As we journey through the book of Proverbs, we are consistently called to live in the everyday wisdom of God. No doubt, we all want to grow in Proverbs’ ways of wisdom. We want to be better spouses, parents, friends, and workers. We want to be more humble and be a more godly influence on people. 

The problem is that, as Proverbs 20:9 reminds us, we can’t: “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” The implied answer to Solomon’s question is “no one.” We are all impure in God’s sight. 

Our impurity becomes clear as we come to know God better. Even as Proverbs leads us towards wisdom, it shows us our faults. But we also find that there is a solution to our impurity, and it is grace of God. And so, although God’s Word reveals your sin, God gives grace to remedy your sin.

The fear of God reveals your impurity. 

Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

As we come to know and understand God, we also begin to understand our own impurity. If we are honest with ourselves, when we see His righteousness clearly, we will realize that we do not measure up. 

We also must realize that God, as the righteous judge, is the one who determines who is pure and who is not. 

Proverbs 16:2, “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But the Lord weigheth the spirits.”

Our natural inclination is to say, “If you ask me, I’m a pretty good person.” The problem is that we are not the judge of who is a good person. Isaiah 64:6 compares our righteousness to “filthy rags,” like a shop towel covered in grease and dirt. Though we think we’re right before God, we are actually impure. 

When we learn to fear God, we see this clearly. We realize that He is the righteous judge and that we fall short of His standard. 

The wisdom of God reveals your impurity. 

Proverbs 8:5, 7-9, “O ye simple, understand wisdom: And, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart….For my mouth shall speak truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, And right to them that find knowledge.”

Compare yourself to this wisdom. Do you always speak truth and find sinful or perverted words to be repulsive? Do you hate evil and pride? Hopefully the answer is yes – but in practice, we often fail to live as if “yes” is the truth. 

When we compare our lives to the wisdom of God, it should cause to realize that we do not hate sin like we ought. It’s easy to hate what we think of as the “worst sins.” But it’s hard to remember that lashing out your spouse, neglecting to seek peace with your friends, or haphazardly abusing your God-given resources are also sin, for they are a rejection of what God calls good and wise. 

When we open our Bibles and see what God calls wise, it should cause us to realize that we are not wise. As is implied in Proverbs 20:9, we are impure people. 

The love of God overcomes your impurity. 

Romans 5:6-9, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

Christ died specifically because we are impure. He didn’t die hoping we would become good if we saw how much He loves us. He didn’t die to cover only the little bit we couldn’t cover with our own good works. Christ died to be our whole salvation. 

The blood of Christ blots out our sin (c.f., Psalm 51:1). Imagine that your sin is written down in a ledger. As you turn the pages, you see every line filled with every sin you’ve ever committed. Nothing is left out, and everything is recorded in great detail. For the believer, the blood of Christ is painted over every line, completely covering every single sin – past, present, and future. 

So, by the blood of Christ, we are reconciled. Our account has been settled. Our ledger filled with the purity of the Savior. Our relationship with God restored by the blood of the Lamb. 

We now realize the hope encased in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.” Our impurities are overcome in an eternal sense by grace through faith in Christ alone. And as we walk the Christian life, our impurities are also overcome as we lean on the Lord to guide us to walk in His wisdom. 

Though learning to fear the Lord and walk in His wisdom both reveal our inadequacies and impurities, His grace is strong enough to overcome our weakness. As we seek to live in the everyday wisdom of God, let us lean on the Lord and trust Him alone, that we may find the grace He gives to walk in His ways. 

Questions for Discussion: 

1. Read Proverbs 8:13. What is an indication that you truly fear God? Do you see this characteristic in your life? 

2. Read Proverbs 30:12. Do you ever find yourself thinking that you’re pure by your own standard? If so, why do you think that way? 

3. Read Psalm 51:16-17 and explain why outward actions aren’t always a measure of inward purity. 

4. Read Proverbs 3:5-6 and 4:23. How can you “keep your heart”? How does this lead to being able to walk in godly wisdom? 

5. Read Romans 5:6-9 again. How does God’s grace overcome your impurity? How should we respond to God’s grace?