Proverbs 24.3-4
“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
This proverb paints a vivid picture of how the Lord wants us to build and develop our institutions and organizations: First build a strong foundation, then construct a sturdy house on that foundation, and then fill the rooms of the house with “with all precious and pleasant riches.”
All three components of the building (the foundation, the house, and the content of the rooms) must be guided by wisdom. The Hebrew word for wisdom in this verse is hokma, which we first encountered in the early chapters of Proverbs. It means knowledge and skill; it means knowing what to do and how to do it. In Hebrew texts, hokma is sometimes used to describe craftsmen who are skillful at their jobs.
The great question is this: Are you a hokma Christian? Are you knowledgeable and skillful in your 20 Square Feet at home? At work? As a citizen? In your spiritual life? The answer determines what kind of “house” you are building in those areas.
Like the God who designed and created us, we are builders. Therefore, the Lord calls us to follow his process for designing and developing. Deviation from God’s design is an invitation to disaster.
It should be noted that this verse (which tells us how we should build our institutions and communities) follows the same sequence of disciplines that an earlier proverb says the Lord himself followed in creating the earth. “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.” (Proverbs 3:19-20)
As the Lord has demonstrated through Creation, designing and developing anything of significance requires the disciplines of knowledge, skill, and wisdom. Keep in mind that the more complex and challenging the enterprise, the greater the knowledge and skill required. High levels of expertise and effort are necessary.
Great companies are built. Same for elite teams, healthy families, prosperous communities, and productive nations. And they are built by knowledge and skill … in other words, they are built by wisdom.
Trust God and build wisely.
