Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 571 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Benefits of Wisdom – Proverbs 2

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 571 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore Proverbs 2 from The Voice Translation which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I invested last week in Arizona working with our construction project there. Interest is strong for purchasing the townhomes that we are just completing. It appears that we will be able to start on Phase II within the next couple of months. The desert was green and in bloom and was beautiful in its own way. Spring in Ohio, which is just starting to show its colors is also beautiful in its own way. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

Although we don’t know exactly what the future may hold for us, there is a great benefit to having wisdom in our lives. It allows us to anticipate possible outcomes to our decisions and make wise decisions. So today in chapter 2 of Proverbs, we will explore…

The Benefits of Wisdom

This entire chapter is the father’s second speech to his son. It is more encouraging (and a little less bloody) than the last one, but his tone is still urgent. If you seek out wisdom, you will find it, but you’ve got to look hard.

Verses 4-5

“Look for [wisdom] as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure. Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

How badly do you want wisdom? Do you value it as something rare and precious? If so, you’re going to have to work for it like a man digging for gold. The good news is that God is pleased to give wisdom and success to people who seek it, so get ready for the most important treasure hunt that exists! But be warned of greed or pride. The best way to succeed is to stay humble and continue to ask God for help.

In verse 5 we learn that we must truly respect the Eternal One – the one True God. This is synonymous with knowing God. Like a child who touches fire and learns its true strength, when we know God, we humbly revere His huge, all-encompassing power. This transforms our stance towards Him, as well as our behavior. Don’t worry if this sounds intense! The father promises that as wisdom “enters your heart,” you will have direction and guidance, and knowledge “will be pleasant to your soul.”

Verses 12-22

There’s a lot of imagery here about the landscape of good or evil paths. The father warns about two specific dangers on the journey – you are going to encounter people who take shortcuts in life at the expense of others (evildoers) or who tempt you to break your marriage covenants for easy sex (the seductive woman). These people may seem thrilling at first, but their cheap, twisted, “shadowy pit” will lead you to misery, or, as the father says, “they will never again find their way back to true life.” That is serious. Remember, wisdom will keep you away from the grips of these people and will lead you to a life of stability and joy.

¹ My son, if you accept what I am telling you
and store my counsel and directives deep within you,
² If you listen for Lady Wisdom, attune your ears to her,
and engage your mind to understand what she is telling you,
³ If you cry out to her for insight
and beg for understanding,
⁴ If you sift through the clamor of everything around you
to seek her like some precious prize,
to search for her like buried treasure;
⁵ Then you will grasp what it means to truly respect the Eternal,
and you will have discovered the knowledge of the one True God.
⁶ The Eternal is ready to share His wisdom with us,
for His words bring true knowledge and insight;
⁷ He has stored up the essentials of sound wisdom for those who do right;
He acts as a shield for those who value integrity.
⁸ God protects the paths of those who pursue justice,
watching over the lives of those who keep faith with Him.
⁹ With this wisdom you will be able to choose the right road,
seek justice, and decide what is good and fair
¹⁰ Because wisdom will penetrate deep within
and knowledge will become a good friend to your soul.
¹¹ Sound judgment will stand guard over you,
and understanding will watch over you as the Lord promised.
¹² Wisdom will keep you from following the way of evildoers,
of those who twist words to pervert the truth,
¹³ Of those who reject the right road
for a darker, more sinister way of life,
¹⁴ Of those who enjoy evil
and pursue perverse pleasures,
¹⁵ Of those who journey down a crooked path,
constantly figuring out new ways to trick and deceive others.

¹⁶ Wisdom will pluck you from the trap of a seductive woman,
from the enticing propositions of the adulteress
¹⁷ Who chose to leave the husband of her youth,
to forget her sacred promises to her God;
¹⁸ For her house is on the road that leads to death,
and her path goes down to the shadowy pit.
¹⁹ Those who go to her will never return;
they will never again find their way back to true life.

²⁰ As for you, you should walk like those who are good
and keep to the paths of those who love justice,
²¹ For those who live right will remain in the land
and those with integrity will endure here.
²² But not the wicked; they will be forced out and banned from this promised land,
and those who deal in deceit will be plucked up like weeds.

That will conclude our exploration of Proverbs 2. Next week we will continue with Chapter 3, and each week we will explore a full chapter in Proverbs. I hope that you will join us each week so that you can gain wisdom, insight, and understanding for yourself.

All of the Proverbs provide us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, your life will be rich and satisfying. I encourage you to take them and plant the seeds of wisdom in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom throughout your life.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged as we uncover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today.  If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe through iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!