Build Wisely!
Have you ever driven through a neighborhood just to see what the houses are like? Even from the street, you can learn a lot. The condition of the lawn, the freshness of the paint, whether the curtains are open—small details like these quietly reveal what the owners care about and how conscientious they are.
A person who values a freshly trimmed lawn and garden has a different set of values from the person who collects cars and parks them randomly around his yard. What the exterior doesn’t necessarily show is whether or not either homeowner is wise.
Proverbs 24:3-4 ESV states, “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
At first glance, Solomon appears to be saying a wise person fills his or her house with notably valuable treasures. He evidently did. But that’s a superficial observation. His deeper meaning can be puzzled out by contemplating why the two sets of three words are matched together.
- “Wisdom” with “Built”: a wise person takes time to plan how things work and how materials best fit together to provide an enjoyable living space.
- “Understanding” with “Established”: Anyone can erect four or more walls but learning from craftsmen gives the builder understanding to know how to keep those walls from falling down when the winds blow, the earth shakes, or when any number of hardships beat against it. A builder with understanding learns how to plumb the house and how to make it easy to maintain.
Yet, Solomon is speaking about more than four walls: he’s talking about relationships and family dynamics. Anyone can occupy the same building, but a wise person will take time to understand the other people and build lasting relationships. - “Knowledge” with “Filled”: Lots of people collect items; some people collect so much “stuff” they can’t comfortably move around in their homes because of the piles of debris!
Other people try all sorts of get rich schemes and often squander what money they have in hopes of “striking it rich.”
Others resort to crime hoping to get ahead. Proverbs 1:13 warns us not to “fill our houses with plunder” as a thief does.
Or, as I and many others have discovered, trust God with your money and give to God with loving confidence before you pay your bills or put food on the table, because as Proverbs 3:9-10 promises, “then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
What is it you want to build? A home? A family? A business? A city, state, or nation? Whatever it is that you’re trying to establish, take time to plan and not be impulsive; take time and have the humility to learn from knowledgeable people. Cultivate healthy relationships.
Today, above all else, honor God and put him first in everything; then, what you build will flourish.
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