Proverbs 8:12-13 (NIV) 12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech."
Proverbs 8:12-13 (NLT) 12 “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment.
I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.
13 All who fear the LORD will hate evil.
Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
corruption and perverse speech."
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dwell together - שָׁכַ֣נְתִּי (shakan, šā·ḵan·tî) - Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 7931: To settle down, abide, dwell
with prudence - עָרְמָ֑ה (ormah, ‘ā·rə·māh) - Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 6195: Trickery, discretion
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew English Lexicon adds: craftiness, craftily, prudence.
Definitions
Prudence - the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason; sagacity (acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment) or shrewdness in the management of affairs; skill and good judgment in the use of resources; caution or circumspection (careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences) as to danger or risk; wise in practical affairs; regard for one's own interests; provident care in the management of resources; economy; frugality; the state of being careful in the way you make decisions or spend money so that you avoid unnecessary risks; careful management.
Discretion - individual choice or judgment; the quality of having or showing discernment or good judgment; ability to make responsible decisions; the result of separating, discerning or distinguishing and then making a choice; choice, or the right to make a choice, based on judgment and what is most suitable; the right of someone to make choices or the quality of someone who is careful about what they do or say; the quality of being discreet, or careful about what one does and says; prudence.
Froward means someone who is willfully difficult; contrary; unwilling to yield or comply; ungovernable; disobedient; hard headed; obstinate; habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition.
Wisdom tells of her own excellence. The fruit of wisdom is prudence; discretion; discernment; good judgement and careful thought.
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Fruit trees must have all their growth requirements met in order to produce flowers and, eventually, fruit. Adequate light, water, proper soil conditions (including nutrients) and favorable temperatures all work together. Flowers are the starting point in growing fruit. Some kinds of plants have male and female flowers on separate individual plants. Others have separate male and female flowers on the same plant, and still other plants have flowers with male and female parts contained within the same flower. Fruit trees usually have this last combination. There can be no fruit production until flower pollination occurs. The male flower, or flower part, produces pollen and the female flower, or flower part, receives the pollen. Bees are one of the most direct methods of pollinating. They are searching for nectar and the pollen collects on their legs which they transfer. Fruit tree growers often practice one of many pruning methods to encourage the tree to produce fruit. They trim off excess limbs so all the energy to bear fruit is directed to the fewer limbs and those limbs will produce a higher yield.
If we see ourselves as fruit trees and God as the Master Gardener we can see that He carefully plants and protects, maintains and provides for His fruit trees. He knows just what each of us needs in nutrients for our spirits, minds and bodies. He also knows how much water we need (the Holy Spirit). He knows how to pollinate us (the Word) so that we begin to develop spiritual fruit. He knows when, and how to, prune us so that we grow stronger and produce more, and better, fruit. But notice how the fruit grows naturally. It's not something forced. The fruit, and the the yield of the tree, is based on how healthy and well taken care of the tree is. It won't produce fruit if it's killed by a late frost; or if there is a drought; or not enough nutrients in the soil; or it isn't pruned properly and gets overgrown. We can choose not to cooperate with God and to be disobedient, difficult to manage and hostile. This creates an atmosphere in which there may be no growth, no blossoms, no fruit of the spirit (or it's going to take God longer to work on us). But if we cooperate, obey and have a desire for God, then our Master Gardener can make us fruitful, bearing much fruit.
Matthew 12:33-35 (Jesus speaking) 33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.
Wisdom and prudence go together but the opposite of wisdom is foolishness; pride; arrogance; corruption; recklessness and perverse, or froward, speech.
Proverbs 4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
1 Samuel 2:3 “Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions."
A froward mouth comes from an obstinate, rebellious, wicked heart and means they are habitually disposed to disobedience and resistance. God resists such people. God's wisdom would reject evil, pride, arrogance, corruption, perverse and froward hearts and mouths.
Deuteronomy 32:17-20 17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
To gods they did not know,
To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear.
18 Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful,
And have forgotten the God who fathered you.
19 “And when the Lord saw it, He spurned them,
Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.
20 And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
Children in whom is no faith.
In the King James Version
Deuteronomy 32:20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Scripture to ponder on
Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways", saith the LORD…
Romans 11:33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
For all my studies on Proverbs click HERE.
I possess knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech."
Proverbs 8:12-13 (NLT) 12 “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment.
I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.
