How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
Proverbs 3:13 Communicating our wisdom and understanding to others is a blessing not to ourselves, but to all of God’s creation.
“How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding.”
Proverbs 3:13 NASB1995
God showed me the way… again. I was fretting a little bit during today’s church service, as I hadn’t written my devotional for Monday, March 11 and needed to get it done prior to continuing some other work for a non-profit our church is starting in Mexico City. Today’s message from our pastor was focused on not only knowing the ways of the Lord, but on understanding them as well. When my random verse picker chose today’s devotional verse — which was quoted in the message — I knew that God was directing me to write on the topic!
In the NASB translation of the Bible, Proverbs 3 has the title of “The Rewards of Wisdom.” This chapter of Proverbs is one of what is known as the “Didactic Discourses,” meaning that it is intended to teach a moral lesson. As an aside, one of the Proverbs in this chapter has a special place in present day American fast-food culture — Proverbs 3:5 (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding” is listed on the bottom of milk shake cups at In-n-Out Burgers!
Outside of that piece of Biblical trivia about another part of this chapter, what can we learn from Proverbs 3? My first thought when seeing this verse was “what is the difference between wisdom and understanding?” Being a tech geek most of my lifetime, I decided to pose this question to Microsoft’s Copilot AI, which gleans its knowledge from a survey of online sources. Here was the answer:
Wisdom and understanding are interconnected concepts, but they have distinct meanings:
— Understanding is the ability to comprehend or grasp the meaning of something. It involves having insight into a situation or concept and being able to explain it in a clear and concise way.
— Wisdom, on the other hand, is the ability to make good judgments and decisions based on knowledge and experience. It involves using critical thinking skills to analyze situations and come up with the best course of action.
In essence, understanding can be seen as the step between knowledge and wisdom. It’s when you comprehend the information you’ve learned (knowledge), and wisdom is when you apply that understanding to decision-making. Wisdom is also associated with the practical application of knowledge and the ability to learn from past experiences.
Both wisdom and understanding are important for personal development and decision-making. While understanding helps you grasp the details and nuances of a concept or situation, wisdom allows you to use that understanding to make informed and ethical choices.
With respect to today’s verse, Solomon (the author) wanted for his son and all those in the future who would read Proverbs, to seek wisdom — not just knowledge. Wisdom and understanding, within the framework of fear of the Lord, would guide the readers of Proverbs into a happy and blessed life. Where knowledge is gained from a number of sources, wisdom grows from knowledge as a result of experience.
I may have used this example before, but I find it useful to explain the difference between knowledge and wisdom — “Knowledge is knowing that tomatoes are a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to use them in a fruit salad.” What gives us that wisdom? Understanding.
Solomon was saying that it is not just enough in life to gain knowledge and to understand that knowledge, but for that understanding to lead to wisdom. One can live a happy life with wisdom and understanding to guide us. Why would these attributes make one happy (blessed)?
17th-and-18th-Century minister and author Matthew Henry answered this question in one of his commentaries1:
What it is to find wisdom so as to be made happy by it.
1. We must get it. He is the happy man who, having found it, makes it his own, gets both an interest in it and the possession of it, who draws out understanding (so the word it), that is,
— (1.) Who derives it from God. Having it not in himself, he draws it with the bucket of prayer from the fountain of all wisdom, who gives liberally.
— (2.) Who takes pains for it, as he does who draws ore out of the mine. It if do not come easily, we must put the more strength to draw it.
— (3.) Who improves in it, who, having some understanding, draws it out by growing in knowledge and making five talents ten.
— (4.) Who does good with it, who draws out from the stock he has, as wine from the vessel, and communicates to others, for their instruction, things new and old. That is well got, and to good purpose, that is thus used to good purpose.
As with most of his commentaries, Henry does an admirable job of showing the connections here! Gaining wisdom can make one happy, as it is something that can never be taken away from you. We can gain that wisdom from prayer and receiving it from God, and will appreciate it more once we have really worked (prayed) for it. Improving that wisdom through our work in understanding what we’ve learned increases our blessings. And finally, communicating our wisdom and understanding to others is a blessing not to ourselves, but to all of God’s creation.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, I thank You daily as I seek answers to life’s questions through prayer, which You answer through Your holy Word. Thank You that I am able to work from a simple knowledge of Your Word to an understanding of it, so that I may impart Your wisdom to others in Your Holy Name. AMEN.
Commentary via BlueLetterBible.org