Skill in Knowledge and Understanding

Proverbs 16:12-22

12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For a throne is established by righteousness.

13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.

14 As messengers of death is the king's wrath,
But a wise man will appease it.

15 In the light of the king's face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.

Getting wisdom, the skill in knowledge and understanding, is the pursuit of God to know Him and live accordingly.  This means that those who are in authority, who lead others in small groups of people like governors to larger nation states, these all should rule in righteousness and truth to avoid being an abomination to their Maker.  Unfortunately, very few actually rule over others this way.  We who are the church then should set the example laid out by scriptures such as 1 Peter 5:2-3 in leading with humility in God’s strength and wisdom as servants of righteousness.  Speaking truth and truly without deception are essential traits of leading rightly, not loving the lie to cover inappropriate or unrighteous acts or intent.  The leader must also love others who speak what is right, not abiding false teachings or immorality of any sort.  Bad company corrupts good habits of righteousness.  There may be times that justice demands an account and the rulers must send to capture and prosecute the evildoers, even with death as the example here, yet the guilty one may yet appeal the sentence and plead for mercy as well if they possess any wisdom still.  Doing what is right under the ruler then brightens his countenance of favor and is refreshing like a cloud bringing needed rain for future growth and sustenance.  Above all, gaining wisdom to skillfully apply learned knowledge for understanding is far better than wealth or position in life; wisdom is the true importance in living a godly life according to God’s word.  By learning from God we gain that understanding to build upon, and by living out that knowledge we become wise in God’s eyes.  The highway we walk down then requires that we turn away from doing any evil which is opposite to God’s commands, examples, and principles to live by.  We preserve our souls by living towards holiness in imitation of Him (1 Corinthians 11:1, Ephesians 5:1) and as we have the examples of others who so follow Him (Hebrews 13:7) to demonstrate how we should then live as God-pleasers.  We are warned, however, that if we are proud and high minded we will fall in the wake of its destruction of our lives.  It is far, far better that we stay humble before God and not seek gain for ourselves (1 Timothy 6:6) or share wealth with dishonest people by unrighteous means.  Yes, the one who listens and heeds God’s word in skillful application of knowledge and understanding (wisdom) finds good from God, and the one who trusts and follows Him for all we have instead of pursuing happiness as personal gain, this one is truly happy.  This wisdom makes us prudent and helps us to learn even more.  Our understanding of God’s word and it’s application is the source of life in Christ which overflows out of obedient Christian living, as opposed to the fools who thinks God’s discipline of loving correction is folly.  We pursue God by knowing and understanding the scriptures that we may wisely live accordingly with humility and trust in His leading for it all.  This wisdom is skill in knowledge and understanding.