“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth.”
Wisdom has three companions: prudence, knowledge, and discretion. As you increase in wisdom, you will also gain more of wisdom’s friends. What is the difference in these? Here are some functional definitions to help you see the relationship between these words.
Wisdom – Biblical wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. As a Christian learns more of God’s ways from His Word, the godlier his actions will be. Wisdom is therefore seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s perspective.
Prudence is wisdom applied in practice. Prudence combines caution and foresight to avoid evil. Prudence is careful application of wisdom to future actions.
Knowledge is a clear and certain perception of that which exists – of truth and fact. True knowledge cannot be learned apart from the Word of God as the Bible reveals the Creator of all things to man.
Discretion is discernment united with caution, enabling a person to accurately determine what is correct and proper, primarily in regard to one’s own conduct.
The fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, has enemies. These are five enemies that will prevent you from gaining wisdom. They are evil, pride, arrogance, the evil way, the perverse mouth. All of these must be avoided if you desire to have wisdom. If you allow evil or dabble in the evil way you will not become wise, you will be a fool. Pride and arrogance will also make you a fool. A person who cannot control what they say, the perverse mouth, is a sure sign of a fool
Wisdom now describes four possessions she has. If you possess wisdom, you will possess these: counsel, sound wisdom (wisdom of the Lord that will keep you on the right path), understanding (knowledge of God – Proverbs 9:10), and strength.
Finally, wisdom describes her effect on rulers: they govern wisely by means of wisdom provided by God. What wisdom offers to the simple is the same wisdom that kings, rulers, princes, nobles, and judges use to govern properly.
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Related Scriptures: Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 104:24; Romans 11:33-34; 1 Corinthians 1:22-24
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“To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential. But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depth of things. And so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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