31 Days With the Book of Proverbs: A Daily Bible Study – Day 3
“The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens.”
Proverbs 3:19
One of the great teachings of the Book of Proverbs concerns God’s creation of the earth and all that is. The writer teaches us that the LORD (Yahweh) “founded the earth and by understanding he established the heavens.” And God has given to folks like us the gift of seeking that wisdom and understanding to open God’s secrets before us. This is amazing.
Some religious traditions teach that matter and the world are evil and to be escapes from. Some deny any value to the material universe leaving it neither good nor evil, just “reality.” But the Proverbs continue in 3:21 to teach us that we are not to “let these escape from your sight; keep sound wisdom and prudence, and they will be life for your soul.” God opens before us the creation He has called “very good” and invites us to “till, dress, and keep it” (Genesis 1 and 2), but in our pride, we sought to violate the orders of that universe. We have failed to follow “wisdom” and “understanding” and instead have opted for folly!
Today we are struggling to care for our environment, that God created. We are battling strange diseases, that humans perhaps have unwittingly fostered. Medicine soars out of reach financially. We have forgotten that God is the author of creation and humankind assigned by the same God to be its caretaker. Can we seek “wisdom” and “understanding” and come to grips with our God given responsibility?
Drew Harvey
Photo by Brody Childs on Unsplash
