Proverbs 16:20 ESV
Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+16%3A20&version=ESV]
In all the rush and hurry of daily life, Scripture is easily set aside. We know what it says, after all; we’ve got all the doctrine right up here in our heads, and for all we know reading His word would benefit us, it seems that the pressing needs of the now must take precedence. We need to do this, go there, say that, and then a thousand more tasks or enjoyments appear. Night falls, our eyes droop, and we go to bed, Scripture still unattended. Next day, we manage five minutes of reading, half-distracted, and then Sunday comes around. Here, at least, we get a bit more time for it, but habits never made are easily broken, so distraction has great power over us. Don’t think I’m looking down on my example-person here; I’ve done this before, and if I don’t take constant care, I slide back into it. The value of attending to Scripture, however, is beyond accounting, and we are fools indeed who do not seek regularly for His wisdom.
Consider this verse and contrast it with the cursory reading our hurry and our world-worry drives us to give to the Scriptures. What does this verse require of us? It calls us to ‘give thought’ to His word; it calls us to pay close attention, to consider the word and the sentence and the story in light of their context, to draw forth principles, to establish systematic understanding, to apply with care. We can see this clearly in the actions for which the Bereans were commended, for they carefully compared Paul’s words to the words of the then-extant canon, the Old Testament as it is now called (Acts 17:11). The urgings of Psalm 119:15, as well as other passages from Psalms (including 119) and the rest of Scripture, join in the chorus. We are called not merely to apprehend but to delve deep into His word, to immerse our hearts and thoughts within it and thus to receive blessing from His hand.
What is that blessing which is promised? The wisdom of Scripture is beyond man’s compass to match, either in essence or in value, as God assures us Himself (Prov. 16:16). More, this wisdom is beyond man’s ability to reach on his own. As Job declares, “Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living” (Job 28:13). All these bare declarations of worth have little force to us, though, for anything may be declared priceless- doesn’t mean it actually is. What, then, is the immense value of this wisdom? Three examinations, swiftly performed, will satisfy us of wisdom’s worthiness to be called ‘beyond compare’.
First, Scripture gives us wisdom for doing the right thing. By His word God makes us “equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17). The law and the prophets are guides to us, and I do not merely mean the law of Moses or the prophets of the Old Testament. No, in as much as Christ declared the law in Matthew 22:36-40 and Paul in Romans 13:8-10, the New Testament too is of the law, and so far as the Revelation of John is a Prophecy, so far as the epistles are declarations of the truth of man which occupies so much of the time of the prophets of old, so far may we call the New Testament a book of prophets. As Nehemiah is of instruction to us, so Acts, and the whole counsel of God guides us to this singular goal: to imitate Christ (Ephesians 5:1).
Second, by Scripture God gives us guidance for life beyond the simple right-wrong questions, for the messy issues of relationship and business and good-better-worse decisions. All this, indeed, is bound in that promise of 2 Timothy 3:17, to give us sufficient for all good works. Proverbs stands as the premier concentration of this guidance of course, of wisdom on loans and parenting and being a child and loving your neighbor and abiding your government. Ecclesiastes gives us wisdom and philosophy beyond Plato or Aristotle (let alone Kant), wisdom of joy in Him, and in Psalms, for those who look, is a treasure of joy and endurance through suffering and sorrow.
Third, by Scripture God points the way to eternal life. As Peter declared, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” No path to salvation exists outside of Christ, and only by Scripture can Christ be found. Oh, the minds of men can devise vast and intricate labyrinths, myths of a million colors and philosophies years in the explaining, but he refuses to ever find the truth. He refuses the sight of God which is given him (Rom 1:20-23). Scripture, though, Scripture declares to us eternal life through Christ.
All this eternal life, though, it has a price, and it is the same price as that required for sight of Scripture. To see and to read is nothing for the eye that has not faith. Isaiah declared of Israel that their eyes would see and yet be blind (6:10), and this fate is upon all who despise Him. Only by faith, by trust in Him, can we see the truth and be blessed in that sight; only by faith can we be saved. In ourselves, of course, we would be helpless to generate that faith, to place our trust in a God our flesh abhors (Ps. 53:1). Of Christ, though, it is said, “I will give You as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind” (Is. 42:6-7). He brings to our hearts new life (John 3:5-8), a life which trust in Him, and in that new life comes the blessings of His word, for now, for then, and forevermore.
God bless.
Written by Colson Potter
N.B. It is possible that an expert in the Hebrew language would find my interpretation of this verse dubious; by this I mean that possibly ‘word’ refers to what a man’s own tongue says, not to Scripture. I believe my interpretation likely, however, given that the context includes several admonitions to heed the Lord- the next clause as well as verses 16 and 21. Even if my interpretation is proven mistaken, however, the arguments I make are clearly supported by sufficient other Biblical evidence to retain their force.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
