Ps 25:4 says, “Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.” So, the Lord has some paths that we can find in the Bible and these are the paths upon which you and I should walk through this life. Thus far, we have studied the paths of life, the paths of light, and the paths of righteousness. Today, we are going to discuss the paths of wisdom.
Prov 3:17 says, speaking of wisdom, “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” Notice that all the paths of wisdom are peace. The paths of wisdom are:
The path of the words of God – Prov 2:1, 6, 8:1. The greatest wisdom in the world is found in the pages of your Bible. It is essential that you read, believe and obey God’s words. They will direct you everyday of your life. Job said, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food,” [Job 23:12]. Is that how precious the words of God are to you? In 1 Cor 2:4-7, Paul says that our faith stands in the demonstration of the Spirit and in the power of God, when our faith is in the wisdom of God found in the words of God. You must know that the wisdom of God is greater than the wisdom of man [1 Cor 1:19-20]. So, follow God’s wisdom.
The path of the fear of the Lord – Prov 9:10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is essential that we fear God. Think of the fear of God in this way. You only have one person in the universe whom you must please, and that person is God. What the rest of the world thinks about what you do is of no value whatsoever if God is not pleased. You say, “But shouldn’t a child please his parents?” Of course. But the child who pleases his parents because God told him to obey them is a child who fears God. There’s wisdom in that. You say, “A married man ‘careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife,’” [1 Cor 7:33]. Indeed. However, if what you do to please your wife doesn’t please God then you shouldn’t be doing it. You should fear God. Your decisions should hinge on God’s pleasure [Rev 4:11]. Now, when you fear God and only concern yourself with God’s pleasure, you have wisdom. You will always be on the path of wisdom. And life’s choices will be simple.
The path of godly counsel – Prov 12:15; 19:20. You can glean much wisdom from godly people who have lived longer than you have. Their wisdom is invaluable when trying to decide things that are not clearly spelled out in the Bible. The discernment and understanding that God has given them are beneficial for you. So, seek godly counsel when dealing with major decisions. Read, pray, wait on God and speak to those who know more than you do about the matter. They can give you a perspective that is not possible for you to see because you have not been that far down the road. And then follow their counsel. Don’t be foolish like Rehoboam who rejected the counsel of the old men.
The path of godly experience – Rom 5:4. We often say that “we learn from our mistakes.” This adage is true. However, it is much better to learn from our godly experience. That is, you are going to go through some tribulation in life. Take it patiently and learn from it. There is wisdom in your life experiences that will instruct you and others who seek your counsel. Look to the Lord for understanding and wisdom through these times.
Conclusion: The paths of wisdom lead you and keep you out of trouble throughout life. Walk continually on the paths of the words of God and the fear of the Lord everyday. Learn from your trying experiences along the way. And then, as needed, seek godly counsel.