The Proverbs Series: Wisdom & Discernment
Walking the Wise Path to the Good Life
Dear #DailyFollower,
Introduction
How was today's service? I hope you spent time with God in the company of other believers, virtually or in person.
I hope you have also had a refreshing weekend and are ready for the new week ahead.
We continue on the Proverbs Series today with a few verses in Proverbs that I struggled to understand for a long time.
The concept of the strange woman always bothered me. First, I wondered why a woman, why not a strange man? Second, I wondered why anyone would be willing to be associated with anyone with the description in the text for today.
Thankfully, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I understood these verses as more about the gift of discernment that comes from our encounter with wisdom than about the “strange woman“ or her qualities.
If this is your first time reading a #DailyFollower newsletter, thanks for stopping by; we’ve been on the Proverbs Series for the last 16 days with 15 newsletters sharing different thoughts around Solomon’s inspired wise words. You can find all 15 newsletters here.
Let’s dive into today's thoughts, starting with the text I have struggled to understand for a long time.
The Text
Proverbs 2:16-19, EXB
16 It [Wisdom] will save you from the ·unfaithful wife [strange woman] ·who tries to lead you into adultery [from the foreign woman] with ·pleasing words [flattery; compliments].
17 She leaves ·the husband she married when she was young [the intimate relationship of her youth]. She ·ignores [forgets] ·the promise she made before [her covenant with] God.
18 Her house ·is on the way [sinks down] to death; ·those who took that path are now all dead [or her paths come down to her dead ancestors].
19 No one who goes to her comes back or walks the path of life again.
Some Thoughts
Look past the use of “strange woman“ or “unfaithful wife“ to consider the character traits highlighted in the text. You’ll find that you must have encountered at least one person who tried to lead you in a way you'd never have considered with pleasing words, employing flattery or compliments.
You will also find that this person ignores keeping sacred things sacred, and continuously engaging this person almost always ends with regrettable outcomes.
Wisdom gives us the discernment we need to know these types of people and understand how to escape their influence, which tends to lead us away from the path of life—the good life.
One Question To Ponder
Where do I need discernment today to avoid walking the path that leads to death?
Wisdom will save you. It gives us the discernment to stay safe from influences that seek to destroy us, the discretion to know the path that leads to death versus the one that leads to life, and the understanding to walk the path of life.
Conclusion
Each thought in the past few days highlights why wisdom remains the principal thing for all who seek to walk the wise path to the good life.
As Solomon admonishes, we must do all we can to get understanding, as we need to stay long enough to experience the good life.
Thankfully, all we need to get wisdom is to ask; the Source of wisdom seeks to give it freely, so ask and receive today.
Yours faithfully,
John, a #DailyFollower.
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