Daily Scripture: Day 158—Proverbs 3

From Handbook to Scripture, Day 158

READING: PROVERBS 3

The word translated ‘wisdom’ (hokhmah) relates to the idea of skill (it was used of Bezalel and Oholiab, the skillful men who fabricated the tabernacle), and this book stresses that it is through instruction, discipline, and practice that we learn the skill of living our lives in such a way that they amount to something excellent and worthwhile. When we fear the Lord by developing a sense of awe, humility, and dependence upon Him, God refines us and shapes us into the people He wants us to become, much as a skilled artist takes raw materials and transforms them into a beautiful work. Wisdom is derived from wholehearted trust in the Lord rather than in ourselves. The opposite of wisdom is the folly of arrogance and autonomy.

Prayer: Lord, may I trust in You with all my heart, and not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways I want to acknowledge You, so that You will make my paths straight.

Meditation passage: verses 5–7