Proverbs 24:13-22 – How godly wisdom looks like

God wants to grant us wisdom so that we can live our life effectively and efficiently. Hence, we need to be able to discern true wisdom from the “so called” wisdom, indicated by James 3:15. He tells us that the “so-called” wisdom “…is earthly, natural, and demonic.”  So, how do we distinguish true wisdom from the “so-called” wisdom? James 3:17-18 show us that true wisdom comes from God above, and it “…is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruit, unwavering, without hypocrisy and the fruit of that wisdom is righteousness.”  

Proverbs 24:13-22 provide us with five more wonderful characteristics of the wisdom granted from God above. Verses 13-14 say that godly wisdom is pleasant. It will enhance life and make it pleasurable. Like honey which is sweet to the taste, wisdom is pleasant and delightful to the soul. This wisdom will ensure our hope for the future. With this hope we will not be cut off in life. We will have a positive outlook of life and live it with great confidence.

Secondly, Proverbs 24:15-16 imply that wisdom is hardy, buoyant and irrepressible. These verses tell us that with godly wisdom we will be able to resist the onslaught of the wicked. The righteous are people who have chosen to yield to the Lordship of Christ and thus are enlightened by His wisdom. Their dwelling place may be attacked, but they wisely put their trust in God. That makes it hard for them to be overwhelmed. Due to the wisdom God has granted them, they have irrepressible resistance to overcome the adversity they face in life. The God-provided wisdom will make them enduringly strong in the face of hardship. The wicked lacking wisdom will not be able to withstand the blow and will crumble in times of adversity.  

Thirdly, in Proverbs 24:17-18, we can see that wisdom is modest and unassuming. People usually gloat when their adversary falls and rejoice over the plight of their opponent. But the wise are even-headed. They do not rejoice in wrong, they do not revel in others’ plight. They know that their lives are shielded and protected by God, who has chosen to vindicate them. To gloat over their enemies’ plight is to steal the credit that rightly belongs to God who has acted on their behalf.     

Fourthly, godly wisdom shows great endurance. Proverbs 24:19-20 show us that wisdom will prevent us from being overly disconcerted by the advantage of the wicked evildoers. The wise will not be envious of them.  For wicked in fact have a bleak outlook and they will face a sudden cessation of all that they have. Their future represented by their lamp will be put out. And finally, in Proverbs 24:21-22, we can see that wisdom shows itself in deep reverence for the LORD and respect for those in authority. Notice the priority of respect is first given to God then to human authority. Wise people don’t get entangled with the questionable people and end up sharing their misfortune. So, let godly wisdom be our guide!