Joseph Patty, Associate Director of Student Ministries

Proverbs 4:7-9, 14-19
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
    Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
    embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
    and present you with a glorious crown.”

 14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.
18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know what makes them stumble.

Reflection:
We’ve all seen the movies where the guy has a moment of clarity, and he knows that all he has to do in life is go get the girl. What follows is a chorus of corny crescendos, montages of running, and the moment when the love birds make eye contact. We all knew it was coming, and yet it’s what we all paid to watch anyway. For Solomon, wisdom is like that woman. She’s worth dropping everything in order to chase after her, be it material wealth, reputation, or some other vain pursuit. 

Proverbs opens with ten speeches to be read as if you were a king in the line of Solomon himself. In these ten speeches, Solomon loves to speak of Lady Wisdom and her worthwhile pursuit. There’s another woman too. Lady Folly shows up in the next chapter. These two women represent the two portraits of Eve we find in the Genesis Garden Narrative (Gen. 2-3). In Genesis 2- we see the portrait of wisdom arrive. Eve comes alongside the man, and together they accomplish God’s mission and are invited to eat from the tree of life. The second portrait of the woman, folly, shows up in Genesis 3- famous moment where she takes the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and bad, and they eat disobeying God’s wisdom and command. This choice leads to death and destruction for all humanity.

When we consider the two women, Proverbs has the profound ability to take the Garden Narrative and place it in front of you in practical everyday choices. Every moment we have the option to choose which woman we will pursue- wisdom or folly. Every day we have the option to choose the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eventually steps gather into a path, and you look back and know whether or not you have walked in wisdom or folly. Those on the path of wisdom intentionally pursued her. Those on the path of folly don’t know how they got there. It all starts with this: go get her. If you need to put on your own cheesy soundtrack (“Step Out” by Jose Gonzalez or “Space Oddity” by David Bowie) and physically walk through a door to do it, then by all means do. But whatever you do, knowing the cost, go get her (vs 7). This wisdom that comes from the heart of God, knowing his voice and obeying it, will honor you and place a crown on your head (vs 10). Treat her as a groom treats his bride, and you will find reward in the eyes of her delight (vs 9).

Prayer:
Gracious Father, give me a desire to know you and your wisdom and cherish it as a groom cherishes his bride. Give me the gumption to go get it. Father, I ask for your wisdom. Help me to recognize your voice. Teach me to obey it. Help me to see which path I am on, so that I might taste of the tree of life.