Walking with Him

Proverbs 3:5-8 (ESV) 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

There are two types of wisdom: “wise in your own eyes” also known as worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom.

Worldly wisdom brings no peace, fits with culture, usually gives instant gratification and is “self”focused. The Bible says this of worldly wisdom: 

“18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” (1 Corinthians 3:18-20 NIV)

Godly wisdom is life-giving, restorative and designed to always lead us back to God. Even our passage from Proverbs shares that it will be “healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” Godly wisdom allows us to fully “trust God and leave the consequences to Him” (Charles Stanley).

A great example of both Godly wisdom and worldly wisdom comes from the life of Solomon. He authored the book of Proverbs. He is the son of David and Bathsheba. When Solomon lived, many sought an audience with him to hear the wisdom God put in his heart. God had given him wisdom and a condition. God told Solomon to walk with Him as his father David did as God had established a covenant with David. However, if Solomon turned away from God then He would uproot Israel from the land and bring disaster upon them.

Solomon was installed as king after the death of his father. He sought God for wisdom and guidance. As God promised to his father, Solomon went on to build the temple of the Lord. He prayed that God would be pleased with the work of his hands. And God was and dwelled there. Again, God gave Solomon wisdom–Godly wisdom–that he used to govern. It was the first request Solomon made to God. Because of his ask, God additionally gave him wealth, riches and honor as “no king who was before him ever had and none after him will have.” 

The problems begin when Solomon leans to his own understanding. The Bible says “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women,” (1 Kings 11:1) and had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Solomon’s heart was not fully devoted to the Lord and he did evil in God’s eyes by sacrificing to different gods including following after the gods of Ashtoreth and Molech (this involved making human sacrifices). Romans 1:22 describes this behavior as such: “22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” As promised God removed the kingdom from Israel soon after the death of Solomon.

Walking in wisdom, Godly wisdom, requires that we walk in Him. As we lean on God, he directs our path. This is not a perfect walk. But when we fall, we go to Him and repent. When we need strength, we go to the lifter of our head. God is wisdom, so we must continually walk in Him.