Proverbs 2:11
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Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
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We also take efforts to protect our children. We make sure they eat three balanced meals a day, are careful on the monkey bars, don't play with knives, avoid strangers, don't ride their bikes in the street, bundle up in cold weather, and so forth and so on.
But all these efforts are of little value and only protect the body. What are you doing for the soul? Your own soul and the souls of your children? What efforts are you making to acquire discretion and understanding yourself and to instill them in your children? Worldly institutions or media certainly do not teach them, and they are very rarely taught in modern Christian institutions or media. But God has made them available.
Preserving and keeping your soul requires different efforts than those described above. And you must consider. Which is more important, physical health or your soul? Which is more important, financial assets or your soul? Our Lord Jesus valued the soul more than gaining the whole world (Matt 16:26). He has clearly set your priorities for you.
Discretion and understanding will not only preserve your soul; they will also preserve your life and your assets. As the Preacher says elsewhere, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (4:7). And the whole book is dedicated to the enormous value of acquiring discretion and understanding.
Discretion knows how, when, and what to do in various circumstances.
Understanding is discerning a situation, hidden dangers, subtle errors,
and the right course of action. These terms overlap in meaning, but they
also have their own shades of meaning. Our context shows they are related
to wisdom and knowledge (2:10). See the comments on 23:23.
The benefits of acquiring discretion and understanding are also found in our context (2:12-22). They will protect you from the lives and choices of the evil man and the strange woman, both of which are on their way to destruction.
Proverbs teaches discretion (1:4). It teaches when to speak and when not to speak (26:4-5; 15:28; 29:11), when to be angry and when not to be angry (25:23; 19:11). Discretion is guiding your affairs well (Ps 112:5). A woman without it is like a sow (11:22; Tit 2:5). The knowledge of how to plant, harvest, and process various grains is an example of discretion (Is 28:26). And Joseph is an example of a man with it (Gen 41:33-40).
Proverbs teaches understanding (1:2). Animals do not have it (Job 39:17; Ps 32:9). Its foundation is the knowledge of the holy (9:10), and it is built by God's word (Ps 111:10; 119:98-100,104,130). It is dependent upon a man rejecting his own understanding (3:5). Adultery, listening to vain persons, and being an easy surety prove a lack of it (6:32; 12:11; 17:18). It involves ruling your spirit (14:29) and pursuing knowledge (15:14). It is a source of happiness (3:13), leads to the good life (13:15; 16:22), and causes a person to be of an excellent spirit (17:27). Daniel clearly had it (Dan 1:20; 5:11-14; 6:3-4).
Discretion and understanding will preserve and keep your soul and life. They are aspects of godly wisdom that will protect you from foolish errors, wicked persons, and sin. They will keep you out of all sorts of trouble, spiritual and physical. They will bring you peace, security, success, and happiness. Life without them is a hard and difficult (13:15; 22:5).
They are easy to obtain, if you will apply yourself to learning the Word of God. You need to be in a church where the Word of God is taught faithfully and frequently, and you need to apply yourself in personal reading, meditation, prayer, and study. Then you must apply your learning to the life situations that God will bring your way (Heb 5:12-14).
God has given you the means to protect your life from pain, trouble, and difficulty. He has given instruction for happiness and success. Are you applying yourself as diligently and regularly in acquiring these two things as you do in protecting your body and money?
We take many precautions to protect ourselves from danger. We use seat belts, take vitamins, lock the doors at night, exercise, regulate elevators, buy medical insurance, listen to weather warnings, avoid dangerous parts of town, and so forth and so on.
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