13 All who fear the LORD will hate evil.
Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
corruption and perverse speech."
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dwell together - שָׁכַ֣נְתִּי (shakan, šā·ḵan·tî) - Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 7931: To settle down, abide, dwell
with prudence - עָרְמָ֑ה (ormah, ‘ā·rə·māh) - Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 6195: Trickery, discretion
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew English Lexicon adds: craftiness, craftily, prudence.
Definitions
Prudence - the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason; sagacity (acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment) or shrewdness in the management of affairs; skill and good judgment in the use of resources; caution or circumspection (careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences) as to danger or risk; wise in practical affairs; regard for one's own interests; provident care in the management of resources; economy; frugality; the state of being careful in the way you make decisions or spend money so that you avoid unnecessary risks; careful management.
Discretion - individual choice or judgment; the quality of having or showing discernment or good judgment; ability to make responsible decisions; the result of separating, discerning or distinguishing and then making a choice; choice, or the right to make a choice, based on judgment and what is most suitable; the right of someone to make choices or the quality of someone who is careful about what they do or say; the quality of being discreet, or careful about what one does and says; prudence.
Froward means someone who is willfully difficult; contrary; unwilling to yield or comply; ungovernable; disobedient; hard headed; obstinate; habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition.
Wisdom tells of her own excellence. The fruit of wisdom is prudence; discretion; discernment; good judgement and careful thought.
If we see ourselves as fruit trees and God as the Master Gardener we can see that He carefully plants and protects, maintains and provides for His fruit trees. He knows just what each of us needs in nutrients for our spirits, minds and bodies. He also knows how much water we need (the Holy Spirit). He knows how to pollinate us (the Word) so that we begin to develop spiritual fruit. He knows when, and how to, prune us so that we grow stronger and produce more, and better, fruit. But notice how the fruit grows naturally. It's not something forced. The fruit, and the the yield of the tree, is based on how healthy and well taken care of the tree is. It won't produce fruit if it's killed by a late frost; or if there is a drought; or not enough nutrients in the soil; or it isn't pruned properly and gets overgrown. We can choose not to cooperate with God and to be disobedient, difficult to manage and hostile. This creates an atmosphere in which there may be no growth, no blossoms, no fruit of the spirit (or it's going to take God longer to work on us). But if we cooperate, obey and have a desire for God, then our Master Gardener can make us fruitful, bearing much fruit.
Matthew 12:33-35 (Jesus speaking) 33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.
Wisdom and prudence go together but the opposite of wisdom is foolishness; pride; arrogance; corruption; recklessness and perverse, or froward, speech.
Proverbs 4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
1 Samuel 2:3 “Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions."
A froward mouth comes from an obstinate, rebellious, wicked heart and means they are habitually disposed to disobedience and resistance. God resists such people. God's wisdom would reject evil, pride, arrogance, corruption, perverse and froward hearts and mouths.
Deuteronomy 32:17-20 17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
To gods they did not know,
To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear.
18 Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful,
And have forgotten the God who fathered you.
19 “And when the Lord saw it, He spurned them,
Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.
20 And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
Children in whom is no faith.
In the King James Version
Deuteronomy 32:20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Scripture to ponder on
Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways", saith the LORD…
Romans 11:33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
- Where can wisdom be found? In God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. How can you seek God's wisdom?
- What are the fruits of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23
- How can you cooperate with the Master Gardener, God, in order to grow fruit?
- Remember, it isn't you that is growing the fruit. It is the work of our Master Gardener who makes sure we have what we need to grow fruit naturally, not forced. We tend to think we can do this and that and force some good fruit out but those are works and they are OUR works, works of the flesh, legalism. Our works are not what saves us, nor what grows fruit in us. God, as the Trinity, all 3 working in such perfect unity and harmony, knows just how to work on you and bring you to fruition. All you do is have a willing and submissive heart rather than an evil, perverse and froward heart. Desiring God, seeking Him, loving Him and God's fruit will begin to show naturally.
- Can you think of an example of a "froward" heart? Maybe it was you at one time? Maybe it was someone you know or have read about? Look at the definition of "froward" again and see who comes to your mind.
- Have you ever seen someone who was proud of being a "froward" person, they've made it into some sort of badge of honor? They hold it up as a virtue? What does God say about it?
- Remember, wisdom begins and ends with __________________. (If you can't answer this see my last study on Proverbs 8.)
For all my studies on Proverbs click HERE.