If you had the chance to win the lottery or be endowed with wisdom from God, which would you choose? Solomon has an answer to that question.
Take my instruction instead of silver
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
For wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (Proverbs 8.10-11)
Jesus puts Solomon’s wisdom in perspective with His insights. “For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
“Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?” (Mark 8.36-37)
Biblical wisdom is not an entity in itself. It’s not as if we can go to the sacred store, purchase a pound of wisdom, and carry it out to be our possession. Wisdom is a gift that comes with a relationship with the Lord.
Truly, if we gain the whole world and fail to integrate Jesus into it, we have made a bad deal.
Wisdom’s Character
The name “wisdom” is not so much a label as it is the revelation of the character of wisdom. Wisdom and knowledge are characterized by mental agility and versatility. Wisdom is able to devise plans that benefit a successful future.
I, wisdom, live with prudence,
and I attain knowledge and discretion. (Proverbs 8.12)
Rudy Ross has helped me think about the word ‘prudence’, which frequently appears in the Book of Proverbs. The root meaning of prudence is ‘to be nude’.
When we strip away all the things that define our personality and self-esteem and stand humbly and empty-handed before God, we create a space to receive God’s wisdom. Wise individuals are willing to embrace this.
A person who fears the Lord recognizes that their most valuable possession is a relationship with God. They approach Him with humility to receive His guidance and act on it.
Through this process, they adopt the characteristics of God – loving what He loves and detesting what He detests.
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate. (Proverbs 8.13)
Pride and arrogance are evils because they refuse to submit to God’s authority.
Pride is a self-confident attitude that rejects God’s rule and substitutes selfish interests for His will.
As we observe the news, consider the extent of pain and suffering that people endure because of the actions of proud, arrogant, and evil individuals. It’s understandable why God hates such conduct.
Let’s be clear, God despises the behavior, not the individual.
God’s approach to overcoming evil in this world involves transforming those who engage in wicked deeds into His friends, individuals who no longer desire to engage in such behavior.
Good Advice
Wisdom has good advice because it is intimately related to the Lord.
I have good advice and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength. (Proverbs 8.14)
Isaiah foretold the arrival of the Messiah, emphasizing that the Messiah possesses wisdom, understanding, counsel, and strength because the Spirit of the Lord rests upon him.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. (Isaiah 11.2-4)
It should come as no surprise that the Messiah, who embodies God’s wisdom, also takes joy in the fear of the Lord. Likewise, His governance will bring fairness to the impoverished and oppressed people of the world.
It’s a tempting proposition to dangle the massive winnings of a lottery in front of us, as opposed to living in the wisdom of God. As we know, for every billion-dollar winner of the lottery there were a billion losers.
On the other hand, all of us have the opportunity to live with God’s wisdom. By nurturing a relationship with Jesus Christ, where we love Him, humbly receive His guidance, and follow it, we find the path to living this kind of life.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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