Proverbs 13:13-16 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 13:13-16, which read,

v.13 - The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

The wages of sin is death is the Scripture passage that comes to mind when I look at the first half of this proverb.  Those who despise, hold in contempt or hold as insignificant the word, meaning God's given words to us, the Bible, will be in debt to it.  A debt means that you are bound to owe something.  Those who despise the Word will owe what the Word requires and it also reveals

the results of such an action.

I like the word "but" in the Bible but it really depends on what comes after it.  This is a good "but."  The one who fears, reveres or honors with action the commandment or the given charge will be rewarded and that word in the Hebrew is "shalam" which is a variation of "shalom" which means to be at peace.  The one who follows after God's Word will experience a peace that the one who despises the Word will not.

v.14 - The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death.

Wisdom is more than knowing.  Wisdom is knowing and then acting on that knowledge.  One receives godly counsel based on the Word of God and it benefits the hearer to experience real life.  The action at times will be turning away from temptation or snares set by Satan.  Snares will be set to get you to switch your focus from God to yourself.  Snares will be set to get you to adopt what the world says instead of what God says.  Snares will be set to go for some sinful instant gratification rather than rest on His approved holy actions through this process we call sanctification until we are glorified with Him in rapture or death.  

To turn aside is to depart and many times I see and I have been faced with the fact that I have not departed from the old life, the old man and the old way of doing things.  I have held onto something that needs to be surrendered over to God so I can walk in newness of life and follow His new ways for me.  Part of wisdom is to depart or turn aside from previously followed actions.

v.15, 16 - Good understanding produces favor, but the way of the treacherous is hard.  Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly.

Favor is to experience grace.  The one who receives God's wisdom is one who will experience His grace.  I need His grace for salvation but I also need His grace on a daily basis in the world that I live in.  I need to be a person who shows His grace to others through the wisdom and instruction of His Word.  The opposite is that those who are deceitful and not following after Jesus will experience a hard or ever flowing, perennial life without God's grace.  

The prudent man acts and there is that principle again that wisdom is more than just knowledge because this man acts with knowledge.  He does something with it past just knowing it.  Now we have a "but" that is followed by the negative.  The fool who may have knowledge about the wisdom of God doesn't act upon it in the positive but does just the opposite and lives a life of foolishness.  

The key is putting the wisdom of God into action.  If I don't then I am very vulnerable to fall to temptation or to the snares set by Satan to veer away from God's steps.  How do we put it into action?  How do we take it from words on the page and knowledge stored or memorized in our heads to played out reality?  I think a big part of it going from knowledge to wisdom is the accountability you build into your life that focuses on keeping to God's word.  What kind of counselors do you have around you?  Do they counsel you with God's Word?  Do they reference a scripture to be the answer to the situation you are in?  Do they show you with their lives and with their language a following of Scripture rather than what is popular at the time?  Do you put yourself in places where this is happening on a regular basis?

Remember that wisdom is more than knowledge.  Wisdom is taking that knowledge and putting it into action.  It will require reverence of God's instruction.  It will require turning aside from evil and the old ways.  It will require action that is aided by being accountable and around those godly counselors that God has provided.  The prudent man or woman avails themselves to such guidance on a regular basis.  Let's pray.

"Lord, You have provided so much.  We sometimes treat what You have provided with such a cavalier attitude.  We have abused and rejected Your provided guidance to grow in Your grace and experience it to share with others.  Help us to apply wisdom today and may we put ourselves in a place to foster that action.  Amen."

Pastor Adam