My dear readers,

Give Me a Wise Heart, O LORD!

Proverbs 16:21: “The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.”

“Prudent” is the Christian name given by God to all His children. To be prudent means to have understanding. It is not the understanding of the arts and sciences of this world. These will all pass away when the earth is burned up by fire as God has prophesied. Earthly knowledge is only good when the earth remains, just like the knowledge of the world that Noah possessed before the global flood was rendered useless after the flood. When he opened the door of the ark, he saw a new heaven and new earth. The only profession he could have was as a farmer. He planted a vineyard. The word “prudent” in this verse refers to the understanding of God’s holy Word. The prudent possesses a wise heart. How does he get this wise heart?

No one is born with a wise heart. Every human being is born with a foolish heart that is corrupt. It is filled with sin. The motive of the heart is self-centred. Man is unable to do anything that is selfless. Whatever that may be considered by many as selfless is only an appearance of selflessness. The reason is because man possesses a sinful nature. His mind, heart and motive are corrupted by this sinful nature. There is a motive and an agenda that cannot be Christ-honouring.

Why must Christ be the measure? Christ is the measure because He is God and He created all mankind and everything in this world. Therefore, anything done that is not Christ-honouring is sin since it does not glorify God. All mankind has been created to glorify God as His creatures. Man is not born to glorify self or other men or any creature by, for example, saving the earth! Sinful man sees everything within this three-dimensional world. He sees this world as his only home. He thinks that there is a “better” home out there in the universe. He fails to see how foolish it is to find hope in outer space. He protects the environment of earth as if it is everything to him. He pursues this earthly agenda at the expense of his life, energy and heart. This is the blindness that has been sewn into the fabric of our society.

The god of this world has successfully distracted sinful man from seeing the presence of God by blinding him with the attractions, through man’s dependency upon this earth for his survival. Man begins to measure himself by the abundance of what he possesses, forgetting that naked he came into this world and naked he will return. He will take nothing of this earth with him when he dies. But he is so obsessed by this foolishness that has consumed his heart and every imagination of his mind that he is like a runaway train heading toward the hellish abyss and he does not know it. The reason is that the theme song of the devil’s deception through every generation of man is: “man shall not live by the God of heaven but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the god of this world.”

But the wise in heart knows better because God calls him “prudent,” i.e. he understands. Are we wise in heart?

The literal translation – “To the wise of heart, he shall be called understanding: and the sweetness of the lips causes to increase instruction (mental).” The emphasis in this synthetically constructed parallelism is the “wise in heart.” They are God’s children, for only they can have a wise heart. God made them wise in heart when He saved them in Christ. All their sins have been washed away from their heart by the blood of Christ. The sinful nature no longer controls them. They have been made new. They are new creatures in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17: “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” This new quality that they possess from God begins from within. Their heart is no longer self-seeking but Christ-seeking. They now have the love of Christ motivating them to live and serve faithfully for Christ and His glory. With the love of God and Christ in their heart they are able to glorify God with a Christ-centred motive in all they say and do. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Their words will change too. This wise heart also comes with a wise mind.

They have also been given the mind of Christ to understand His wisdom that is found only in the Bible. The more they study the Bible the more they think like Christ. Their words will be more and more biblical as they speak to promote and counsel others who are in need of God's wisdom and knowledge. The sweetness of their lips will help others increase knowledge – though preaching, teaching and counselling from God’s Word. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Thus, God calls all who are born again in Christ “prudent,” for they are made wise in their hearts by Him. 

May this fruit of salvation be seen in our lives as we speak with one another for Christ. Words that will build up and point others to our Saviour Jesus Christ are what are most needed in these last days before the Lord’s soon return. Give me a wise heart, O God, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.