WISDOM AND JUDGEMENT

Proverbs 2:6-8

Thoughts for the Day

In verse 6 we see that God is the one that gives us godly wisdom and it comes from His mouth and His understanding. This is saying to us that if we want to be wise, we must read the Bible, as it records the things that He has spoken. As we read God's Word, we will receive His knowledge and understanding about any issue that we desire to know about. This means when we have a certain problem that we are dealing with in our lives, we should do two things immediately -- 1.) Seek God in prayer about the problem -- 2.) Search the Bible as to what it says about the problem. After you pray, sometimes the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart as to what you are to do about your problem. He may bring a certain person to your mind and when you call that person they will have the answer to your problem. Or, He may bring a scripture to your memory that you have read in the past and that could be the answer to your problem. However, if you do not hear an answer in your spirit, many times you will find your answer in reading and studying what the Bible says about the issue. You can use a Bible concordance to assist you in finding the topic you have a question about and then you can read all the verses about that subject or topic.

In verse 7, the Bible says, that He lays up sound wisdom for us. That means it is there for us, but we must go get it and not just leave it lying there. Therefore, we are responsible for gaining wisdom by searching for it. Also in verse 7, it mentions that the Lord is a "buckler" to those that walk uprightly. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "buckler" can mean shield, or in this verse it means a spear. This means that God is our protector. He promises to protect and keep us from harm when we obey Him and walk in His ways. This is only one of the rewards that comes from finding and walking in the wisdom of God.

In verse 8 When we look at this scripture, we find it says, God keeps the paths (plural) of judgment. This means that there are two paths of judgment. Judgment, therefore, is two-fold:

1) There is judgment for the wicked. They are punished for their deeds, as the penalty for sin is executed upon them. They reap what they have sown: Ezekiel 11:21, Galatians 6:7-8.

(2) There is also judgment for the righteous as they are rewarded for their faithfulness: Proverbs 13:13, Hebrew 11:6

We must all one day stand before the Judgment Seat of the Lord and receive our judgments. Just as people are brought to court in trials, so it is with the judgment of God against evil. We can trust God that even if we have been treated unfairly at times, He will eventually reward us in the proper way and prove our innocence. Proverbs also says He preserves the way of the righteous. That means He will protect and take care of His own and make a way for us even if there appears to be no way in the natural. The Lord delights in answering our prayers and making a way out of our problems, even if it takes a miracle. Remember, miracles are God's specialty!