Proverbs 3:17-18

¹⁷Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. ¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Fishing

Fishing is therapeutic for me; we can watch geese, pelicans and other birds as bonus while fishing. One very early morning, my family and I went fishing in Manitoba Lake. We reached the beach where we wanted to fish. We prepared our fishing gears and started fishing. We drank our coffee and ate our breakfast, but after few minutes, we decided to go back home. The gusty wind was very strong and the waves on lakeshore were rough. It is not very pleasant fishing when it’s windy. That day, I learned my lesson to make sure and check if the weather forecast is favorable for fishing.

There are unaccounted terrible experiences in my life happened whenever I did a particular activity prompted by excitement. I may share them with you at proper time.

When you were excited about one thing, have you ever made a spontaneous decision that resulted to unexpected failure? When one is excited and instantaneously decides, can you expect productive, pleasant and favorable outcome?

Favorable productivity requires wisdom and not just mere excitement. The ways of wisdom is pleasant and peaceful journey and favorable if we hold of her seriously.

1.  Favorable

¹⁷Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.

The pronoun “her” pertains to wisdom because of its productivity, and not about gender. The terms “ways” and “paths” pertain to process of wisdom. Her ways and paths are a smooth highway to particular destination. Wisdom is the secret for students to smoothly enjoy their study. Employees who enjoy their work have godly wisdom.

If you don’t sense smoothness in your activity, pray for wisdom to decide which career path God had prepared for you that you may smoothly enjoy what you do.

You may have heard that the name “Solomon” is translated from variant of the Hebrew term “shalom” which is properly translated “peace.” Interestingly, Israel was peaceful during the reign of King Solomon. King Solomon asked God for wisdom and God granted it. The nation of Israel enjoyed prosperity and peace while King Solomon ruled the united kingdom of Israel. Moreover, surrounding nations did not bother to cause any trouble against Israel during the lifetime of Solomon.

It had described the kingship of Solomon in 1 Kings 4:24-25,  ²⁴For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. ²⁵During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.

Are you puzzled why the author mentioned Judah and Israel lived in safety during the lifetime of Solomon? Why not just say, Israel only? It implies that it was written after the nation of Israel was already divided into northern and southern kingdoms.

Solomon was the last king of the united kingdom of Israel. After his death, the nation of Israel was divided into northern kingdom and southern kingdom. The northern kingdom carried the name Israel while the southern kingdom was named Judah.

After Rehoboam succeeded his father Solomon as king of Israel, the Israelites had rebelled against him. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to King Rehoboam.

Is it proper to interpret that the Lord allowed the nation of Israel to be divided as practical illustration that godly wisdom given to King Solomon is productively favorable and promotes peace? The divided kingdom of Israel, both the northern Israel and southern Judah had been frequently attacked by surrounding nations.

After King Solomon died, the Israelites had never had favorable peace similar to their experience during the reign of King Solomon. King Solomon had personally proven that wisdom from God was a huge factor so that Israel had prospered peacefully during his reign. Successors to the throne should have learned from Solomon but didn’t, why?

Godly wisdom requires practice of faith in the Lord to realize its productivity.

It was written that kings of northern Israel and kings of southern Judah rebelled against God. Their chronicled stories were practical proofs that defiance against God is cursed.

Trust in God is favorably productive. Faith in God is blessedness. Jeremiah 17:7 states, ⁷But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

Do you wish to have prosperity and peace in our city, province and country?

Then, pray that God grant wisdom to our government authorities. Pray for increase of faith and godly wisdom. If we wish to have pleasant pilgrim in this world, as children of God, we can be productive favorable with godly wisdom.

We have to have godly wisdom so that we will be fortunately blessed. Amen?

2.  Fortunate

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.

The term “tree of life” signifies fruitfulness of desired life when we adhere, devote and hold fast to wisdom. With wisdom, we can be fortunately blessed. Can you agree?

Is it comfortable for you to use the term fortunate when pertaining to blessings? What do you mean fortunate? Well, to be fortunate is to be lucky. To be lucky is to have fortune from unexpected sources. Is it practice of faith to not expect blessing? Is it practice of faith in God to be lucky with fortune from unexpected sources? How about if we state it this way? If we receive unexpected blessing from the Lord, should we also consider that as practice of faith? Unexpected blessing from the Lord and lucky fortune from unexpected sources – how do they differ from each other?

Lucky fortune from unexpected sources may credit the self for being fortunate. Whereas unexpected blessing from the Lord, we credit God for his merciful grace despite not asking him for blessing. Actually, should we ask God for blessing? The Lord will certainly bless us whenever he deems necessary for our testimony.

Jesus Christ teaches in Matthew 6:7-8, ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 

⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

But, why are we encouraged to pray specifically for our needs when Jesus Christ himself said that our heavenly Father knows it already even before we pray?

Jesus was not crucified and resurrected just yet at that moment when he said that our heavenly Father knows our needs even before we pray, and his listeners at that time have not yet received the Holy Spirit. Although, they followed Christ, they may still have tendencies in them to credit blessedness as lucky fortune.  We can easily observe such mindset among Christians in our generation who play lotto or lottery.

Reflect on this: Lotto is based on lucky numbers. Lottery winners are lucky!

When Christians win the lotto or lottery, are they considered blessed or lucky fortunate?

We are not commanded to judge others. Only God knows if church attendees are genuine Christians or still potential believers. We would rather pray that Christians who play lotto will grow strong in their faith in Christ and have transformed lifestyle. We can even earn our treasures in heaven when we pray for them and not feel bad about them.

It declares in Jeremiah 9:24, ²⁴Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

The Lord delights it when we grow in our knowledge of him, his kindness, justice and righteousness. It requires faith and godly wisdom to know the Lord.

When the Lord delights in our lifestyle, it practically shows that we have grown in godly wisdom. As we grow in our knowledge of God and gladly follow his instruction, we are blessed. Blessedness makes our journey in this world as pilgrim much more pleasant.

Keep praying for increase of faith and godly wisdom, and be blessed!

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