“When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh forward things:” Proverbs 2:10-12
Over the years, I’ve read these verses hundreds of times, and always thought they meant that wisdom, knowledge, and discretion would keep me from being caught in the evil man’s wake, from him affecting me with his actions. And for all those years, I was wrong. These verses aren’t about avoiding an evil man, that’s simple enough. These verses are providing instruction for how to avoid becoming the evil man. Have you ever known a person who become more and more cynical and negative over time? They didn’t set out to be a negative, cruel, grumpy person, and yet there they are. This is often seen in elderly people. It seems they either grow sweet or cruel in their old age. I’m sure when they were in early adulthood, thinking about who they would be toward the end of their life they didn’t set out to be the cruelest possible grandpa or grandma figure. It’s more likely they assumed they would grow sweet with old age and were wrong. Most people don’t set out in life to intentionally be wicked or cruel. Most people simply lose their way over time. Every day we are faced with influences that will either direct us toward good or evil. Wisdom, knowledge, and discretion are ingredients to a very special recipe. When combined, they become protection against the ways of evil: they protect us from wandering down the path of becoming the evil man we didn’t want to be.
Verse 20 of Proverbs 2 tell us the result of combing wisdom, knowledge, and discretion in our lived: “That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of righteousness.” Pursuing wisdom, knowledge, and discretion sends us down the path of good and righteousness.
Every decision today will make us who we will be tomorrow. If today, we pursue wisdom, knowledge, and discretion, we are setting ourselves up for a tomorrow of walking the path of good and righteousness. If we fail to intentionally pursue wisdom, knowledge, and discretion, we are setting ourselves up to be influenced by the ways of the evil man and to eventually and ultimately become that man ourselves. Today, let’s choose to pursue wisdom, knowledge, and discretion! Let’s choose the path that results in goodness and righteousness.
