QT 7/8/2024 Prov 3:19-20, Following the User Manual

Proverbs 3:19–20 (ESV) —

19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

by understanding he established the heavens;

20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,

and the clouds drop down the dew.

 

NOTE: As I was reading through Proverbs 3, it was very difficult to pick out a few verses to meditate upon. I also read Duane A. Garrett's commentary, and found his comments regarding verses 19-20 very insightful.

 

In a carefully crafted quatrain,62 vv. 19–20 assert Wisdom’s role in creation. It is a fitting appendix to the previous hymn. This section anticipates 8:22–31. The main point there and here is that whoever abandons wisdom runs against the very structure by which the world was made.

 

62 יהוה stands outside of the chiastic structure of v. 19 (prepositional phrase with בּ + verb [verb + object]/[verb + object] + prepositional phrase with בּ); v. 20a, like v. 19a, begins with a prepositional phrase with בּ, but v. 20b, which has no prepositional phrase with בּ, breaks the pattern and concludes the quatrain.

 

Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs (Vol. 14, pp. 82–83). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

 

I like to think of the bible as the User Guide to Life. Since we are created by God, who else can provide the best guidance on how to use his creation. When we choose to live as we think is best, in a way contrary to God's commands, we will experience a sub-optimal life. In Mathematics, sub-optimal solutions occur when there is not enough computer resources to calculate every possible combination of variables to find the maximum or minimum value of a surface (an equation). When the problem has many dimensions (i.e., many variables) as life does, the problem grows exponentially. But God is telling us that he knows what the optimal point is, and the key is for us to follow his commands, grow in our relationship with him, and seek his wisdom.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I still in rebellion to God? Do I consider myself god of my own life?
2. Am I willing to trust God and his wisdom for my choices in life?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to see where I seek solutions to life that are contrary to your Word, your commands, and what is best for me based on your creation.