The book of Proverbs is filled with all sorts of practical advice. Things like those who find understanding in the fear of the Lord will be delivered from the forbidden women. Putting it another way, when someone is more concerned with the things of the Lord, seeking his wisdom and understanding, they will be less affected by the temptations of this world. Not that those temptations go away, but they have less power over you. When we are engaged in the things of God, we avoid all kinds of temptations. The Lord has given us the church and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ so that we can help each other and watch over one another. When we start to fall into sin, adultery being one of the primary sins in Proverbs and our culture, it is often because we have neglected to seek the wisdom of the Lord. We neglect to use the tools and resources he gave us. All of this can be summed up in one passage.
The greatest Advice
Proverbs 3:5-8 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." This is at the heart of everything that Proverbs has to teach us. All of the things that Proverbs warns against come about because we think we know better than God. They happen because we claim to be Christians, yet we do not seek his wisdom. Proverbs starts by saying that the best thing we can do is seek the wisdom of the Lord because it will keep us safe. The culmination is that we must truly trust in him, not just in some things but in all our ways.
Be Not Wise in Your Own Eyes
There are so many ways to talk about being wise in our own eyes. Some of the obvious ones are things like trusting what the Lord teaches about creation and sin. These two are perhaps the most attacked aspects of scripture today. Creation is attacked from multiple angles. On the one hand, you have the wide-spread teaching of things like evolution. Foundationally, evolution is an attempt to explain how the world came into existence by denying that there is any creator. It starts with the premise that there cannot be a God. Putting it another way, evolution is a denial of the existence of God and his power in creation. On the other hand, we have a widespread attack against God's created order—things like the sanctity of life and genders being male and female. The transgender movement and all the pronouns that have surfaced over the last couple of years are an attempt to subvert God as the creator. Rather than trusting in the wisdom of the Lord, we attempt to make ourselves gods in our sins.
Sickness, not sin
The second way that the knowledge and understanding of the Lord is rejected regularly is a rejection of sin. It starts subtly by changing the language that is used to describe what we need to be saved from. Sin is called sickness. It is a disease that needs to be cured rather than a sin that must be atoned for. Something like drunkenness is changed into alcohol dependence. The outcome of this is that people seek out medical and chemical solutions rather than repentance and forgiveness. I think it is important to note that medical issues need to be addressed, but when we shift the focus entirely to the physical aspect of something, we take away any need for a savior. This goes back to the attack on creation. We are created as physical and spiritual creatures. If all we ever address is the physical aspects, then we are not addressing the root of the problem.
Fear the Lord
All people, and Christians in particular, must fear the Lord above all. How much heartache and struggle could be avoided if we would simply heed the advice of Proverbs and trust in the Lord rather than in our own understanding? If we would acknowledge and follow his ways in all things, then our path would be straight. When our hope is in the Lord, in his understanding, in his plan, then there is nothing that this world can do to us. Proverbs say that trusting in the Lord is healing and refreshing. Who does not want that? Who does not want to be refreshed and have peace? Sadly, far too many seek to manufacture peace on their own. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and trust not in your own understanding. Seek his ways and you will be healed and refreshed.
Soli Doe Gloria