Proverbs 18:4 Commentary and Bible Study

The Spirit of God takes up residence in the hearts of his people, for they ‘are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit’ (Ephesians 2:22). From that moment the Spirit begins to instruct and to impart wisdom to the soul. That wisdom becomes the possession of the person who is instructed by God, and is applied to every situation they encounter. Solomon could say this from his own experience, for God had made him a special student in his school. The heart of the instructed believer considers how to respond to questions he is asked, and consults the wisdom that is deep within him. What are the principles which bear on this question, and which will help frame a wise answer, an answer that will bring real knowledge to the hearer that will give solid practical advice to deliver from evil. The words of the wise are deep waters, and they are underestimated so often by the foolish. The unbeliever ought to treat the words he hears from the wise as a lifeline, but instead he often dismisses them because they are inconvenient, or they suggest going in a direction which he does not want to go. Wisdom within the believer’s heart is a flowing stream, because it sheds light on every situation, and increasingly so as wisdom grows and is exercised. It would be good therefore for the simple to seek out the company of the wise and to bring their hardest question as the Queen of Sheba did to Solomon. Is there a believer that we know? We are more likely to gain wisdom from him or her than from any number of self-proclaimed counsellors in the world.The believer grows in wisdom as he is taught by the Spirit by means of Scripture. As he meditates on the meaning of God’s word, wisdom puts down roots and develops further so that it can live even when surrounded by the drought of foolishness that fills the world.