Proverbs
Nine One Five
#44
Proverbs 2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
The payoff to wisdom entering into our hearts and knowledge being pleasant to us is discretion. For this reason, it should be viewed as a product of wisdom and knowledge coming together. This means that discretion comes when we have enough knowledge to know how to carry ourselves appropriately, and we have sound enough wisdom to properly implement that behavior. This is where that peaceable wisdom is put into practice.
One of God’s goals in giving us the book of Proverbs is to add knowledge to our wisdom so that we might have the discretion to use our knowledge gently and peaceably. God said in chapter 1 that after we have been instructed in wisdom, justice, judgment, the next goal is to teach knowledge and discretion. Proverbs 1:4, “To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.”
Discretion is so important to us because most of us struggle to control ourselves. Many struggle to bite their tongue when they know some bit of gossip. Many struggle to keep their inappropriate thoughts and complaints to themselves. Discretion helps us to consider both the impact of our words and the timing. Discretion uses wisdom to see that maybe some things are just better off not being said or done.
One of God’s goals in giving us the book of Proverbs is to add knowledge to our wisdom so that we might have the discretion to use our knowledge gently and peaceably. God said in chapter 1 that after we have been instructed in wisdom, justice, judgment, the next goal is to teach knowledge and discretion. Proverbs 1:4, “To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.”
Discretion is so important to us because most of us struggle to control ourselves. Many struggle to bite their tongue when they know some bit of gossip. Many struggle to keep their inappropriate thoughts and complaints to themselves. Discretion helps us to consider both the impact of our words and the timing. Discretion uses wisdom to see that maybe some things are just better off not being said or done.