S43P2 – The God of understanding: our protective guide
Proverbs 4:5-6
Get wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not turn away from her, and she will guard and protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
Guidance is a common quest. Yes, there are those who seem like they just want to be on their own and find their own way. I would argue that, even within those independent people, there is a hunger for someone to help guide the way. The reason I argue this is because helplessness is too common of a sentiment among humanity. We might for a time be able to convince ourselves that we have all the answers, but we always come to a reckoning of our utter deficiency when we stand alone. Forget about hubris and conceit. The truth of our inadequacy will always expose itself when we rely only on ourselves. What a glorious thing that God offers his understanding and wisdom so that we might have a guide!
It is easy for us to look at understanding as a thing, as merely something that we acquire. Although this is not necessarily incorrect, today’s scripture paints a bit of a different picture. Today’s scripture gives some type of identity to understanding, and it suggests that we are to have some type of relationship with her. The instruction from King David to his son Solomon was to keep his eyes on this one called understanding and to love her. In return, she would guide and protect Solomon. I think this illustrates the different ways that we can respond to God’s teaching and instruction. One way is to love that teaching and embrace her, and that will bring security. The other way is to fight against her and to hate her, but that will simply leave us on our own against a stumbling block. If we are to benefit from God’s understanding, we must not only surrender to her but also pursue her.
God’s desire is for us to not only accept but to chase and hunger for his understanding. The love that we are to have for her should be deep and honest. It should rise up inside us and cause us to seek her out. This is no passive adoration. It is an active and purposeful search. When we seek after understanding in this way, we will find her. Not only will we find her, but she will be a protection and a guide for us. God just wants us to be in love with his ways and his character. Of course that means we should be in love with his understanding. She is to be a beacon for us in this world. Father, thank You for the understanding and wisdom that You impart to us, and make us people who fervently seek after her.