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Wisdom is the ability to discern what is edifying from what is harmful; what is safe and what is dangerous. Take for example the concepts of electricity and the dreaded fear of electrocution. Electricity is one of the most common forms of energy use in modern times. Imagine the thunder of disapproval from the parent when a child is about to put a hair clip into the electrical socket. They are able to discern that a good servant can be a bad master. Or the day when a toddler climbs up the ladder and perches precariously on it. The young one may not be aware of the danger but the parent probably gained the wisdom to handle it from past experiences or some written literature.
God is wisdom. Since creation, His wisdom has been around to plan for mankind’s redemption with the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. The essentials of safe living can come from just reading and applying what He says in the Bible – His book of wisdom for us. In order to understand how to become wise in our lives, we can listen to the calling and instructions from the wisdom book of Proverbs.
The Bible ultimately connects to and speaks of the person and work of Jesus. Does the book of Proverbs speak of Jesus? Most scholars contend that Proverbs is entirely devoid of any such connections because it does not include any specific prophetic references to the Jewish Messiah. The implied connections are many and here are a few of them. For a start, during His earthly ministry Jesus reveals that he was a man of wisdom with His answers to the amazement of the teachers of the law. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.” (Luke 2:52). His primary teaching method using parables also reflects this characteristic. He personifies wisdom as the second person in the Triune God. Jesus is the wisdom of God. “It is because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). The book of Proverbs also makes us choose between the path of wisdom and the path of folly. The choice is between the secret wisdom of God revealed in Jesus and the folly of the world. Because of His work on our behalf, wisdom is a gift available to us for the asking. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5). Are you wise enough to make the right choice? “For those who find Me find life and receive favour from the Lord” (Proverbs 8:35).
