“For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path” (Proverbs 2:6-9).
If they sold “wisdom” at the local store, we would all be in line to buy as much as we could afford! The reality is that true wisdom only comes from God, and it is a gift from Him. If I am ever going to become a wise man, it will be because of the time I spend with God, not because of how many years I attended college or graduate school. I am convinced that we have believed the lie of the world that we need education to become wise. Most of the very intelligent people I have met in my lifetime were people that simply spent time at the feet of the Savior, in the presence of God, and ones that were totally yielded to the Spirit of God.
I especially like verse 8 … “He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints.” If we will pursue a relationship with our God, it will result in our paths of judgment being guarded by Him. The word, “keepeth” has the idea of setting a guard around something or someone. I have learned that if I am responsible for wisdom, my paths will not always run the way of good judgment, but often ends up in the ditches of poor choices. I can remember many times when I have made quick decisions that I thought were good, only to find that I had been tricked into unwise choices and unfortunate consequences.
Not only will godly wisdom result in good judgment, but it will also mean that God protects the way we take. God is so good to us! He knows that we are like children who lack experience, and often make unwise decisions. If we will stay on the paths that God plans for us, He takes responsibility to smooth the path in front of us. If we will trust in the Lord with our whole heart, He promises to go before us and smooth the way for us.
I also believe this means that if we follow the paths God has planned for us, He will preserve, or keep for the future, the efforts we make for Him. I can remember my grandmother making jelly and preserves for days ahead when the fruit was not growing. I am thankful that if I follow God carefully, He will take care of results that will last far beyond my life and influence. I want the Lord to have freedom to completely lead each of my steps, and to help my influence to be godly for years to come.