Proverbs 24

 "Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established: and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."

~Proverbs 24:3-5, 10

Wow. These verses are gold and it would help us to apply them directly into our lives. Let's dig a little deeper. 

A house is built through wisdom. It's constructive. For any house to be built correctly, the foundation must be wisdom. This involves planning and skill and with such a foundation, it will endure - not just exist. 

In Matthew 7:24-25 Jesus says, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock."

 We've seen in previous chapters of Prov. that wisdom is the principal thing, it comes from God, and happy is the person who finds it. If wisdom comes from God, then you must know what God says. But how can you know what God says if you don't read the Bible??? Many Christians rely on traditions or what they've been taught. They don't want to change their mind on anything because they think they've been taught right. But I think if we started searching the Scriptures for ourselves to see if those things are so, we'd find that some of the things we believe aren't truly biblical. The Bible is our rock - not words or traditions passed down. 

Next, we see understanding. Understanding establishes; it brings structure, strength, and durability.  This important quality involves many things: 

↪ noticing connections, 

↪ grasping concepts,

↪ actively listening

↪ knowing why not just how, 

↪ preparing for the future,

↪ seeking to understand motives, not just behaviors.

A person with understanding doesn't build a marriage, business, ministry, or character without foresight. Foresight allows for time, conflict, growth, seasons of life, etc.  Knowledge is the means by which family and society are enriched. 

Verse 4 shows the results of wisdom. The house can be beautifully filled with precious and pleasant riches. Note the word 'chambers.' Chambers represent inner rooms in the heart and mind. Precious and pleasant riches refer to not just material wealth, because how many people have you met who worked all their life for money but were still miserable? There's a lot. Peace, joy, wisdom are extremely precious things to have, even more valuable than money. 

Verse 5 teaches us that strength does not lie in the physical alone, though most people focus on that only. The mental, emotional, and spiritual strength or weakness of a person affects the whole body. What good is it for a person to be physically strong but mentally weak? Any area of life where weakness reigns needs to be worked on because weakness exposes a vulnerability which means predators can easily attack. We have this adversary, the devil, whose goal is to kill, steal, and destroy, and he uses our weaknesses to try to knock us down. Weakness also disrupts stability. Think of a house. If part of the foundation of the house is weak, the whole thing will be unstable. 

Staying emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and/or physically weak can actually hurt relationships or create separation. This is why working on all parts must be prioritized. Work on becoming a wise person who grows stronger in influence, clarity, and stability. 

Finally, we end at verse 10. How we respond under pressure reveals the reality of our strength. In the day of adversity, oppression, persecution, temptation, suffering, do we easily give up, fall apart, or retreat? If so, that displays small, insufficient strength. Dear friend, we need to work on our inner strength. The verse says it so plainly, that if we do faint, our strength is small. But don't think this is negative. It actually invites reflection and examination. Ask yourself - are you prepared for hardship? Do you have emotional and spiritual and mental strength? It takes work. It takes time. Sometimes it takes rewiring of the brain. But it's so worth it. And in the day of adversity? You'll be glad you worked on it beforehand so that you will not faint.