Day 46, Year 1 Wisdom Brings Favor

“A man will be commended according to his wisdom, But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.” (Proverbs 12:8 NKJV)

“The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.” (Proverbs 13:14 NASB)

Jesus’ growth on earth previously was fueled by God’s wisdom, which is crucial for us to note. In His adolescence and young adulthood, Jesus’ increasing wisdom led to both God and people loving Him more. From a human perspective, this is easy to understand. For instance, a wise young man helps others in solving various problems. Naturally, those who receive help would praise him. Contrarily, when someone repeatedly makes mistakes, those around him or her would despise him or her. Similarly, when we learn Godly wisdom like what Jesus did, we will be praised by Him. Being appreciated by God enables us to receive His greater grace so as to grow spiritually in an upward spiral.

The first verse of today mentions “perverse,” which is ‘avah in Hebrew. Here this word means “be bent, or twisted,” with a meaning of “doing wrong, or iniquity.” This could be understood as those who distort the truth and reality would inevitably do wrong and act unrighteously, including inappropriately adding some personal opinions or desires into current tasks, thus often ruining the intended outcomes. Indeed, practicing wisdom is letting go of our wills and adhering to the truth and reality in God’s sight, then doing what is right and correct. Hence, wisdom is practically understanding the world and finding the right path to do different things. Again, in seeking, following, and accumulating wisdom, we always need to let go of our own opinions or desires as much as possible.

“The wise” in the second verse, chakam in Hebrew, could be translated as “sage, learned, or skillful person.” “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life” echoes “choose life, learn wisdom.” It is because when God’s wisdom is learned, it enables us to attain His true life. If we are doing things right and correctly, we will receive praise from others. In reality and more importantly, when we receive the teaching of wisdom, we draw near to the fountain of life, i.e. His own life, and receive His praise. For wisdom is not only applicable to practical matters on earth—it also has a dimension of engaging the divine realm and enabling us to escape the snare of death. These two different dimensions of wisdom are richly manifested in our Lord Jesus. And I would like to encourage you to strive to learn both heavenly and earthly wisdom.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you have the habit of inappropriately adding your personal opinions or desires to the work at hand? If so, how would you rely on the Lord to change it?

2) Which of the two dimensions of wisdom, earthly or divine realm, do you need to learn the most right now? And how could you acquire more of it from the Lord?