My Sister Wisdom

My twin sister and I are very close. We attended the same schools, and we share many things in common—same room, same wardrobe, and—most importantly—same faith. Aside from God, no one knows me better than she does.

So when I read in Proverbs 7:4 that we’re to “love wisdom like a sister,” my thoughts went immediately to the close relationship I have with my twin sibling. And I’m not too far off, for the Hebrew word for “sister” is a term of endearment that expresses intimacy (Song of Songs 4:9-10 NIV).

The metaphor is meant to encourage us to be closely related to and familiar with wisdom and insight, as if they were beloved members of the family. We’re to treat the way of wisdom as a deep commitment and an intimate relationship, not an academic pursuit. For when we “love wisdom like a sister,” she’ll hold us back from courting sin and from walking down the pathway of destruction (vv.5, 24-25).

A case study in Proverbs 7:6-23 illustrates the point. We read of a young man who made several conscious choices to act foolishly. He unwisely strolled about town, in the wrong place and at the wrong time of night. He was looking for trouble. When an immoral woman approached him and boldly seduced him, he didn’t flee. She flattered him, and he liked it. She enticed him, and he pondered her proposition. She assured him that a night with her would be both sensual and safe, and he believed her.

The writer was intentional when he personified wisdom as a beloved sister and temptation as an immoral woman. When tempted, there are always two voices competing for our attention. Which one do we listen to? The one we love more.

—Poh Fang Chia

Taken from “Our Daily Journey”