Wisdom and Humility

March 28

Numbers 31

Psalm 37:35-40

Proverbs 9:7-9

Luke 2:39-52

Wisdom and Humility

“Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their understanding.” Proverbs 9:8-9 NIV

The passage today in Proverbs follows nicely our passage yesterday in Psalm. Yesterday we saw that all wisdom comes from God and that the way to gain wisdom is to seek the One who is the source of wisdom through prayer and studying His Word. The passage today gives us insight into the heart of the wise. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2 (NIV) “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13 (NIV) A wise man welcomes correction and rebuke because he knows that is the way to gain deeper understanding and more wisdom. None of us likes to be rebuked. We do not enjoy correction and reproof, but the humble man recognizes that without it we cannot grow and mature into the person God designed for us to be. Pride keeps us from acknowledging our sin and the areas where we need to change. “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Proverbs 13:10 (NIV) How do you react when someone corrects you? Do you get angry and think, “How dare they tell me what I should do?” Or do you listen to what they have to say and respond by seeking God and asking Him to reveal to you changes that you need to make. They may not be entirely accurate in their rebuke, but there is usually something that God can use to teach you through their words. There is always room to grow in our wisdom and usually a need for a little more humility as well.