August 2, 2008

Today's Reading - Proverbs 2
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Following Scripture Verses

1. My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2. So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3. Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4. If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
9. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
10. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11. Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12. To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13. Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14. Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
15. Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
16. To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17. Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Today's Pathway:
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"Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:" - Proverbs 2:11

In today's verse Solomon tells his son of some additional blessings that wisdom brings. Apparently wisdom produces discretion, for Solomon states that "discretion shall preserve thee". "Discretion" means the ability to formulate a plan or make a decision based upon your own judgment. When a man has wisdom, this will allow him to use good judgement in determining the appropriate course of action to take in any situation.

Solomon says that the ability to make wise decisions will preserve the believer. The idea here is that it will guard him and hedge him in. Often people open themselves up to problems and the consequences of sin because of their poor choices. However, if a man receives wisdom from the Lord, and then puts that wisdom to practical use in his life, he will be protected; first of all because he will not have to deal with the unpleasant results of poor choices, and second because God Himself will watch over him.

Solomon adds that "understanding will keep thee". The word "keep" is similar to "discretion", but has more of the idea of "maintaining" someone. Thus, not only will wisdom protect a man from external oppositions, but it will also enable him to continue doing what he should. I see the two ideas working together to show that if a man practices Biblical wisdom, he will be protected both from outside influences and from his own inner desires to stray. The Bible tells us that lust produces sin (James 1:15). However knowledge of the Lord will allow a man to reject those lusts and keep his heart and mind pure before God.

If a man is going to have a successful Christian life, he needs to be both preserved and kept. It is only through understanding and practicing the principles of the Word of God that this will happen. How successful are you?

Pastor Mark J Montgomery