Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, will he teach sinners in the way (Psalm 25:8). The Father will teach sinners who rest at the foot of His understanding. We are at the foot of understanding when we desire nothing more than we desire peace. King David taught us the ultimate goal of a righteous man must be peace saying, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace (Psalms 37:37). King David taught us that we will never be free and complete until we desire nothing more than we desire peace.  

            We have a spirit of wisdom when we are repulsed by sin and satisfied with peace. The scriptures teach us that we will never get to a spirit of wisdom if we desire something more than we desire peace saying, “all her (i.e., Wisdom’s) ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peace (Proverbs 3:17). Our understanding is our path because it allows us to remain consistent. Like a walkway between a lawn, our understanding allows us to remain on a consistent course. Like the yellow brick understanding that guided Dorothy to the Wizard of Oz, peace guides us to wisdom. If we forsake peace, we forsake the way to wisdom.

            The Father will perfect us with righteousness and wisdom if we desire nothing more than we desire peace. This is what it means to be humble. This is the first step we must take to receive the Father’s instruction. The scriptures teach us that the Father will teach even sinners who take this step (Psalm 25:8). All that we need for repentance is a contrite heart and a broken spirit. David taught us this saying, “For you do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:17).            

We can still seek instruction from the Father when we are enslaved by sin. We often think we are being hypocrites. It’s important for us to remember that it’s not what we are but where we are in the spiritual realm. When we know better, but can’t overcome our desire to do otherwise, we are hypocrites in heart. The heart can be deceiving if we fail to hold to the understanding provided by the Father. Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out (Proverbs 20:5). To depart from evil is understanding (Job 28:28). Even with that understanding the Father will teach us when we are in the way desiring nothing more than our desire peace.