"To make you know the certainty of the words of truth that you may correctly answer him who sent you"
Solomon has been in an intensive education process. His mission throughout Proverbs is how to cause ordinary people who want to be wise to really understand what is happening in the world.
to make you know the certainty of the words of truth
certainty
This is the Hebrew word qosht, which means truth or certainty. The idea here is that Solomon wants us, his students, to realize that he is not pumping sunshine in these lessons; but instead he has been giving truth -- truth about the way the world really is, not the phony world that your mind wishes to be real. There really are fools. There really are wise people. There is a huge difference that can be made in your own life by the choices that you make. You are not fated to live a certain way and to make certain mistakes. You can choose to be wise or choose to be foolish. The choice is yours.
This course in wisdom is a course in truth and not just methods in manipulation or interesting facts that don't really help you in life. This course teaches truth.
that you may correctly answer him who sent you
This is a fascinating statement, pregnant with meaning. The actual literal translation of this second phrase is that you may return the words of truth to him who sent you. Some commentators see the person who sent you as your employer and you are the teacher of wisdom.
It is also true that God has sent you into this world to develop a heart of wisdom as Moses says in the 90th Psalm. At the end of life, you will be required to give an account of your life and the wisdom you have collected and expressed.
I was interested the other day as I was reading a summary transcript of near-death experiences. It was fascinating how biblically accurate their description of the experience was. Person after person said that they were guided through a life review of their whole life. The big things in life were not big anymore, but instead God was looking for whether they had loved others and had chosen wisdom. The two values that were looked for in the life review of those in these near-death experiences were love and wisdom.
I realize that there is an unreliability to these anecdotal experiences, but it is interesting that what God says will happen, happens.
One day, the Bible says, you will present your soul to God for an examination. If you have asked Jesus Christ to be your substitute atonement for your sins, the question of your sins is no longer in question but whether you have developed a life full of love and wisdom still is. If you want to honor God, have a great life, and receive the “well done” at the end, then realize that you have been sent here by God to develop a soul full of wisdom and to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself.
One day you will have an answer to give to the one who sent you into this world. Did you live a life of wisdom and love?
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz