Prudence - Part 1, What
I thought that I would tackled some of the subjects that I have looked at in the past as part of my teaching efforts. My intent is to reconstruct what I have learned and get these ideas fresh in my mind to have ready reference for the Lord's use in my life. The first of these topics is Prudence. Prudence, according to the dictionary, is "The quality or state of being prudent; wisdom in the way of caution and provision; discretion; carefulness; hence, also, economy; frugality." Some synonyms are: wisdom; forecast; providence; considerateness; judiciousness; discretion; caution; circumspection; judgment.
(1) Therefore our first element of what is Reserve or Caution. And, from the book of Proverbs it tells us that a prudent man does not always blurt out what he knows, in contrast to a fool who does. Imagine a situation in which it is better to wait and see whether indicating such knowledge is a good idea or not.
Proverbs 12:23 (NASB)
[23] A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
Proverbs 13:16 (NASB)
[16] Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool *displays folly.
(2) The second what is that of Caution. What Proverbs tells us is that even if we are told something is good to do, we should consider where that information will lead us. Consider a situation in which we are told something is good for us, but after a little thought we realize that we must compromise some of our values in order to carry out the final goal. That would not be wise in the eyes of the Lord. For example, consider being told that we should dress like the rest of the crowd (provocative) so that we fit in. But, when we think about the consequences, a member of the opposite sex might be tempted by our dress, which would be against what the Lord would desire.
Proverbs 14:15 (NASB)
[15] The *naive believes everything,
But the sensible man considers his steps.
(3) The third what is Teachableness. The book of Proverbs reminds us that we should think about those times when we have been chastised for some cause. We need to think about the consequences of not following through and about how our earthly fathers were trying to direct our path in the right direction. In fact, our heavenly father disciplines us in the same way - so that we will walk in the right path. For us to reject that discipline would not be wise, and would not keep us in line with what the Father's will is in our life. This is also in line with what the book of Proverbs says about gathering knowledge for ourselves. We become more useful to the Lord in our daily life because our studies, especially in the Word of God, will allow the Lord to bring the information to our minds when we need it.
Proverbs 15:5 (NASB)
[5] A fool *rejects his father's discipline,
But he who regards reproof is sensible.
Proverbs 18:15 (NASB)
[15] The *mind of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
(4) The fourth what is Foresight. This is the ability, mentioned in the book of Proverbs, where we look at what is going on around us, think about it, decide that there is danger, and we seek shelter from the coming danger. A person who does not look at the situation around him will always get into trouble. For example, imagine walking on a deserted street and seeing someone waiting to rob you up ahead. The best course of action would be to not head in that direction.
Proverbs 22:3 (NASB)
[3] The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the *naive go on, and are punished for it.
(5) the fourth what is Spiritual Insight. The book of Hosea indicates that the prudent person, or the one who considers his walk, constantly looks at the ways of the Lord. If we are to be truly righteous before the Lord we will walk in his ways. We will make every attempt at understanding His ways and we will use them to discern what is going on around us. We only get this insight by keeping in the Word of God and letting the Lord teach us how to use what we have learned.
Hosea 14:9 (NASB)
[9] Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
Whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the ways of the LORD are right,
And the righteous will walk in them,
But transgressors will stumble in them.
(6) The sixth what is Silence. A prudent man knows when to keep his/her mouth shut. Sometimes that is important for our survival. We have already seen that a fool will blurt out what he knows. When you are in an evil time (think under arrest for being a Christian) you would be wise to keep silent until such time as it is proper for you to speak. You need to weigh what to do in each instance. Again, keeping in mind what it teaches in the Word of God about such things.
Amos 5:13 (NASB)
[13] Therefore at *such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time.
(1) Therefore our first element of what is Reserve or Caution. And, from the book of Proverbs it tells us that a prudent man does not always blurt out what he knows, in contrast to a fool who does. Imagine a situation in which it is better to wait and see whether indicating such knowledge is a good idea or not.
Proverbs 12:23 (NASB)
[23] A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
Proverbs 13:16 (NASB)
[16] Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool *displays folly.
(2) The second what is that of Caution. What Proverbs tells us is that even if we are told something is good to do, we should consider where that information will lead us. Consider a situation in which we are told something is good for us, but after a little thought we realize that we must compromise some of our values in order to carry out the final goal. That would not be wise in the eyes of the Lord. For example, consider being told that we should dress like the rest of the crowd (provocative) so that we fit in. But, when we think about the consequences, a member of the opposite sex might be tempted by our dress, which would be against what the Lord would desire.
Proverbs 14:15 (NASB)
[15] The *naive believes everything,
But the sensible man considers his steps.
(3) The third what is Teachableness. The book of Proverbs reminds us that we should think about those times when we have been chastised for some cause. We need to think about the consequences of not following through and about how our earthly fathers were trying to direct our path in the right direction. In fact, our heavenly father disciplines us in the same way - so that we will walk in the right path. For us to reject that discipline would not be wise, and would not keep us in line with what the Father's will is in our life. This is also in line with what the book of Proverbs says about gathering knowledge for ourselves. We become more useful to the Lord in our daily life because our studies, especially in the Word of God, will allow the Lord to bring the information to our minds when we need it.
Proverbs 15:5 (NASB)
[5] A fool *rejects his father's discipline,
But he who regards reproof is sensible.
Proverbs 18:15 (NASB)
[15] The *mind of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
(4) The fourth what is Foresight. This is the ability, mentioned in the book of Proverbs, where we look at what is going on around us, think about it, decide that there is danger, and we seek shelter from the coming danger. A person who does not look at the situation around him will always get into trouble. For example, imagine walking on a deserted street and seeing someone waiting to rob you up ahead. The best course of action would be to not head in that direction.
Proverbs 22:3 (NASB)
[3] The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the *naive go on, and are punished for it.
(5) the fourth what is Spiritual Insight. The book of Hosea indicates that the prudent person, or the one who considers his walk, constantly looks at the ways of the Lord. If we are to be truly righteous before the Lord we will walk in his ways. We will make every attempt at understanding His ways and we will use them to discern what is going on around us. We only get this insight by keeping in the Word of God and letting the Lord teach us how to use what we have learned.
Hosea 14:9 (NASB)
[9] Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
Whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the ways of the LORD are right,
And the righteous will walk in them,
But transgressors will stumble in them.
(6) The sixth what is Silence. A prudent man knows when to keep his/her mouth shut. Sometimes that is important for our survival. We have already seen that a fool will blurt out what he knows. When you are in an evil time (think under arrest for being a Christian) you would be wise to keep silent until such time as it is proper for you to speak. You need to weigh what to do in each instance. Again, keeping in mind what it teaches in the Word of God about such things.
Amos 5:13 (NASB)
[13] Therefore at *such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time.