1 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 On the heights along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 beside the gates leading into the city,
at the entrances, she cries aloud:
4 "To you, O men, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
5 You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, gain understanding.
6 Listen, for I have worthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
7 My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
8 All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
9 To the discerning all of them are right;
they are faultless to those who have knowledge.
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
12 "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
Pasted from <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+8&version=NIV>
Someone once asked a discipleship group I was in many years ago- "If your home suddenly caught fire and you only had time to retrieve one item before evacuating your house, what would you try to save from the flames?" Different ones said family members, but the leader said, "they got out already- I'm talking about material things." So we thought again. Many said they would save pictures- photographs of family members especially those who were deceased. Others said family heirlooms or pieces of china, silver tea sets. Some said their Bible. Others said love letters that their spouses had written to one another. One said he would make sure he found his fire insurance policy! Apart from that, most everyone stated they would save items which, in terms of value in dollars and cents, did not add up to very much. They were determined to save the things they valued which could not be replaced. The cost of developing a roll of film (this was 1985) was $2.50 a roll. But its value was priceless, because the picture that was developed was their child's kindergarten picture, his high school graduation, a wedding, pictures of grandchildren. These photos while they did not cost much to take and to develop were priceless.
The leader then went into a lesson about the wisdom of God. And in the passage we read today, we see just how priceless that wisdom is. If this wisdom were tangible in terms of it taking material form, we would probably go to retrieve it from a fire once we know its value to us. Solomon tells us to choose wisdom's instruction rather than silver and God's knowledge rather than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies, he says, for nothing we can desire can compare with it. (verses 10-11). With God's wisdom we will have the ability to replace anything of material value, but without it we have nothing. God's wisdom calls out to us- "come and take me, I'm free!" A college education will cost (based upon my son's last tuition payment) at least $100,000. But its value is scant without God's wisdom to go along with it. May God give us His wisdom and learn to value what it teaches us. If we do, we will have an asset to which no one can ascribe a value.
Prayer: Dear God, help me to value Your wisdom, especially that which I find in Your Word. Help me apply it to my heart that all my know what I value most in this life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Have a blessed day!
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