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Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Decision Making

Biblical wisdom for everyday decision-making is rooted in the understanding that true wisdom originates from God and is acquired through His word [17, 7]. This wisdom is not merely intellectual speculation but is intended to guide one's heart and life, leading to an "entire subjection to the laws of religion" [18]. The book of Proverbs, for instance, explicitly states its purpose is "for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight" [3].

A foundational aspect of biblical wisdom is the "fear of the Lord" [15]. This fear is not a cowering dread but a profound reverence and awe that counteracts inner turmoil and brings peace [14, 11]. It involves honoring God's holy name and regarding Him as the ultimate source of safety and hope [16]. Conversely, fearing people can lead to destruction, as it causes the Lord to become a "trap" [12]. Those who fear the Lord find Him to be a sanctuary, assuring their salvation and freeing them from the fear of human threats [12, 13].

Decision-making in a biblical context requires a commitment to seeking God early and making Him the primary focus of one's life [10]. This involves actively seeking God with the heart, keeping His commandments, and aligning oneself fully with His will [5]. Such dedication is contrasted with a "divided service" or "double-mindedness," which are seen as hindrances to sound decision-making [5].

Prudence is intimately connected with wisdom and is exhibited in various ways, including the manifestation of God's grace [6]. Prudent individuals are characterized by their pursuit of knowledge, their careful consideration of their actions, and their understanding of God's ways [6]. They are not ostentatious with their knowledge but use it to foresee and avoid evil, thereby preserving themselves [6].

The Bible emphasizes the importance of good judgment, which is a gift from God sought by those who believe in His commandments [4]. This judgment is necessary for serving God and is exemplified by the delegation of judicial responsibilities in ancient Israel, where smaller matters were handled by appointed judges, while larger issues were brought to Moses [2]. God Himself is depicted as a judge who will act blamelessly at the appointed time [1].

The "heart" plays a crucial role in biblical decision-making, as it is considered the source from which the "issues of life" flow [9]. God is portrayed as one who tries, knows, searches, and understands the thoughts of the heart [9]. He influences and prepares the heart, and believers are exhorted to prepare their hearts for God, give them to Him, and strive for a "perfect" heart with Him [9]. This internal disposition is vital because God knows all things and will reveal all thoughts, judging every human being [19].

Simplicity, in a biblical sense, is opposed to "fleshly wisdom" and is necessary for spiritual growth [8]. It involves being made wise by God and His word, leading to circumspection through instruction and benefiting from correction [8]. This simplicity should be evident in all aspects of conduct, including preaching the gospel and acts of benevolence [8].

