The Quiet Marks Of Wisdom

We first met Lady Wisdom on Day 2 (Proverbs 1:20), when she spoke briefly (vv. 22-33). Now, having heard about the lure of the seductress in Proverbs 5, 6:20-35, and 7:6-27, we hear from Lady Wisdom again.

Proverbs 8 stresses Lady Wisdom’s accessibility. She is not hidden, but stands on the heights, at intersections, and at major entry points (vv. 2-3). A stark contrast to the seductress’ secretive and deceptive ways, Lady Wisdom is open and honest. She is also available to everyone (v. 4), and the simple, the naive, and the foolish-who are gullible and easily misled-would do well to listen to her (v. 5).

Verses 6-9 show the ethical value of Lady Wisdom’s speech, while verses 10-11 extol their preciousness. We are thus to ″listen″ (v. 6) and to ″choose″ her instructions (v. 10).

In a world of much talk and twitter, how refreshing it is to be exhorted to simply listen! In a world in which material possessions are deemed all-important, how surprising it is to be urged to pursue that which is non-material-wisdom!

These are the qualities with which Lady Wisdom is much at home: prudence, knowledge, and discretion (v. 12). She distances herself from pride, arrogance, evil, and perversity (v. 13)-all traits of the foolish life. The qualities of wisdom make for successful leadership (vv. 14-16). Wisdom will sometimes also lead to wealth (vv. 18-21), as in the case of Solomon. Remember, however, that he sought wisdom first, and wealth came only as its companion (1 Kings 3:13).

We saw in Proverbs 2:6 (Day 3) that wisdom is a gift of God. Here, we also see Lady Wisdom giving gifts-she rewards those who love and seek her (8:17), and she provides precious fruit to passionate, single-minded suitors (v. 19).

Wisdom’s appeal is a familiar one: ″Everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened″ (Matthew 7:8).

Think Through:

Taken from Journey Through Proverbs: 50 Biblical Insights by David Cook.