February 7

“The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth. Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.” (Proverbs 1:1-6)

Over the last two days, we have seen how God reveals wisdom in the creation and our consciences. A third primary source of God’s general revelation is the Bible. Scripture offers superior wisdom from God in the Old and New Testaments, and all the genres—the historical books, poetry, prophesy, wisdom literature, doctrinal letters, and gospels-all are for our instruction. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

When the writer of 1 Kings describes Solomon’s unique wisdom, he notes that “He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005” (1 Kings 4:32). Proverbs is intentionally direct in its goal of teaching wisdom to God’s people grounded in “the fear of the LORD.” This book paints two portraits. One picture is that of the wise, humble, biblically grounded person’s response to daily choices and temptations, while the other is of the fool who arrogantly rejects wisdom and lives according to the desires of his flesh, ignoring the consequences of this foolish way of life. This theme runs throughout the Bible for our instruction and guidance.

Some passages are especially instructive for learning godly wisdom from God’s Word. Psalm 119 is a manifesto on the benefits of reading, understanding, and embracing Scripture. “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130) A study of Psalm 119, section by section, linked with confession would be an educational and possibly life-transforming endeavor for the student of wisdom.

The importance of Scripture in your life is equal to the authority of God and his truth over your life. The influence of biblical wisdom over you is directly related to the time you spend in the Word. Do the Bible’s insights and instructions permeate your life? If not, what does?