Wisdom!

Wisdom!

Proverbs 3:7 AMPC

[7] Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil.

Proverbs 8:13 AMPC

[13] The reverent fear and worshipful awe of the Lord [includes] the hatred of evil; pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted and twisted speech I hate.

We read the two verses above, both of them from the same book credited to Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, by God's own Word in 1 Kings 3:12. There was none like him before or after him, and he was given wisdom beyond the usual supply given to men. Men came from the ends of the earth to listen to him and none was disappointed. We would do well to consider some of his words and see how they apply to us. From the two verses above, we see the importance of wisdom. Let it be clear that whatever God does or gives also has a polluted version that the devil tries to replicate. He knows that whatever God is or gives is good; therefore, he will do all he can to provide distractions that will make it sound like God's standards are too high to attain, and there are other viable alternatives to the standards. Unfortunately, if it is not God's, it is not the same thing as God's. If it does not proceed from Him, it cannot be laundered or washed or presented in any way to look like it came from Him. 

That is the position from which our lesson and application today must proceed. If you are looking for God's version of anything, you go to Him. Man cannot give you that which only God can give you. Man cannot sustain that which only originates from God. How can a mortal man give you that which is eternal and immortal? Again, as it has been said here several times, you cannot give what you do not have. You cannot fake it until you make it here. It also means that there is a wisdom of the world, which is quite popular and maybe effective for those who live by it. It gives them things, and they assume that it works. It is only a matter of time before the chickens come home to roost and the truth according to God's standard is revealed. The extracts above make it clear that I cannot combine the wisdom of the world with that from God. God is a jealous God, and His glory He will not share. My heart was not built to share its allegiance with competing interests. This is why the fear of the Lord is the right start for anyone. 

The fear of the Lord does not leave room for anyone or anything else. If you fear God, there is nothing else to fear. If you do not fear God, believe me, you have all to fear. As the verses above also make clear, the fear of the Lord makes me hate evil. I am not allowed to sit on the fence; loving and fearing God but also maybe not so much hating evil  but also not addressing it. I am comfortable around it; I do not speak out against it when the opportunities arise. If I will be right, all that God hates must also be hated by me. All that God loves must also be loved by me. That is the standard that has been laid down and will be the basis of judgment. I am also asked to worship God with reverence and awe as a sign of total submission to Him. If God is treated with the right reverence, there is no other god or authority that can claim space in my heart. As we have also read several times, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of true wisdom. Like Solomon, please know that God rewards a good fear of Him, and there will be  consequences for the lack of reverence for all that God is. God's time of favour is here.