Proverbs 24:5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength
All of us need guidance in life, and I think most of us seek it from God, at least we know that is where we should seek wisdom and guidance. We want to know what God wants, what His will is, and what is right in the decisions we make and courses we take. I’d like to encourage you to stop asking for a sign, something inside, a subjective feeling, and to ask God for something much better.
Here is a guy who says, “I feel led of God to do thus and so.” That may be true. It may be of God, but then again, have you ever noticed how foolish people still make foolish decisions even when they invoke God? No one can argue with someone who says, “I have this guidance from God in my heart.” What does that mean? And what if that supposed guidance from God goes contrary to God’s Word or God’s wisdom? Instead of asking for something subjective and internal, a feeling, we should ask God for wisdom. Wisdom is God’s will.
James 1 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally.” So, wisdom is God’s will, and God’s will is God’s wisdom. God wants wise decisions. A wise person is a strong person.That is what Proverbs 24:5 says. It says, “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.” Think about a big, strong, muscular man who doesn’t have a lick of sense. If it comes down to mortal combat between this dumb, strong man and a petite, not very strong, yet wise woman, and they had time to prepare, I would go with the lady. Someone with power with no sense on how to use it is not going to last long. So, a wise person is a strong person.
The question then becomes, “How do you gain wisdom?” Verse 6 says, “For by wise counsel thou shalt make war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.” One of the ways we gain wisdom is through wise counselors. My so-called wisdom will be no better than the people from whom I get it, the people from whom I seek counsel. Often, ignorance is just a form of arrogance. The older we get the less inclined we are to get help and guidance from people who have been down the path ahead of us or have shown themselves to have godly wisdom. Again, a guy may invoke God, “I feel like God wants me to move.” What does that mean? If he does something foolish, are we to pin that on God? God’s will will be in accordance with God’s wisdom. God’s will is not just a feeling; it is wisdom that you gain, and one of the ways you gain wisdom is through counsel.
Whom do you have in your life who is spiritually mature, has common sense, and godly wisdom, that you can ask for help? The older you get, the more accomplished you become, the less inclined you are to ask guidance from other people and get wisdom that God could provide through people who have wisdom. Counsel is one of the ways we can gain wisdom.
Second, there is experience. Verse 30 talks about the lazy, but what is learned there is learned by experience. Verse 30 says, “I went by the field of the slothful, and the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.” You can always tell when no one occupies the house because it very quickly deteriorates. That is just experience.
Verse 32 says, “Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.” So, this person saw, paid attention, considered, and received instruction. You receive instruction from good counselors and from experience. You don’t have to repeat the same mistake twice. If you touched a hot stove when you were five, you don’t ever need to make that mistake again. Do you make dumb mistakes over again? Sure, everyone does, but you don’t have to because if you are paying attention, you can know that certain means always result in certain ends. If you walk off a cliff, you are going to fall. If you fall, you are going to get hurt. That is all you need to know. That is paying attention to experience.
It is true that what you learn from experience depends on the philosophy you take to it. A guy who robs a house at noonday, gets caught, and thinks, “Next time I rob a house I’m going to do it in the middle of the night,” is not getting wiser, he is just getting more adept at doing foolish things. He should learn from experience.
Finally, we can learn from the Proverbs. This book in particular is full of God’s wisdom. Some is revealed through experiences and some by seeking counsel from others, but it is all incorporated in God’s Word. God’s Word is the ultimate, objective, absolute source of wisdom. If you don’t know God’s Word, you won’t know God’s wisdom. If you don’t have God’s wisdom, then no matter how much you invoke God, you are not going to make a wise decision because a wise decision is based on God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom is God’s will.
So, what about you? Are you seeking godly counsel? Are you paying attention to experience? Are you reading God’s Word in general and Proverbs in particular? A wise person is a strong person, and that can be you today.