How is your house? Is it in order? Does it contain any treasures? Is it secure? As women, most of us are "nesters". We like to fix our nest and arrange it as we like. Our resources may be small or great ... doesn't matter ... point is we still like to arrange our houses. So - did verses 3 & 4 speak to you today? I see two applications of these words for us ...
First, our homes themselves. Notice the three necessities ... wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Those are not the first things we generally think about when we look around our houses! Those are not the first things we find on wedding registries for new brides! The results of these three are that homes are built, established and furnished. And the furnishings are "rare and beautiful treasures."
Secondly, think about yourself as a "house". The three necessities still remain ... wisdom, understanding and knowledge. I want to be continually built. I want to be established, secure. I want to be full of treasures!
I did some word study on these 3 amazing necessities ...
1. wisdom ... includes discernment of good and evil, includes prudence in secular matters. James tells us that if we want it ... ask God for it. I want it ... the ability to discern what is good and what is not. I want it for my "house" and I want it for myself.
2. understanding ... includes the ability to perceive, to comprehend, to consider. I want to be able to perceive truth, righteousness for my household and for myself.
3. knowledge ... means to learn about, to acquire information. I want the mental ability to learn. We need information, correct information, to make wise decisions. So Bible study matters. The discipline of it matters. You may be getting tired of reading a chapter of Proverbs every day ... but stay with it. We are acquiring knowledge and asking God to give us the ability to understand and to turn the understanding into wisdom for us.
Acquiring knowledge ... evaluating and reflecting to gain understanding ... praying for wisdom from God. I want all three ... not only for my "house" but for myself.
Pray with me ... Lord, we pray for the determination to stay on course to gain knowledge from You. We ask You to give us understanding of the things we learn. Take it all the way to wisdom. Your wisdom. And we ask that You will establish our homes. As women, furnish our "homes" with Your treasures.
I love the thought of God turning our understanding into wisdom!! Compare with verses 13-14 where he says that in the same way honey is sweet to the taste, "wisdom is sweet to your soul." Mm-mmm!
ReplyDeleteTwo more things stood out to me.
(1) We might use any number of words to describe someone who just "keeps on keeping on" -- persistent...persevering... tenacious... determined... dogged... relentless... resolute. If they are in opposition to us, we might even use a word like stubborn or obstinate. I think it's interesting in verse 16 that the word "righteous" is used to describe one who demonstrates this quality of character. It invites comparison with the word "faithfulness." I want to be that kind of person!
(2) In verse 26: "An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." Sometimes I don't want to be kissed on the lips (at least, not by certain people!), but there is something beautiful about the metaphor of hearing the truth from a loved one who holds your best interests at heart. I treasure the short list of friends I can put a question to never doubting that each of them will give me a straight unvarnished answer, gently and lovingly "speaking the truth in love" a lá Ephesians 4:15. If knowing the truth makes me free, I want that kind of answer!