Proverbs 24:4
"And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches"
The word knowledge is the key to this continuation of the proverb. Knowledge is the Hebrew word daath which means information, perception, discernment, skill. This is the controlling idea for filling one’s house with precious and pleasant riches. If one is going to fill one’s life with true riches, then one is going to need information and skill. Too often we want to gain relational, material, emotional, and/or mental wealth without any effort or practice. Life does not work this way. We know from other parts of Scripture that relational wealth is the greatest treasure that one can have in life. (Mark 12:30,31)
Solomon is telling us that we come into the world without the information and abilities that we need to build a truly wealthy life. We must go after it. We need to understand what we are going after, and then we must admit that we need to learn. We need to see connections. We need to listen to people who have actually built a rich, relationally, wealthy life.
One of the first steps toward a wonderful life is to admit that you really don't know how to build one or you would already have built it. Jesus calls this being poor in spirit. The New Testament calls this humility. Solomon here calls this the need for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.
Let me get specific:
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have a great marriage?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have a great family?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have a great walk with God?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have a great career?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have a great personal life?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have great friendships?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have a great financial portfolio?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have a great community?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to have a great church?
Do you know and have you become skilled at the basic actions that are required to turn enemies into friends?
One of the tragic truths is that both Solomon and all of us have watched people fill their life with unpleasant riches and detestable riches. When your life is filled with bad relationships, guilt, shame, lack of generosity, hatred, stolen items, your life is filled; but it is not pleasant.
What is also important to realize is that the riches are not necessarily material ones. In fact, I believe that those are the specific kinds he is trying to get us to do some discerning about. All of us, at one time or another, have desired more stuff but those are not precious and pleasant riches.
The most precious and pleasant treasures that can fill a house are the people who love you and with whom you have a great relationship. It takes skill, perception, information, and ability to maintain a relationship with the people in your family. When the rooms are filled with loving family members, you have been skillful.
Now when one has material goods added to a base of great relationships, then it is called abundance. But I am aware, as you are, of many people who have lots of material wealth but a paltry amount of relationships. They cannot fill a house with the people who love them and they are really poor.
Realize that one of the things that you should focus on learning is how to get along with people. A solid course in people skills is one of the wisest investments you can make.
What good is it if you have a huge home but no one wants to come out of their rooms because they can't stand one another? If you have lots of money but your family despises you, then you are poor.
Ask yourself: What have I done this week that will increase the most valuable relationships in my life? It does matter if I relate to my wife using skill. It does matter if I interact with my children with knowledge and perception. I want my children to be able to trust me and know that I will listen to them.
What are the key skills for this type of room filling: eye contact, minimal encourages, listening, open-ended questions, time with the person, active paraphrasing and listening to them, asking them if you heard them correctly.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz