May 25 / Proverbs 8:1-11

Proverbs 8:1-11

Today’s reading again personifies Wisdom as a woman calling to the children of man to learn from her, much as in Proverbs 1:20-33. Here are a few descriptors of what she offers:

• Prudence (v. 5)
• Sense (v. 5)
• Noble things (v. 6)
• What is right (v. 6)
• Truth (v. 7)
• Righteous words (v. 8)
• Nothing twisted or crooked (v. 8)

All of that sounds pretty good to me. Yet contrary voices abound. That is, Wisdom says sexual immorality is deadly, but many in our culture say anything goes — and you are horribly bigoted if you say otherwise. Wisdom says that life is precious, but there are those who declare that abortion is a fundamental right — and those who think otherwise are extremists. (Advocating for life is now extreme?) Wisdom says to avoid borrowing, yet we as a nation owe more than $30,000,000,000,000! (And I guarantee that although you can do the math, you cannot actually imagine a trillion of anything.) Real racists (those who judge people on the basis of skin color) are hailed as heroes, while those who say “all lives matter” are called racists. Legitimate news stories are squashed, declared to be “disinformation”, yet real disinformation is peddled for years as real news. That’s what you get in the mainstream media. Constantly. And I don’t just mean what the reporters report on. I mean the reporters and commentators themselves. [Wisdom’s words] are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. (v. 9) So pay attention, and if your sources of news and information seem to present wisdom and righteousness as twisted and crooked (and the twisted and crooked as legit), then maybe you need better sources…

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

Yes. Seek wisdom — real, godly wisdom.