Ways to Keep Sound Wisdom!

Proverbs 3:19-35

19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul
And grace to your neck.

23 Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the LORD will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
"Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,"
When you have it with you.

29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
For he dwells by you for safety's sake.
30 Do not strive with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.

31 Do not envy the oppressor,
And choose none of his ways;
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD,
But His secret counsel is with the upright.

33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the home of the just.
34 Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

The second half of this group of God’s wise sayings from Solomon’s hand explain ways for us to keep sound wisdom in our everyday lives.  First we acknowledge that God created the earth and heavens in His wisdom by divine understanding seen in the most minute detail, from the smallest spinning atomic particles to the vast swirling galaxies of innumerable stars called individually by name (Psalm 8:3, 147:4, Isaiah 40:26).  He understood exactly what He was creating, for there is such a purpose in all His cosmic design as to put us in awe of His wisdom to imagine and create it all (Psalm 104:24)!  He knew how to separate the sea from the continents and rain from the earth into the clouds.  Such magnificent work of wisdom and understanding should motivate we who have been created in His image to seek His knowledge and understanding in turn.  We are therefore to keep sound wisdom and purposeful understanding always in sight, for they are life and grace which we have been given.  He will keep us in our way as long as we keep to His ways of keeping sound wisdom according to His word.  There is no fear for those who walk with Him in these ways, whose confidence is the Lord, but there is peace and safety in such a life guided by godly understanding and wisdom.  This we work out by loving our neighbors as the second greatest commandment (Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:31) in practical ways such as meeting their needs when we are able to do so.  We do not give empty promises for a future fulfillment of their need when we know it and have it in our hands to meet right away, for that is a false promise to deflect the opportunity to show love as God does to us in wisdom and understanding every day.  We also do not devise evil plans against our neighbors (Zechariah 8:17), being careful not to strive against another without a real reason (unless he has done us harm as in 2 Timothy 4:14-15, 1 Timothy 1:20).  Yes, our neighbors are our collective protection as well according to verse 29 and we are to support each other to the best of our ability no matter how imperfect we all are (Romans 12:19, 14:19, Hebrews 12:14).  Another way to keep sound wisdom and understanding is not to envy those set against us because of what they seem to possess, nor to adopt their ways of getting ahead or gaining possessions at the expense of others.  Those are ones whom God opposes and who we should not emulate or imitate in unwise ways.  God keeps His counsel of wise understanding with those pursuing holiness (Hebrews 12:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:7), with blessings besides.  He gives grace to us when we are humble (James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6-7) enough to listen and learn from God (John 6:45) in order to live according to His wisdom found in the scriptures.  Yes, the wise who do these things keep sound wisdom and understanding with a view to eternity, knowing He has freely given us an inheritance in His glory instead of the shame of a willful fool who rejects His word of understanding and grace.