Biblical Home Construction and Decorating . . . Proverbs 24:3-4

By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4

There are things written by authors concerning how to built a godly home - volume after volume - and yet none of them can come close to giving the kind of counsel we find in these two simple verses in Proverbs.  Four simple lines written here that let us know how we can have a home filled with all that is pleasant and all that will let the world know that we are truly rich.

The very first princple must never be missed.  A godly home will never exist without a proper view of its plans and materials.  It is by wisdom that a house is built.  Wisdom is our familiar word, "chokmah" in the Hebrew.  I love this statement about wisdom made by Keil and Delitzsch in their volume on Proverbs.

"It is wisdom, that which originates from God, which is rooted in fellowship with Him, by which every household, be it great or small, prospers and attains to a successful and flourishing state."

Wisdom is seeing things as God sees them.  Wisdom views all of life - all its decisions as decisions to be made in agreement with His will and His Word.  Oh, how blessed is the house that lives this way!  But life requires more than just seeing things as God sees them.  This home, built upon God's wisdom, is established as this view of life is translated into daily decisions, for it is by understanding that this home so built is established.  Understanding takes the wisdom of God and moves it into our decision making processes.  We take the Word - and use it to discern and understand the situations we face every day.  It is the prism through which we experience life - which takes our problems and decisions and bends them toward the will of God as a prism takes light and bends it into all its array of colors.  Thus understanding bends all our decisions toward God so that we see them for what they are - and helps us make decisions in accordance with all that will please and honor Him. 

It is one thing to fill yourself with the Word of God - but quite another to then take that Word and apply it to all of life - especially how you bring up your family.  But what a blessing to know that when you do, your home will be well-built and established so that it can stand strong for years.  Kind of like what Jesus said in Matthew 7 - that the wise man builds his house on a life that hears and heeds the Word of God - as a wise builder founds his house upon a rock instead of upon sand. 

This building process even continues to the point of interior decorating.  We are told by the Lord not just how to build the house - but how to fill all the rooms to capacity with abundant wealth. 

The various rooms of this house are filled with precious things by knowledge.  This word is closely associated with wisdom - and means a technical or specific ability to do something - here it means taking the Word of God and usin it to walk through life.  It means to wield wisdom with great skill and ability.  The man who has this kind of specific skill with wisdom knows how to take God's Word and apply it in every situation that comes up in life.

A beautiful picture emerges as we look at this word and how God applies it here.  God speaks of how various rooms are filled with items specific to the room.  Is this not how homes are decorated?  We would never think of putting a sofa in our kitchen - or a toilet in the living room.  A stove fits perfectly with a kitchen, yet would look absolutely ridiculous if put as a bedside table in our bedroom.  So also is wisdom put into place by one who knows how to use it.  This man fills up his home with the perfect match of furniture and decorations - room by room.  He knows how to speak to any and every situation with just the right statement.  Proverbs tells us that like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.  To decorate our lives in just the right way requires a skill with wisdom and the Word.  Like a master decorator - the wise man puts the perfect touch on every opportunity with his family and friends with words of wisdom and understanding. 

Each room is filled with "precious and pleasant riches."  The word "precious" is the Hebrew "yaqar" which means something valuable and rare.  It is used throughout the Old Testament to describe costly and expensive stones that were used as foundation stones or jewels.  We would expect nothing less since wisdom itself is described as being more precious than jewels and as that which cannot be bested  by gold and silver.  Imagine walking into a home where each room greets you with an array of jewelry perfectly placed to accent the room so that it glimmers with a sense of perfection.  That describes the way the wise man accessorises all of life with the perfect word spoken to every aspect of living.  Yet, what is even more marvelous is the next word used here.  He not only fills each room with precious things - but also with that which is described as pleasant as well. 

The Hebew word here is "naem" and it means that which is pleasant, sweet, comfortable, delightful, and beautiful.  The wisdom and knowledge with which this man builts and decorates his home and life is not only profitable, but it spoken in such a way that it is delightful as well.  Wisdom presents the truth so that it is pleasant to those who receive it.  It would be foolishness to think that every wise saying will be pleasant at all times, for our fallen mentality must be addressed and our waywardness must be corrected.  But too often we think that such things must always carry with them a bitter taste and sharp character.  Oh, what a wise man it is who can take even the most difficult of truths or deep corrections and state them in such a way to soften the blow - while still addressing the core corruption involved.  If you know such a man or woman - hold fast to them - and thank God for a rarity that is greater than a 25 carat diamond. 

When I read this short exposition, I realize it is a rare thing to see such a man in this world.  One would almost come to a sense of despair to locate such a man on this planet.  Thank God that such a man rises above all others with our Lord Jesus Christ.  This is not so much a life to be attained, but one that is bestowed upon us as we daily search the Scriptures and look to our Lord.  We do have the pleasure of knowing such a One as this - yet it is only as we fellowxship morning by morning with Him in the Word at the foot of the throne of God.  Yet God, in His mercy, encourages such a meeting.  We can meet with Christ and partake of His wisdom and understanding - finding that even today, as when He was twelve - that His answers and wisdom astounds us.  May we grasp that when building and decorating our homes and families - that a master builder is available to come alongside us and give us the skill of a Bezalel and Uriah as our lives are constructed for His glory.