Proverbs 3:7-8 – Godly Wisdom

Wisdom is the theme of the book of Proverbs. Indeed, Solomon’s first prayer to the Lord was specifically to ask Him for wisdom to lead the people of Israel (1 Kings 3:5-14). As just one example of how crucial wisdom was to Solomon’s teachings, in Prov. 4:7 he states: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Against this background, our current pair of focal verses may seem, at face value, to run contrary to the rest of Proverbs:

Prov. 3:7-8      Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh,

And strength to your bones.

Throughout the rest of the book, Solomon tells us that we must be wise at all costs, yet here he says that we should not be wise! The key to this little conundrum lies in the words: in your own eyes. Clearly, if we consider ourselves to be wise, then we have not found wisdom at all. This idea is presented in many different ways in the New Testament, too, and I will look at just a few of them to help provide a more complete understanding of this important topic.

Firstly, thinking that we are wise goes hand-in-hand with feeling knowledgeable, or being a know-it-all. Even if we actually do know more than the next person, our usage and source of this knowledge are what really defines if what we have is real wisdom from God, or just man’s clever foolishness. One of the key differences between the two types of knowledge is love: Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. (1 Cor. 8:1-3). Mere head knowledge is dangerous stuff – its natural effect is pride (“puffing up”). However, when knowledge is subject to love for God and one another, then it produces true wisdom.

A second key difference between godly and man-made wisdom is the polar opposite attitudes that they produce. A mark of real wisdom is humility, particularly in our attitude towards other people. We find this link in Romans 12:16 – Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. When we enter God’s presence and stand in awe of Him, we gain both humility and knowledge of Him. With this combination, we have the wisdom of God. Standing before the throne of grace, we forget entirely about how our knowledge compares with that of our neighbour’s, as we come to realise just how little we have plumbed the depths of God.

Those who have a real, personal knowledge of God begin to grasp how little they really know of Him, and long to know Him more – therein lies true wisdom. Godly wisdom destroys all our pride, and allows us to walk humbly amongst other people, especially if we know God better than they do. Of all the children of Israel, Moses had perhaps the greatest reason to feel proud of his level of understanding of the Most High. Moses alone had met God on the mountain, and had spent several months dwelling in the presence of God. No one else in Israel could claim such intimate knowledge of the Lord, yet we read of him: Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. (Num. 12:3). Humility thus increases concurrently with the level of our personal knowledge of God.

The second part of Prov. 3:7 also links our relationship with God to having wisdom without pride: Fear the Lord and depart from evil. To fear the Lord is really to begin to grasp who He is, in all His glory, holiness, and righteousness. A greater understanding and awe of the Holy One will cause us to examine our own lives carefully to prevent sin from creeping in, and is the very core of godly wisdom (Ps. 111:10, Prov. 1:7 and 9:10). Whilst we are thus occupied, it is impossible to keep looking over at our neighbour’s lives and comparing ourselves with them!

For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. (Gal. 6: 3-4, emphasis mine). If you ever feel self-righteous pride welling up in your heart, retreat into the presence of the Lord. He will help you to examine yourself in His perfect light and holiness. He will show you the truth – that you really are nothing without Him, and that you still have a long way to go in your relationship with Him. Once you have been through this process, your pride will be dashed to pieces, and the Lord will grant you real wisdom.

The natural blessing that flows from humbling ourselves before the Lord is health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. When we reject our own idea of wisdom that comes with pride, and are introduced to God’s true wisdom that comes with humility, then we are healthy and strong. It is important to note that the opposite is also true – when we think we know God and this produces pride, then we are at our weakest and most vulnerable. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Cor. 10:12).

We find, then, both a promise and a warning in our focal verses and other passages. Those who know God on a personal basis and draw near to Him continually will have the true wisdom and humility that are produced from this experience. They will be strong, healthy Christians who are able to edify their brethren in love and gentleness (Gal. 6:1). However, those who feel satisfied with their level of knowledge about God, in that it exceeds the knowledge of their brethren, are highly vulnerable to spiritual attacks and are actually weak in their faith. The self-righteous know-it-all is therefore of little use to the body of Christ, even if their doctrine is perfect and their knowledge of the Word is more comprehensive than those around them. Let us then be truly wise before the Lord, rather than ‘wise’ in our own eyes.