CHAPTER 20
UNDERSTANDING WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established, by knowledge the rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” (NIV) “Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.” (LB) Proverbs 24:3
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n this saying Solomon is giving us a powerful recipe. Notice the three ingredients; wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. These three things, when combined and applied to an endeavor, have a synergy that is nearly unstoppable. Each by themselves are helpful but when combined Solomon says the results will be like beautiful treasures. You have undoubtedly seen situations where only one ingredient was at work without the others. Often people scratch their heads and say, “It is so strange that this person is not experiencing more success. They seem to have a lot going for them.” I have seen many a pastor with the wisdom to start a church reach a certain 118