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.
(Prov 2:10-22)
In today’s passage, we see that Wisdom has an effect seldom mentioned but
surely realized by all who seek and find it – Wisdom gives us JOY! 10 When
wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; There
is a sympathetic chord struck in the heart when Wisdom enters therein. Of
course, Wisdom never barges its way into the heart – it must be invited and
welcomed, we will find a strange and different comfort to our souls – a comfort
which we will have never experienced in past times. It is as if we have met a
very refined stranger with whom we are enchanted, so much so that we invite
them into our intimate confidence. Thereafter, we learn that this stranger is
not a stranger, but the bosom friend of our soul. She is able to give advice
and counsel that is truly amazing (and always correct and edifying). What
reaction is made in the heart?
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; Here is our protection for the evil
ways of men. Discretion gives us the discernment to recognize the dangers of
temptation and tells how to avoid them. Where will we be kept when we
heed the voice of Wisdom? When we have understood the counsel of God given in
Scripture, we shall be kept in the Will of God and away from error. This is the
blessed way! We shall be delivered, not only from wicked men, but from wicked
thoughts expressed through their lying tongues. Much of the weakness of faith
in the modern church is caused by a lack of Wisdom and knowledge gained from a
diligent study of the Bible. The whimsical modern preacher cannot deceive about
the Bible if the people have understood it. Who are these evil men referred to?
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. Remember that Straight path and Narrow Gate that the
righteous must walk? The sinner will have none of it. We must walk not, stand
not, or make ourselves at home in the counsel of the ungodly. (Psalms 1:1) The
Way of the righteous is a known Way to God, but the sinner knows not this way.
He is a fickle as the chaff which the wind scatters here and yon. The sinner
has NO path but that path that leads to destruction. Associations are IMPORTANT
as Wisdom has told us!
During the terrible draught and deprivation of the 1930’s depression, my father
worked with farmers in South Georgia. The most common tree was the tall
lob-lolly pine. Though tall, the tree was not always straight. My father told
me that, if a man wanted a long, straight tree from which to cut a prime
timber, he must go to the center of the forest where the trees grew taller and
straighter. Those around the edge of the forest were more likely to be crooked
or dwarfed. Is it not the same with the proper worship of the Lord? Those
‘casual observers’ at church do not grow strong spiritual bones and muscles;
but those at the center of the Bible Forest grow tall and straight.
Women, too, do not escape the lure of sinful willfulness. 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.
The opposite of Wisdom and her good counsel is the cheapened woman of the
street who speaks words of flattery and not truth. Instead of counseling for
goodness, this sinful woman counsels to temptation – to deviate from the
straight path of Wisdom, and of Wisdom’s God. Remember the woman whom we shall
discuss in the last chapter of Proverbs (Proverbs 31 woman). She is the essence
of Wisdom. Her husband owes his success and respectability to the industrious
and womanly Wisdom of his wife. Her hands are not idle, but weave cloth and
invest in real estate. She rises early and works the long day. She does not
neglect her family while pursuing her role in business and society. Her
children, too, rise up and call her blessed. These women are not common, and are
valuable. The Proverb calls her more precious than rubies. The ruby is
precious, not because it is common found in all soils, but owing to its rarity
and innate beauty.
It seems that men have somewhat of an edge on pursuing wickedness for the text
returns to men to close the chapter. . 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. Surely, the tall Cedars of
Lebanon are choice timbers for their uprightness. If we will raise such Cedars,
we must plant them in the proper place and soil – such as Lebanon. They will
not grow in the tropical rain forest or the western prairie lands. There is a
proper place for the righteous where they are regular recipients of the Wisdom
and grace of God. It is the Way of the Lord, and there is no other Way that
will suffice for eternal bliss.
It may often appear that wickedness and evil have the dominate hand in the
world. This is true; however, it does not have the victorious and durable hand.
Wickedness and evildoers shall be cut off as a timber and even the roots rooted
up and destroyed. There will be not return of wickedness when the final trump
of the bugle sounds across the final battlefield.
Where are you planted, and where do YOU stand, friend?
