"He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints."
I get three pictures as I ponder the phrase "He stores up sound wisdom."
Joseph in Egypt
The first picture of God storing up wisdom makes me think of Joseph storing up grain in the time of plenty (Gen 41:35). Joseph was not acting foolishly by building bigger barns as in the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21). Rather this was an act of wisdom and obedience, for the Lord had informed him of the coming famine. Therefore, each season of harvest that Joseph stored up, was a sign of faith in the Lord's word. When the famine struck, Egypt was spared because of the "sound wisdom" that was stored up for the upright.
The Challenge of the Lord to Bless
Or I think of the challenge of the Lord to his people to:
bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Mal 3:10)
God had stored up for his people blessings that he wanted to shower down upon those who obeyed him, those who were upright. Do we seek him in this way? Do we believe that He stores up sound wisdom for those who trust him, or must we do our own storing up, a kind of unauthorized "famine-insurance."
The Birds do not Store Up
The final picture is that of the ravens that do not store up grain for themselves (Luke 12:24). This may seem like a counter point, but think of the implication. Why don't they store up grain? Because they know that God will feed them. In other words, he has stored up "sound wisdom" in the form of food for those who trust in him, the upright.
No comments:
Post a Comment