I love words. I love to read them. I love to learn them in English and other languages. I love to teach them to my English as a Second Language students. So when I looked at these verses, I automatically focused on the specific words used. Verse 6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
I wondered what God through Soloman was saying here. Aren’t these words the same, or at least very similar? Why did He mention each separately? I then looked up the meaning of each word.
Wisdom—knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment, as to action.
Knowledge—acquaintance with facts, truths or principles as from study or investigation
Understanding—mental process of a person who comprehends; personal interpretation
These words complement each other as a process, and we need all three to truly live a godly life. It starts with knowledge: having the facts about God at the surface level. From those facts, we need understanding; we need to meditate on what the words really mean. And from that knowledge and understanding, we will gain wisdom and know how to act.
When I think about this week’s theme, a nourished life, I think about how we can eat a lot of food, but if it’s not the right kind of food, we won’t have the nutrients we need to physically sustain us to live well. In a world where unhealthy food is so prevalent, we need to make an effort to seek out nourishing, sustaining food.
In this same way, we have to seek out our nourishment from God and really digest His Word. We need to do more than surface level reading. Verses 2 & 3 tell us we need to “turn our ear” to wisdom and “cry out for” and “apply our heart” to understanding. This is a very active relationship with the text. We need to spend time in it and in prayer, letting the words abide in us. And God promises that He will give us not only knowledge, but also a deeper understanding of his Word and the wisdom to put it into practice in our lives.
For reflection:
- Are you getting enough of God’s Word to nourish you or is your spiritual strength undernourished?
- What helps you go from merely reading (knowledge) and understanding God’s Word to experiencing the wisdom it can provide?
by Liz Browning
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