So now you can pick out what’s true and fair, find all the good trails!
Lady Wisdom will be your close friend, and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion.
Good Sense will scout ahead for danger, Insight will keep an eye out for you.
They’ll keep you from making wrong turns, or following the bad directions
Of those who are lost themselves and can’t tell a trail from a tumbleweed,
These losers who make a game of evil and throw parties to celebrate perversity,
Traveling paths that go nowhere, wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends.
Proverbs 2:9-15 The Message
The two previous posts have set up verse nine.
When you understand the fear of God and operate in his knowledge, allowing the common sense of scriptures to direct you, the “good trails” will open before you, allowing you to see the true and fair paths of life.
The mantra of self-centered, self-serving humanity is simple, quick gratification with swift punishment to anyone or thing standing in the way.
This wicked tool of the adversary, the devil, has invaded the whole of humanity, making it a common behavior.
You only need to see any news headline to know how self-centered it has become.
Lady Wisdom
What comes to your mind when you think of a lady?
I think of an English lady, like Lady Grantham on Downton Abbey.
Such a lady is defined in the dictionary as a woman of superior social position, especially one of noble birth.
Wisdom is defined as good sense, skillful, wise, and witty.
Can you imagine wisdom as a woman of superior social position offering you good sense, skillful and witty guidance?
Can you see yourself seeking out her counsel on the manners of living a righteous life?
If you can, you are on your way to a close personal relationship with God.
Brother Knowledge
Growing up in the church, I was accustomed to hearing a man called “brother.” It was a title of honor and respect.
Knowledge is described in the Bible as an active third-person who is cunning and knowing.
Brother Knowledge is actively seeking ways to interact with your life, providing insight into knowing God and daily living.
If you can grasp this image of knowledge, you will find new expressions in your journey to a close personal relationship with God.
Good Sense
It seems to me that many people (politicians in particular) have had common-sense bypass surgery. Logic seems to be a foreign concept in the daily lives of so many people.
But, the person on a journey to a close personal relationship with God will find an enjoyable time with good sense.
It is amusing that once good sense is in your life, you quickly pick up on people who live without it.
Good sense is a happy companion on your close personal relationship journey.
Insight
I think of insight as a ministry of God, the Holy Spirit.
As the active agent of the Godhead on the earth, the Holy Spirit brings an intuitive understanding into your life.
It is more of a “knowing” than a learning. In other words, you know it because the Holy Spirit revealed it rather than something you learned through study.
I think of the story of the Apostle Peter in the New Testament book of Matthew when Jesus asks his followers who he is.
I imagine Peter’s eyes exploding in wondered amazement as his ears hear the words coming from his mouth (by the insight of the Holy Spirit) when he blurts out, you are the son of God!
Insight is a perk of a close personal relationship with the Godhead.
Here’s the benefit of having such Godly companions.
1. You do not make wrong turns in life
2. You do not follow bad directions
3. You do not listen to unwise counsel
These guys are worthwhile company, wouldn’t you agree?
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is needed now more than ever.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. I will pass it along as I learn so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.