There’s so much in the Proverbs, so many specifics and words that pierce into the details of life. It can get overwhelming for me. I read it, and verses speak to me, but so many I read without fully taking in.
Yet one thing comes to me every time, with every reading, whether a few verses at a time, a whole chapter, or the whole book.
Wisdom is from God and the fear of God is wisdom. And the fear of God is how to gain wisdom.
That simplifies everything for me. Details and specifics fade and one thing remains. Fear God.
Love Him, submit to Him, listen to Him, wait on Him. Humble myself before Him. He’s God and I’m not.
It’s that simple. All the detailed verses, all the instructions, all the warnings and admonitions come down to one simple fact: they can be understood and rightly interpreted and applied by knowing the wisdom that only comes from God. By knowing God.
And all I want is to know Him and be known by Him. All I want is Him, His wisdom, His ways.
He says if I seek Him, I will find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). He promises that.
So I read the Proverbs, or any other scriptures, and I seek Him. I read the words fearing Him, knowing that that is the only way to gain understanding.
I read the words, trusting His love for me. I read the words submitting to Him, listening to Him, waiting on Him. I humble myself before Him.
And I know that I will gain wisdom. How cool is that? How amazing of a promise is that? For all the world promises, it never makes anything so sure and easy and good as this promise from God.
That I can have wisdom. I can have God. I can have life.
The fear of God leads to life… (Proverbs 19:23 NASB).
