Slideshow image

Day Thirty-Nine

The Heart of Wisdom (Read Proverbs 15:8-19)

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~ Marcel Proust

The quest for genuine wisdom remains timeless in a world of information and noise. Today's wisdom teaching encapsulates this notion by declaring that "the wise achieve a glad heart by pursuing wisdom." This profound statement suggests that attaining wisdom enriches the mind and brings profound joy and fulfillment to the heart. The phrase "a heart of an understanding person" is a powerful metonymy, highlighting that true wisdom is not merely an accumulation of knowledge but a deep-seated understanding that shapes one's character and emotional well-being.

The Book of Proverbs refers to what God desires and what God detests. These gems of wisdom are truth and motivation that exist below our consciousness. Because of the separation between us and God, they are hidden from our sight—but not in God's.

11 Even Death and Destruction (Sheol) hold no secrets from the Lord.
    How much more does he know the human heart!

 12 Mockers hate to be corrected,
    so they stay away from the wise.

13 A glad heart makes a happy face;
    a broken heart crushes the spirit.

 14 A wise person is hungry for knowledge,
    while the fool feeds on trash.

15 For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
    for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.

16 Better to have little, with fear for the Lord,
    than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.

17 A bowl of vegetables with someone you love
    is better than steak with someone you hate.

18 A hot-tempered person starts fights;
    a cool-tempered person stops them.

19 A lazy person's way is blocked with briers,
    but the path of the upright is an open highway.

 Our wisdom reading centers on the heart's sustainability through the many trials and low spots that life throws us. It highlights the many characters overcoming challenging circumstances through devotion and commitment to wisdom.

Today's teachings highlight the differences between our shortcomings and the stage character we present for the world to see. There is a connection between foolishness, thinking, and speech. There is also a connection between our spiritual condition's inward and outward aspects and how we feel and look. But the spirit of God living deep down inside us helps offset the many challenges life throws at us, while a foolish mouth and a spirit-centered mind are incompatible.

In verse 15:11, the wisdom writer says that the Lord knows even the depth of Sheol, and if God knows that kind of darkness, then he also knows what resides in the human heart. Jesus didn't trust the hearts of people "because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person's heart" (John 2:23-25).

The information we put in our minds, the places we frequent, and the company we keep all matter and determine how we respond to the many challenges we face and, ultimately, our destiny in this life and the hereafter. People who pursue wisdom, frequent libraries rather than saloons, read books rather than binge TV shows, and associate primarily with spirit-centered people rather than people living only for themselves are joyful and content.

Wise and prudent followers of God solve their problems while pleasing God. The corrupt and foolish may gain wealth but also experience God's wrath. God's wrath is merely the consequence of our choices because we choose to move away from God's presence. Once again, the human dilemma is genuinely a separation issue.

We should humble ourselves before God and ask for his wisdom and guidance.

May God bless your hearing, understanding, and application of today's wisdom.