Draw out the wisdom! - October 10th, 2011

⁵ Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out. 

Proverbs 20:5

History and Context:
King Solomon, son of King David, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote the majority of the proverbs in order to share his wisdom. Many of his proverbs have become common sayings in today's society and people don't even realize that they are from the Bible. Proverbs are one line nuggets of wisdom, therefore there is not really any context to consider as this line stands by itself. At the beginning of the book of Proverbs Solomon addresses his 'son' which have led many to believe that he wrote this book for his biological son, but it could also simply be a term for any younger man that happens to read the sayings.

The Text:

There has always been a need for mentors. There is something about an older man or woman taking a younger man or woman under their 'wing' and training them in a one-on-one setting. Often we talk about how important it is for the older men of our society to take the initiative to take someone younger and begin mentoring them. We put all the responsibility on the elders. Sometimes as younger men and women we will even complain about the fact that there is no one who is willing to mentor us, but it seems that Solomon, in this proverb, is switching the responsibility. He says that the counsel must be drawn out of the heart of a man like deep water. In other words when I find someone that has more wisdom and knowledge than I do, it is my responsibility to draw that out of the man. Maybe it is my responsibility, as the younger man, to initiate the mentor relationship. Also in a more formal setting, when someone is teaching, we will often complain that the teacher wasn't good and therefore we didn't recieve anything. But again it is often our responsibility to draw that counsel out of the teacher with our expectation and hunger.

The Challenge:

If you are waiting for someone to come and mentor you, stop waiting and start looking. Find a person that you respect and trust and ask God how you can take the initiative to draw the counsel out of them. Next time you are sitting under someone who is teaching or preaching, don't wait for them to say something that catches your ear just right, sit with expectation. Listen with hunger and draw out of them what you need to hear in that time. Take responsibility for your own growth in this way.

The Prayer:

Lord, help me to draw the counsel and wisdom out of those wise men and women who you have surrounded me with. Make me a man of understanding that I can take responsibility for my own growth in you. In Jesus' name, Amen!