A man’s safety depended entirely upon his own vigilance and wisdom.”
–Charles A. Seltzer (Square Deal Sanderson)
“Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.”
–Proverbs 4:7 (NLT)
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2.10 — When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
2.11 — Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you. (NKJV)
Notice the word “when”. When wisdom enters…then discretion will preserve you and understanding will keep you. The Amplified takes a slightly different light, “For skillful and godly Wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge shall be pleasant to you.” As does the CEB, “Wisdom will enter your mind, and knowledge will fill you with delight.” This seems to indicate that it will happen instead of “when.”
Bob Beasley says, “For the unregenerate person, the fearsome issue of life is protection. That is one reason he seeks earthly wealth, desires job security, eats health foods, and the like, because he fears poverty, death, sickness, loss of love, loneliness, punishment, etc. He seeks protection in fleeting things that never really protect him.” Such a shame it is to live life in that manner. Thanks be to God, we have Him as our Protector; we have a new heart, one that has been regenerated and is under the guidance and care of the Holy Spirit.
The only way wisdom can enter your heart is when you follow His ways. There must first be a changed heart, otherwise we know that the heart is deceitful. In the verses that follow we see “the evil man” and “the strange woman,” therefore, wisdom located in the heart/mind is a prerequisite. Matthew Henry says that, “If we are truly wise, it will appear by our care to avoid all evil company and evil practices.” Wisdom, then must be internalized. It is there to provide insight, to be learned intimately, and practiced in our daily living.
Strong gives us some insight to this term we call “wisdom.” The word, “chokmah” also means “skill” and can refer to ability in craftsmanship. “True wisdom involves not only intelligence but also moral integrity. Because a sinful lifestyle is ultimately self-destructive.” We see then that to have wisdom is to live a skillful life. A life that follows the Word of God and that is morally upright. We need to be righteous and follow the good path. Trapp says that true “spiritual joy mortifies sin.” If we live in the fullness of the Spirit, follow His lead and take godly wisdom into our hearts and minds, then it will be very hard to deceive us. We will find that sin to the heart after God is “tasteless fooleries.” (Trapp)
Our heart/mind must be guided by the wisdom that God provides. Charles Bridges tells us that, “Clear knowledge floating in the head is deep ignorance. While it only glitters in the understanding, it is dry, speculative, and barren.” There must be a new heart; one that has the light of God to filter wisdom and knowledge properly so that discretion will come and then it will be truly pleasant to the soul.
God’s Word gives direction and understanding to the whole of life. “It becomes not only an external rule, but a preserving, keeping principle.” (Bridges) Paul warns us of the devices and snares of the devil; it is only when we travel this journey with godly discretion can we uncover those traps and find rest and peace along the way. Our walk is secure if we walk warily and not just tip-toe through the tulips of life. Francis Taylor says that men are subject to many dangers until they get Wisdom. He includes: danger to reputation, danger to one’s good and estates through foolishness, danger to body and life by not heeding God’s principles, and there is danger to the soul of eternal misery. Godly wisdom and understanding will therefore, keep us from the foolishness that comes our way and the intentions of evil that is along the way.