More precious than Rubies

 Read Proverbs 8

We are eight chapters into the Proverbs and still Solomon is making an introduction to Lady Wisdom.  There are plenty of nuggets to come, but Solomon finds it fitting to consider the value of gaining wisdom once again.

First, God has not hidden wisdom from the world.  Wisdom calls out in the open for people to respond.  Wisdom is not found at the end of some Indiana Jones quest and then stored in some massive warehouse never to be seen again. 

Wisdom calls out.  Understanding shouts and not just a voice in the wilderness as with John the Baptist.  Wisdom presents herself at the high traffic points—crossroads, gates, and entrances. 

Wisdom is like the clever Girl Scout Troops that sets us a cookie stand next to the Marijuana dispensary.  It’s location, location, location.

What’s the point of these figurative depictions?  Wisdom is there for the taking.  God wants us to receive his wisdom.  He has not hidden his wisdom from those who truly seek him.

You don’t have to scale a high mountain in the Himalayas to get wisdom.

For those seeking a magic elixir, that’s another story; but for those truly seeking God and his kingdom and his righteousness, wisdom is offered generously.

It is not only offered to us, it is measured as more valuable than silver, gold, and rubies.  This is Solomon once again telling us to pay attention.  Wisdom is worth it.  The wisdom of this chapter is to seek and gain and embrace wisdom.

It’s sort of a sales pitch.  Think to how the salesperson keeps coming back to things you agreed with earlier.  Solomon is still doing his best to sell you on wisdom.

There is God’s way and there is everything else.  God’s way comes with blessings.  Everything else comes with peril. This sales pitch is not a con job.

God’s way—blessings, everything else—peril:  It’s just that simple.

An occasional misstep is to be expected, but our sights must be set on wisdom.  Think to Michael Jordan.  For those who don’t know, he is the NBA GOAT.  You can disagree, but you will just be wrong.

Michael Jordan missed more shots than I ever tried to make.  He didn’t miss because he was looking at the cheerleaders or smiling for the cameras or he wanted something from the concession stand.  Sometimes you just miss. But his focus was always on the basket.  He was not distracted.

OBTW—he also scored more points than I could in a lifetime even if I was not defended.

Our focus must be on God, his kingdom, and his righteousness.  Wisdom keeps us pointed in that direction.  Wisdom is one of the most valuable things that we will ever possess.

We will miss the mark sometimes, but we never lose focus.  Wisdom is always front and center in our lives.

Silver, gold, and rubies are valuable but not as valuable as wisdom.  Solomon goes beyond these tangible commodities to say that nothing that you can desire compares to wisdom.

We want to seek God and his kingdom and his righteousness and Solomon tells us to invest in wisdom so that we can find our way.

We will get to specific nuggets of wisdom, but 8 chapters into the Proverbs Solomon still felt it necessary to convince you that this is a worthwhile journey.

Get wisdom. It’s worth it!

Amen.