Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Proverbs 3:6
The Beginning of Wisdom
Try reading some “advice columns” and you can see that, apart from any fear or respect for the Lord, there is no wisdom. The fact is, non-biblical wisdom is no wisdom at all. We cannot depend on our own thinking because “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov. 9:10). That’s where it begins, and you need go no further. Part of “the fear of the Lord–that is wisdom…is to shun evil [which] is understanding” (Job 28:28).
Foolishness to God
Truly, all “fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7) because “the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness” (1 Cor. 3:19), just like “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). That’s why the “fool says there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). That’s a very foolish thing to do because in reality, “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).
Straightening the Crooked Paths
Proverbs 3:6 is completely accurate in saying “in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” because if you acknowledge Him, you admit where your knowledge comes from. When you acknowledge Him, He can make even the crooked paths straight and the rough places smooth (Isaiah 42:16; 45:2). If you don’t acknowledge Him, the path remains crooked and the way rough, and that greatly increases the likelihood of someone stumbling.
Darkened Paths Illuminated
We were all “once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord,” so we ought to “live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). Only Christ can make our paths “to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:79) in order “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me’” (Acts 26:18).
Conclusion
In everything we do and say, we need to acknowledge God because if we do, He’ll make straight the paths we take, He’ll shed light on the darkened path, He’ll give us godly wisdom, and we’ll not be leaning on our own inferior understanding, which are the ways that only lead to death (Prov. 3:5).
