I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;

I possess knowledge and discretion.

To fear the Lord is to hate evil;     

I hate pride and arrogance,     

evil behavior and perverse speech.

Counsel and sound judgment are mine;     

I have insight, I have power.

By Me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;

by Me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.

I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find me.

With Me are riches and honor,  enduring wealth and prosperity.

My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,

bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love Me and making their treasuries full.  

Proverbs 8:12-21

Some of the most beautiful things one might hear comes from the poetry.  My middle name comes from a famous poet; Ralph Waldo Emerson (FYI – My initial is E  ).  There are many quotes that are attributed to him.  For example, “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is in God’s handwriting.”  Not bad, eh? One of his poems, Give All To Love, says about love:

‘Tis a brave master;

Let it have scope:

Follow it utterly,

Hope beyond hope:

High and more high

It dives into noon,

With wing unspent,

Untold intent:

But it is a god,

Knows its own path

Now to many, this may not sound special, but to a romantic at heart like me, it is where I can just sit back and let it marinate in my mind for days.  There are some of you who would focus on the poet’s mention of love being ‘a god,’ and of course, there is only one true God. My thought is, Emerson’s point is we are to focus on the limitless potential of love we have.  This is not only toward others but also God.

I bring this up to discuss today’s verse focusing on the topic of Wisdom.  We all aspire to have it, and some might say we aspire for it more than anything.  Even love. So, what is it? What does it look like?

Wisdom is an amazing gift given by God.  The verses in Proverbs 8 speak in words that initially come across as if wisdom is the finest girl at the dance.  But if we take a poetic approach to it, perhaps we read it as God sharing with us a vivid description of when we are blessed with it.  Wisdom is “fear the Lord.” Additionally, there are other characteristics it has. Counsel, sound judgment, hating of evil, pride, and arrogance, but in the path of righteousness and justice.  Thus, it becomes a guide of what wisdom both ‘sounds’ and ‘feels’ like, and like all things God gives us, wisdom “loves those who love it.” Thus, today’s verses in a poetic sense is God’s instruction of how we are to desire, embrace, and share with others the wisdom that He bestows on us.  It provides clarity on how it is gifted as a reward for one who follows Him with discipline, devotion, and love.

We should desire the wisdom that God provides.  It is more than just being the right thing to do.  It is God inspired for even as Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, God had granted him incredible wisdom as noted here:

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:29

The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 1 Kings 10:24

Kent