Spiritual Firewalls

 (Proverbs 1:4 KJV)  To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

 When our children were young we wanted them to be “naive” (6612a).  We meant by that to not have them jaded by the world.  We didn’t want the world building up calluses that would make God’s teaching resistible.  We wanted them to be children rather than wannabe teenagers.   They did not have radios or access to popular music.  The TV was usually videos we had selected.  They did not go to day care.  We chose their friends.  Often people would look at us and wonder if we were trying to shelter them.  We were.  Deliberately.  At the same time we openly discussed issues like abortion in front of them and with them.  They could be innocent and informed.  That is not the meaning here. 

This more reflects the policy of our friends.  Most people we knew allowed their children to be exposed to the values of the world but sheltered them from serious issues.  They would never talk about any of the moral and cultural wars we face in our society.  In our opinion this kept them from learning to think and discern. 

The word “naive” (6612a) means "simple" in the way we would talk about someone whose mind never developed to adulthood.  Unfortunately this is referring to people who chose to remain that way.  Since prudence can be taught to them, that is the purpose of Proverbs, they chose to reject the teaching.  Most fools are self-made men.  What is interesting to me is that the definition says it can mean “open-minded.”  Biblically, being open minded is not necessarily a compliment.  I think of it as a house with unscreened windows during high bug season.  Being open can let in malaria and yellow fever with the fresh air.  In computer terms it is like having access to the internet with no firewall or virus protection.

So?  Don’t let the world set your standards.  The influence is insidious.  It can be overwhelming.  Let the Holy Spirit be your firewall and the Word be your virus protection.  Or switch the two if it makes more sense to you.