Sources

  1. Psalms “When I choose the appointed time, I will judge blamelessly. -- Psalms 75:2”
  2. Exodus “Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you. -- Exodus 18:22”
  3. Proverbs “Proverbs 1:2 (BSB) — for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight,”
  4. Psalms “Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. -- Psalms 119:66”
  5. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Decision — Necessary to the service of God -- Lu 9:62. Exhortations to -- Jos 24:14,15. Exhibited in Seeking God with the heart. -- 2Ch 15:12. Keeping the commandments of God. -- Ne 10:29. Being on the Lord's side. -- Ex 32:26. Following God fully. -- Nu 14:24; 32:12; Jos 14:8. Serving God. -- Isa 56:6. Loving God perfectly. -- De 6:5. Blessedness of. -- Jos 1:7. Opposed to A divided service. -- Mt 6:24. Double-mindedness. -- Jas 1:8. Halting between two opinions. -- 1Ki 18:21. Turning to the right or left. -- De 5:32. Not setting the heart aright. -- Ps 78:8,37. Exe”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Prudence — Exhibited in the manifestation of God's grace -- Eph 1:8. Exemplified by Christ -- Isa 52:13; Mt 21:24-27; 22:15-21. Intimately connected with wisdom -- Pr 8:12. The wise celebrated for -- Pr 16:21. They who have Get knowledge. -- Pr 18:15. Deal with knowledge. -- Pr 13:16. Look well to their goings. -- Pr 14:15. Understand the ways of God. -- Ho 14:9. Understand their own ways. -- Pr 14:8. Crowned with knowledge. -- Pr 14:18. Not ostentatious of knowledge. -- Pr 12:23. Foresee and avoid evil. -- Pr 22:3. Are preserved by it. -- Pr 2:11. Suppress angry fee”
  7. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Wisdom of God, The — Is one of his attributes -- 1Sa 2:3; Job 9:4. Described as Perfect. -- Job 36:4; 37:16. Mighty. -- Job 36:5. Universal. -- Job 28:24; Da 2:22; Ac 15:18. Infinite. -- Ps 147:5; Ro 11:33. Unsearchable. -- Isa 40:28; Ro 11:33. Wonderful. -- Ps 139:6. Beyond human comprehension. -- Ps 139:6. Incomparable. -- Isa 44:7; Jer 10:7. Underived. -- Job 21:22; Isa 40:14. The gospel contains treasures of -- 1Co 2:7. Wisdom of saints is derived from -- Ezr 7:25. All human wisdom derived from -- Da 2:1. Saints ascribe to him -- Da 2:20. Exhibited in His works. ”
  8. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Simplicity — Is opposed to fleshly wisdom -- 2Co 1:12. Necessity for -- Mt 18:2,3. Should be exhibited In preaching the gospel. -- 1Th 2:3-7. In acts of benevolence. -- Ro 12:8. In all our conduct. -- 2Co 1:12. Concerning our own wisdom. -- 1Co 3:18. Concerning evil. -- Ro 16:19. Concerning malice. -- 1Co 14:20. Exhortation to -- Ro 16:19; 1Pe 2:2. They who have the grace of Are made wise by God. -- Mt 11:25. Are made wise by the word of God. -- Ps 19:7; 119:130. Are preserved by God. -- Ps 116:6. Made circumspect by instruction. -- Pr 1:4. Profit by the correction o”
  9. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Heart, The — Issues of life are out of -- Pr 4:23. God Tries. -- 1Ch 29:17; Jer 12:3. Knows. -- Ps 44:21; Jer 20:12. Searched. -- 1Ch 28:9; Jer 17:10. Understands the thoughts of. -- 1Ch 28:9; Ps 139:2. Ponders. -- Pr 21:2; 24:12. Influences. -- 1Sa 10:26; Ezr 6:22; 7:27; Pr 21:1; Jer 20:9. Creates a new. -- Ps 51:10; Eze 36:26. Prepares. -- 1Ch 29:18; Pr 16:1. Opens. -- Ac 16:14. Enlightens. -- 2Co 4:6; Eph 1:18. Strengthens. -- Ps 27:14. Establishes. -- Ps 112:8; 1Th 3:13. Should be Prepared to God. -- 1Sa 7:3. Given to God. -- Pr 23:26. Perfect with God. -- 1Ki 8:”
  10. Job (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Job 8:5: seek unto God betimes--early. Make it the first and chief anxiety (Psa 78:34; Hos 5:15; Isa 26:9; Pro 8:17; Pro 13:24).”
  11. Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 65:8: 65:8 All over the world (Job 38:13; see Ps 50:1-3), people should stand in awe of the Lord.”
  12. Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 8:11: 8:11-15 This text reveals the heart of Isaiah’s message. The issue was fear of the Lord versus fear of people (see 7:9; 8:6). When an individual fears people, the Lord becomes a trap and destruction is certain (cp. Prov 29:25; see “Fearing People” Theme Note). For those who fear the Lord, he becomes a sanctuary; their salvation is assured.”
  13. 1 Peter (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Peter 3:14: 3:14-15 or be afraid of their threats: See Isa 8:13, where God exhorts the prophet to fear nothing except the Lord. • worship Christ as Lord: By fearing Christ, they will be free from fear of their human persecutors.”
  14. Proverbs (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Proverbs 15:16: 15:16 A healthy fear for the Lord counteracts inner turmoil and brings inner peace. • Better to have little: See also 16:8.”
  15. Proverbs (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Proverbs 9:10: 9:10-12 Fear of the Lord: See study note on 1:7.”
  16. Isaiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Isaiah 8:13: Sanctify--Honor His holy name by regarding Him as your only hope of safety (Isa 29:23; Num 20:12). him . . . fear--"fear" lest you provoke His wrath by your fear of man and distrust of Him.”
  17. Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 119:98: We have here an account of David's learning, not that of the Egyptians, but of the Israelites indeed. I. The good method by which he got it. In his youth he minded business in the country as a shepherd; from his youth he minded business in the court and camp. Which way then could he get any great stock of learning? He tells us here how he came by it; he had it from God as the author: Thou hast made me wise. All true wisdom is from God. He had it by the word of God as the means, by his commandments and his testimonies. These are able to make us wise to salvation ”
  18. Proverbs (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Proverbs 8:32: We have here the application of Wisdom's discourse; the design and tendency of it is to bring us all into an entire subjection to the laws of religion, to make us wise and good, not to fill our heads with speculations, or our tongues with disputes, but to rectify what is amiss in our hearts and lives. In order to this, here is, I. An exhortation to hear and obey the voice of Wisdom, to attend and comply with the good instructions that the word of God gives us, and in them to discern the voice of Christ, as the sheep know the shepherd's voice. 1. We must be dilig”
  19. Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 12:2: 12:2-3 These verses are a warning against hypocrisy. All thoughts will be revealed by God, who knows all things and will judge every human being (Job 10:4-7; 11:11; Pss 11:4; 33:15; 139:12; Prov 15:3).”
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