Wisdom in 2009 pt. 2 - What does Solomon mean by "sense"?

If you took the time to read my post from January 4th about Wisdom in 2009, you know that God has me on a journey in Proverbs this year. I read the book through in January reading a chapter a day and God has begun, what I know is going to be a life changing year for me. I want to first make a few comments on some things I discovered in my first time through Proverbs this year.

If you will remember (or if you don't, check out my first article), I have a hang-up with assuming that common sense decisions are always from God. I do not believe they are. So when I started coming across verses dealing with common sense (the ESV uses the word sense 20 times in Proverbs), I became somewhat troubled. How is one supposed to think about this? I believe after digging a bit in Strongs, I have reconciled the two seemingly at-odds ideas about wisdom. Here's what I found.

There are three different Hebrew words translated sense in the ESV and one of them is the root of another. The first, and most common is "Leb." Strongs defines Leb as: inner man, mind, will heart, understanding, soul, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, or determination (of will). The first time this word shows up in Proverbs, it is used three times in one verse!

"making you ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding." Proverbs 2:2 (ESV)

The first time it shows up translated as "sense" is in 6:32.

"He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself." (ESV)

Clearly in the first verse the wisdom referred to is not from the person, but comes from outside the person, thus the command to pay attention to it is understandable. In the second, it sounds more like something that we innately possess. Even though it appears that way, I want to beg to differ. Check out how Jeremiah uses the word:

"The heart is deceitfully wicked above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to the fruit of his deeds." Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV)

So our common sense is "deceitfully wicked above all things." But here's the good news, later in the book, Jeremiah uses the word again.

"I will put My laws within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Jeremiah 31:33b (ESV)

This changes EVERYTHING! When God comes and gives us new hearts, nothing stays the same. So this second use of Leb in Proverbs is also from outside us. The "sense" that comes from our hearts without Christ's control is folly. But with Him at the helm, we can trust what He has put in our hearts.

Now the second and third word used for sense in Proverbs are essentially the same, one word is the root for the other. The root is Sakal, meaning: to be prudent, be circumspect, or wisely understand. I must confess, I didn't know what circumspect was, so I looked it up. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, it means "heedful of circumstances and potential consequences." The word that immediately came to my mind was discernment, which is a gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11)! So here's the verse where it is used:

"One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead." Proverbs 21:16 (ESV)

I hope you don't mind my taking a long time here, but God is, I believe, revealing what His wisdom looks like and He is birthing in me a desire to pursue it more.

Praying you will join me,
~Jon