Wise Eyes

(Proverbs 3:7 KJV)  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

I think this is a caution and reminder of our human condition.  Since we are locked into our bodies, are limited by our senses and are bound in time we run everything through our own personal paradigm.  That is natural.  One of my hopes is that in our resurrected bodies that will be different.  But for now it is where we are at. 

We should not be satisfied with that.  To often we are content to be “wise” (2450) in our own eyes.  God is saying, “Get away from this self-centeredness.”  How do you do that?  Proverbs is full of directions on how to achieve wisdom.  It all is based on being aware of God’s wisdom and absorbing His standards.  It involves the work of the Holy Spirit and growth in grace.  The reason we have hope is because we have access to a constant consistent measurement that can keep us on track.  Think about the interaction of the lines on a road and your hands on the wheel.  When you first start driving it seems almost impossible to stay between the lines.  Your hands jerk back and forth.  It is almost like being in a bumper car.  Gradually you develop the hand/eye coordination that makes it possible to drive without conscious effort.  If you get too confident you have the “thump, thump, thump” of the reflectors put there to wake you up.  For a time you are alert again.  It is a constant interaction.

Wisdom is the same.  As new believers we are very nervous about keeping between the lines.  With experience we learn not to lean on our own wisdom.  When we start to drift we hear the spiritual thump that gets us back on track.  It is a constant interaction.

When you hear the beginnings of the thumps it often generates “fear” (3372) or at least startles us.  We become alert again.  That is the role of the fear of the Lord.  Modern society and psychology do not like the concept of “fear” (3372) {end}.  It can be healthy, specifically when there is a reason to fear.  A word search finds the phrase “fear the Lord” thirty times in the NASB.  The Hebrews had a much healthier and realistic view of the world.  Fear was a helpful emotion.  It leads to righteousness.

So?  Listen for those “thumps” by the Holy Spirit and seriously consider what they are trying to say.  They can come as you read the Word, as you listen to Godly speakers or even as your mind is wandering.  Don’t let the thumps go to waste.