Proverbs 22:17-19 (AMP) - Listen (consent and submit) to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; 18For it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind [believing them]; your lips will be accustomed to [confessing] them. 19So that your trust (belief, reliance, support, and confidence) may be in the Lord, I have made known these things to you today, even to you.
Proverbs 22:18 (KJV) - Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.18For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.19That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
Proverbs 31:11a - The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely...Listening for change. We have the ability to LISTEN and by that very act, bring about change, not JUST change but change AND trust. Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise. One of the definitions in the Hebrew for ear is: to uncover the ear to reveal; the receiver of divine revelation. How many of us could use some divine revelation? I would say that divine revelation would be nice to receive EVERY day! Wouldn't you? Literally, think about your activities and decisions that you make throughout the day, wouldn't a little divine revelation be nice before making that decision? Whether big or small, it sure would be nice to have a little insight from God before making that decision, huh?
The King James Version continues in verse 18 to say, For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee. I was very interested to read how the Hebrew defines within. Check this out: belly, womb, body. Maybe this is just a very close concept to me being that I am 34 weeks pregnant, with a baby in my womb. For those of you who have been pregnant, you will know what I'm talking about, but let's just take last night for example. Trinity moved and moved and moved. Almost every move she made, I was aware of it. Her being "present" and "active" was something that I was FULLY aware of. Being in the womb, every kick, every jab, every hick-up does not go unnoticed. Last night I even had to, believe it or not, tell her it was time to go to bed! Mom was going to sleep, so it was time for her to go to sleep too! (She's still working on the obedience thing!)
Here in Proverbs 22:17-19, it is talking about taking "wisdom," "words of the wise," to that same degree. That they be so embedded inside you that there is no escape from them. You feel the "jab" of wisdom when you are making a decision. From within your belly, as you make that decision, wisdom is SO within you, it's as if a little elbow nudges you in the ribs. WISDOM is present, there is no denying it. WISE WORDS rise up from within your belly. There is no hiding them. They are there. Like a baby in the womb cannot go unnoticed, especially at the latter part of pregnancy, WISDOM for a Christian is the same. Wisdom is within and comes out in every decision.
How to get wisdom? There are 2 main ways:
- The Word of God. - Hiding the Word in your heart. Consistently putting priority on the Word of God. Placing the Word of God, your time reading, meditating and seeking the Lord as the #1 priority in your life.
- Association - The power of association is huge. As Proverbs 22:17 says, hear the words of the wise. Placing yourself in environments to learn. Whether it be under the authority and teaching of a man/woman of God (ie: your pastor, a Bible teacher, etc), or friends who prove to be "iron-sharpeners" in your life, as it talks about in Proverbs 27:17. Keeping the Word continually on your heart, in your mind, on your lips, and coming up from you belly! Being around people who the Word rises up from within them. In any given situation, the Word comes out.
The Outcome?
Proverbs 22: 19 - So that your trust (belief, reliance, support, and confidence) may be in the Lord.
The Hebrew talks about trust in this verse as: confidence, security, refuge, act of confiding. Refuge. When you think of refuge, you think of safe place, strong tower, safe from harms way. A place where you can go where there is no fear. A place of complete safety. A place of confidence. When we think about it from a decision standpoint, it is a decision made in complete confidence. Not wavering. Fully secure.
The Proverbs 31 woman epitomizes this. Her husband trusts in her in this same way. He is confident in her. He relies on her. The Hebrew defines it as a bold trust & to feel safe. He does not have any doubt in her. He feels safe in the decisions she makes because she has proven herself to be one that hides the Word in her heart and associates with those who do the same.
So today... what does that mean for you? Could you take some time to pencil in your Maker? Do you have consistent time with Him? Daily. Does He take 1st priority in your life & calendar? If not, maybe that would be a good place to start. Daily time to put His Word in your heart. Will you pencil in your Maker today?
No comments:
Post a Comment