You Are Not the Arbiter of Wisdom (Proverbs 3:7-8)

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil” (v. 7). Pride is the oldest heresy—the whispered lie that we know better than God. True wisdom begins not with self-regard but with reverence. To be “wise in your own eyes” is to be blind to God’s wisdom. It’s to stand on sinking sand and call it a foundation, to call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). But the fear of the Lord lifts the eyes away from the self and up toward holiness. This fear is not terror but awe, not dread but zeal. It humbles us, exposes our sin, and drives us from evil—not because we’re righteous, but because we know the Righteous One.

Neither is the wisdom of God is mere abstract philosophy. It touches the body as well as the soul. “It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones” (v. 8). The Hebrew word for “health” here is רִפְאוּת (riphuth)—healing, restoration. To live in the fear of the Lord, to walk in repentance, and to trust in His Word is not only spiritual vitality but a balm for the weary body. Sin eats away at us. Guilt festers in the bones (cf. Job 30:17; Psalm 6:2). But the peace of walking in the Lord’s ways brings healing. Not always in the form of physical ease, but in the settled strength of a conscience at rest in God’s mercy (cf. 1 Peter 3:21).

There’s a profound connection between obedience and well-being—not as a transactional bargain but as a gracious design. When we fear the Lord and depart from evil, we walk in the pattern of life He Himself has woven into the world. The Commandments are not cages; they are compass points. “Do this,” or “don’t do that,” and you will lead a good life, generally speaking. To follow the Commandments by faith is to be drawn closer to the One in whom all healing dwells. Christ is the Great Physician not only of the body but even of the broken heart and the crushed spirit (cf. Psalm 51:17).

Therefore, do not seek wisdom in your own eyes. That gaze is too near-sighted. Instead, lift your eyes to the cross where the wisdom of God seems foolish to the world but brings the power of salvation to all who believe (1 Corinthians 1:18, 21). Let His wounds be your healing, His Word your direction, and His mercy your reverence. Then you will find health—not in ease, but in grace. And your bones, once weary, will be strengthened by the hand of the One who made them.