by Hannah Watson | Oct 26, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 9: 10-11
How often do we fear someone/something because of negative self-perception? –believing the lies of inadequacy, rejection, worthlessness, and so on and so on. Fearing circumstances, people, responses, and opinions, simply because we don’t know, or haven’t quite taken enough time to remember, our right standing before the Lord.
Loved. Accepted. Righteous. Enough.
When we remember love, and let it purify the lens of ourselves, fear is dismantled and cured. Jesus’ standard for us becomes ours; to be children of promise, loved and whole. As we’re journeying through the book of Proverbs and diving into what living alongside wisdom looks like, we see Solomon outline and personify wisdom in depth, to be a guide for believers in how to seek and operate within wisdom’s promise.
Proverbs 9:10-12 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you scoff, you alone will bear it.”
Why does Solomon choose the word fear, and why is fear the beginning of wisdom? It seems odd, because fear is something we fairly easily associate with the lies that can fuel negative self-perception. Solomon’s use of the word fear in verse 10 is not that kind of fear. It’s actually the opposite, because this fear requires us to remember love. This fear is reverence. It’s awe. It’s wonder. It’s thanksgiving. The fear of the Lord is remembering love and the mountains it moved to free us and position us in right standing before God, once more. It’s remembering the majesty God and the sacrifice made at the cross. It advocates and believes for a redeemed self-perception, not a negative one riddled with lies and whispers of the enemy. The fear of the Lord and the knowledge of the Holy one are the beginning of wisdom. It’s the beginning of having love purify our lenses of Jesus and of ourselves.
I love how The Message puts 11 and 12, “It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you.” Living within that fear, reverence, wonder, of the Lord and knowing his heart is where our life deepens and matures. If we give wisdom permission to fill our lives, she will. As we remember love as wisdom instructs, we’ll grow in our knowledge of the heart of God and our paths will be made straight.
by Hannah Watson | Oct 11, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:21-26
The call to wisdom and the mandate of its pursuit is beautifully and highly prioritized throughout the whole of Proverbs. Solomon’s intentional language surrounding wisdom and its necessity within the lives of believers is something one can quickly discover. Wisdom is personified, emphasized and consistently advocated for. Why?
Because wisdom has promise.
Blessing, understanding, confidence, security, peace. Wisdom houses these within her. And they are the harvest we reap as we pursue.
“My son, do not lose sight of these – keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.”
I love how the amplified version highlights this verse: “…and they will be life to your inner self and a gracious ornament to your neck (your outer self).” Wisdom is nourishment to our spirit and discernment is a trustworthy guide, and the fruit produced by both is pleasing in the natural. A sweet aroma to those around us. Flowing from the inside out. Setting us apart in life and godliness.
“Then you will walk in your way securely and confident in trust, and your foot will not stumble.”
Jesus’ parting gift to humanity was his spirit, in fullness, to dwell within us. To seal the redeemed relationship between God and man. As we seek wisdom, we deepen trust -trust in the Holy Spirit to counsel in the ways of wisdom and reveal the intimacies of God’s heart. Further along in Proverbs, Solomon says, “it is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.” To seek wisdom is to discover the mysteries of God and to partake in relationship with the Lord, and what is given to us as we journey is security, confidence in trust, and the safety that accompanies knowing that we’re loved.
“If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”
Wisdom gives understanding. As we continue to grasp the knowledge of God, the truth that we’re wholly loved deepens within our hearts. Love leaves no room for fear; perfect love casts out fear. Wisdom’s promise enables us to walk securely in peace, confidently in love and, with an expectancy of grace to guard us and journey alongside us.
Solomon gives generous space within Proverbs to instruct us in the ways of wisdom. It’s intentional and it’s necessary, for the pursuit of wisdom is the pursuit of the Lord. It is the consistent engagement in relationship with the Spirit, and out of intimacy, wisdom develops and deepens.
As you pursue, you’ll reap a harvest. Wisdom’s promise.
Photography: @sheasalz
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