Proverbs 29:3-4 Two Pillars
Not Boaz and Jachin, the pillars of Solomon’s Temple, but wisdom and justice. Two crucial pillars of any law or healthy government.
When the title “Two Pillars” first came to me I had to look up the names of the pillars in Solomon’s Temple. I wanted to know if their names were “Wisdom” and “Justice” as these two elements are essential in any good ruler. They certainly were for Solomon.
The pillar’s names threw me for a loop! Who names a stone “Boaz” or “Jachin”? Then I went looking for the meaning of these two names. THERE is where I found wisdom AND understanding. Jachin, in Hebrew, means “He will establish” while Boaz, in Hebrew, means “In Him is strength.” On the website page giving the meaning of the names says “He/it” but we KNOW which one Solomon meant when he gave the pillars their names. God, in His strength, established the kingdom of Israel. He also has established His own Kingdom that we are a part of.
Anyway, back to the my ‘two pillars’. Without wisdom there is no justice. The story of the two prostitutes and the one living child springs to mind as a perfect illustration of that concept. If Solomon had not used the wisdom God gave him, how would anyone have known who the true mother was? Wisdom said that a TRUE mother would rather see her child in the arms of another than dead. The treat of death for the child brought out the heart of both women.
Can I digress for just a moment? As my granddaughter says; “Too bad. Doing it anyway.” Thinking about this story and what a true mother would want for her child, brings up the topics of abortion and adoption for me. I understand that MANY people have chosen both these options, but my question to you is, “Which group would you call true mothers?” I have a feeling you know my answer. Not every woman who becomes pregnant can, or even wants to, raise a child. But those who have the heart of a mother choose not to harm the child; the innocent one in the whole process.
I had a pregnancy between my first and second children that ended in a miscarriage. There were circumstances that I didn’t have control over that separated the placenta from my uterus. But nothing separated my heart from that unborn child. When the doctor put down “spontaneous abortion” on my medical records I nearly FLIPPED! This was NOT an abortion. It was a miscarriage and will forever be so in my mind. Calling the death of my unborn child anything else is a knife in this mother’s heart. And probably many other mother’s hearts.
Sorry for the sidetrack. Let’s get back to “wisdom” and “justice”; our two pillars. We have seen wisdom drive justice but it can also happen in reverse. The thirst for justice forces one to use wisdom to see it is done. The story that comes to mind as an example comes from one of Jesus’ proverbs. We see the parable I’m referring to in Luke 18:1-8. In this parable a certain widow would NOT give up on the obtaining the justice she needed. She knew what was right and refused to accept anything less. The man sitting in judgment over her was an unjust judge and didn’t want to be bothered with her concerns. He couldn’t escape them though. She REFUSED to give up until TRUE justice was done. The judge was forced to see the wisdom of granting her justice. Only then would he receive peace. The search for justice drove the use of wisdom.
Our court system today is a FAR CRY from perfect. I have been involved in too many cases to think otherwise. If only the wisdom that Solomon used would flow through our courthouses too! The goal of the court is to seek justice, but unlike the statue of “Lady Liberty” with her blindfold on, our courts from the bottom up are NOT blind to anything but the facts. Favor and influence flow through the hallways and into the courtrooms like the waters that lifted Noah and the ark from the earth. Instead of being a cleansing flood it is a flood filled with tears and blood of the innocent.
Not until true wisdom and justice work hand in hand will our world will destruction cease. Love resides at the interception of these two principles. And THAT won’t happen on a large scale until Jesus returns. This doesn’t excuse us from not using these two pillars in our lives though. Find every chance to exercise these two foundational pillars in your life. I will do the same in mine. Together we can at least shine a light in a dark place and draw others to Him.
Father God, thank You that there IS justice and wisdom. Without both I would be totally mixed up. Thank You that You also have given me grace. If I got ALL the ‘justice’ I deserve I would be dead. Justice would have demanded my life. But Jesus gave His in my place. This way I am judged by His standard righteousness, wisdom, and justice; not my own.
