after death, but justice is ALWAYS served. Proverbs are promises, and God ALWAYS keeps His word. 

So what about Proverbs 22:6? In our Bible it says ""Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."But in the original Hebrew the word "should" is not there. Jon Akin in his commentary on Proverbs posits that a better translation is "Let a child have his way when he is young and when he is old he will continue to insist on having his own way." Instead of a promise this verse is better understood as a warning: children left to their own devices will destroy themselves. 

2. "Ultimately, wisdom is not a set of ideas; wisdom is a Person- Jesus Christ." The entire Bible is about Christ, but I must admit I was missing Him in Proverbs. When I started to read it with Jesus in mind the book came alive to me. I began to mentally switch out the word Wisdom for Jesus. Try it with these verses: 

"If you seek wisdom as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:4-5

"By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established" Proverbs 24:4

Giving wisdom a name brought Proverbs into focus for me. It shined a spotlight on something I had missed time and time again. I want to challenge you, if you have never read Proverbs through these lenses, give it another read. "Wisdom is shouting in the street, she lifts up her voice in the square... Behold I will pour my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you." 

Wisdom is calling. 







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