Proverbs 2: Mediah
SUCCESS OR DESTRUCTION?
Our western society tells us that in order to be happy you need to have ‘the finer things in life’. That could mean the beautiful 4000 square foot house with a landscaped lawn or a 2020 Tesla with chrome rims sitting in the driveway. The hard truth is that even if we were to have all of these things we would still be subject to the difficulties of being human. Let's face it, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. Most of the time we second guess our most basic decisions in fear of ruining our lives. The fact of the matter is that we as humans are NOT IN CONTROL and this is the reason for our deepest insecurities and fears.
Proverbs is one of the most practical and relevant books of the Hebrew Tanakh (which contains the same Scriptures as the old testament of the Holy Bible). In this collection of ancient writings, various writers express supernatural wisdom to readers throughout the ages. The second chapter of this book was most likely written by one of my all-time heroes King Solomon, the king of Ancient Israel. When given the opportunity by God to ask for ANYTHING, he asked for wisdom; instead of the 4000 square foot house and shiny Tesla of that time.
In this chapter Solomon speaks of the need to obtain wisdom at all costs, and how this wisdom will guide your decisions and give you some security as you live and make decisions. The passage explains that wisdom BEGINS with the fear of the Lord, and by FEAR it to means to have knowledge, respect, and reverence for the Lord. This wisdom allows you to understand what is good and righteous without having to second guess yourself. It goes on to talk about those who leave the path of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness and how this can happen to anyone who lacks this supernatural wisdom that the passage urges the reader to obtain.
We all are capable of making foolish decisions that can alter our lives forever. Whether it is going with your female coworker to the bar and having one too many beers or taking your friend up on a secret financial opportunity that’s ‘too good to resist’ , we all have the ability to follow our darkest inner urges and like the writers says ‘leave the path of uprightness’ to the ways of darkness. For me as an artist, it can be as simple as taking an opportunity that will ‘compromise’ my beliefs in order to get money or to get ahead in my art career. Sometimes its a really fine line between success and destruction.
To sum it up, we all need to have God’s wisdom in order to live the lives that the Lord has set before us successfully. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” The first key here is to ASK GOD for wisdom on a daily basis, no matter what it is you are going through. The second key is to read God’s word and ingest his supernatural wisdom so you can be guided along the straight and narrow path. The final and most important point is that THERE IS NO WISDOM WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST. Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ(Jesus) is the light sent by God the Father to save human beings and He left us His Spirit to guide us and to give us power. Wisdom is a by-product of accepting Jesus and yielding to His will.
Equation - Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ(Jesus) = divine wisdom + salvation + power