Proverbs 3 addresses, again, the general value of wisdom. Further, this chapter promotes not only the acquisition of wisdom but the application of wisdom.
Proverbs 3:9 speaks to the importance of putting God first in our material and materiel wealth. It’s not enough to pay lip service to the One who saved us, but we must acknowledge Him in our actions. The Hebrew concept of “first” incorporates both chronology and quality—an early crop that was low-quality would be passed over to give the on-time that is better. That would not, however, excuse the need to give before keeping. How we do that now is another discussion.
Proverbs 3:19 points out that ‘wisdom’ underlies the whole of creation. From this, I would gather that we can grow in our understanding of wisdom through studying all parts of creation. Science helps us—but we start into science acknowledging that we are seeking God’s wisdom. This has long been part of the two sources of understanding: the Special Revelation of God in Scripture and the General Revelation of God in Creation. Both are important.
Proverbs 3:29 reflects on the importance of building relationships with the people around us. You should not plot the demise of your neighbor. I would suggest that we who live under grace should also see the wisdom of seeking the benefit of our neighbors. How that works requires more than a blog post to consider.
No comments:
Post a Comment
To deal with SPAM comments, all comments are moderated. I'm typically willing to post contrary views...but I also only check the list once a day, so if you posted within the last 24 hours, I may not be to it yet.