Proverbs 2 – 3

Verse 2:8 starts our rapid fire run through the verses:

God protects the paths of those who pursue justice,
    watching over the lives of those who keep faith with Him.

Justice is the key, not only doing what is right for yourself, but for others. Life can be mixed at times and often our sense of justice becomes myopic where justice sometimes equals “just us.” We have to pursue justice for all, like our founding fathers did some 240 years ago. Today justice has become perverted by those who have money, the law has become too complex and full of nuances to navigate without shelling out bucks for a lawyer.

Verse 2:12 starts a list of benefits to using wisdom:

Wisdom will keep you from following the way of evildoers,
    of those who twist words to pervert the truth,

Much of proverbs is single verse “fortune cookie” nugget of wisdom, much of the first few chapters the nuggets are expanded on the next few verses, as with this one. Read it in more detail and gain insight on why we must embrace developing wisdom. To the men who read this verses 2:16-19 are a must read since it focuses on wisdom dealing with women.

Verse 3:3 reminds us where to focus our attention:

Stay focused; do not lose sight of mercy and truth;
    engrave them on a pendant, and hang it around your neck;
    meditate on them so they are written upon your heart.

Remain focused on mercy and truth, the rest of life will fall into place. If you remain honorable, you will never get into shady dealings. If you focus on mercy, you will not take advantage of people when they are down.

Verse 3:6 is my favorite of today’s reading (and will be the last one to discuss):

Give Him the credit for everything you accomplish,
    and He will smooth out and straighten the road that lies ahead.

This is something I do not do often enough, even when talking about recent experiences with death. Often I forget to mention that God has spared my life. If things had happened only slightly different I would either not be here today, or be a bowl full of mush. I do this whenever I accomplish something too! A win, a successful project, a kind gesture or whatever, I tend to forget to give “credit” to God first or if at all.