Wisdom in Proverbs (An essay for my OT class)

Like many other college students today, I have a lot on my mind. I am working, eating, spending time with friends, eating, surfing the internet, and eating. Then, amidst all of these activities, I must find time for class and homework. After all, I have come to college to learn, or “to gain knowledge.” What is easy to forget is that so much wisdom, knowledge, and understanding is not found in any of these places, but rather in the Bible, which is sitting buried under my English Literature textbook. If I will only take the time to seek out this buried treasure, I am promised that God will grant this wisdom to me.


The beginning of this paper is how to attain knowledge, and according to Proverbs 1:7, the beginning of wisdom is “the fear of the Lord.” Thankfully, this does not mean that knowledge will only come by being afraid of God. Rather, it will come from a relationship in which a I submit to the will of God with respectful “fear.” However, as I stated earlier, many times I do not try to attain this knowledge through my fear of God. Rather, I attempt to read books about God, attend Bible classes, or even read the Bible with a closed mind. The truth is that wisdom can only come from a humble heart that cries out for it. Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes shame, But with humility comes wisdom.” I must realize that wisdom does not begin with myself, but with God alone.

I now know how to ask for wisdom. However, simply asking for wisdom is not enough. My life must change as well. I fear too many times I have taken the first step in asking for wisdom, but am not willing to give up my own folly. I just dwell in my same sins and earthly pleasures that keep me from wisdom. Often, I will think that this matters little. I view my life in different sections. Getting rid of sin is in one category, and gaining wisdom is in another. What I have forgotten is that these are all one and the same. The pursuit of Godliness must take my entire, filthy being and mold it into one pure creation. I cannot look for the mountains through a pair of binoculars with mud on the lenses. In the same way, I cannot look for wisdom when there is sin in his life. In Proverbs 9:16-17, Folly says, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” The writer goes on to say in verse 18, “But he does not know that the dead are there; that her guests are in the depths of hell.” Often Christians dwell on how forgiving God is. Grace. Mercy. Forgiveness. These words are often preached. However, what I must remember is the weight of sin. These verses say that where sin is, so are the dead. They are in the depths of Hell. Sin is extremely serious, and must not be taken lightly.

It is now understood how evil sin is. What must now be told is how wonderful wisdom is. In the same way that sin leads to pain and death, wisdom leads to blessing and life. Proverbs 3:13 tells us that finding wisdom will bring happiness. Verses 14-16 go on to say that wisdom is worth more than silver, fine gold, and rubies. Wisdom brings riches and honor, and nothing we desire can compare with it. As a college student, there are many things that I desire. Money, food, a girlfriend, popularity, and food are just a few of these things. However, what I need to remember is that these are worthless outside of wisdom, and must always take second place. Wisdom is the most precious thing I can seek. If I desire money, I must seek wisdom. If I desire a full stomach, relationships, or honor; I must seek wisdom. Wisdom is greater than them all.

Since I realize how precious wisdom is, it becomes my responsibility to treat my search for it respectively. I will search my dorm room for twenty minutes to find one more quarter to reach $1.25 so I can buy a Snickers bar. How much more I should search for wisdom! Proverbs 3:3 tells me to “cry out” for discernment. I should be so in need of wisdom that I literally “lift up” my voice for it. Verse 4 of chapter 3 tells me to look for this as I would for silver. If I knew there was a chunk of silver in my room, I would not just search five minutes every day. I would search until I found it! In the same way, I should not just search the Scriptures for five minutes a day, but until I find a new “treasure”.

Wisdom is not only found directly in the Bible, and the older I get the more I realize this. Proverbs 1:8 tells me to “hear the instruction” of my father and to “not forsake the law” of my mother. Growing up it was very easy to think that I knew better than my parents. After all, they were teenagers in the seventies, and they obviously couldn’t understand what teenagers were like thirty years later. What I began to learn, however, was that even though times change quite a bit, people generally stay the same. My parents knew exactly what I was going through, and looking back at their decisions I can see the wisdom they gained through their experiences. The Proverbs are exactly right when they tell me to listen to my parents. They aren’t always perfect, of course, but I know they are a lot closer to perfection than I am. With my new mindset, I look forward to the great wisdom I will learn from my parents.

The verse that most caught my attention was Proverbs 1:4. It specifically uses the words “young man”. Being a young man myself, I wanted to know what great knowledge was specifically being directed towards me. I was somewhat disappointed to find that the verse gave me no specific instruction. It did not say, “Change your major!” or “Your wife lives in Lincolnshire, England. Go find her!” All it told me was that the entire book of Proverbs held the potential to bring me “knowledge and discretion.” I already know that I must search for knowledge and wisdom like a treasure, but discretion is a new word. Discretion is also exactly what I, as a college student, most need. I am at a critical point in in my life. I have so many roads before me, and so many decisions to make. Being someone who hates decisions, this is not a comfortable place for me. I wish this verse would just give me a “10 Easy Steps to Discretion!” However, the writer knew that the search is so much better. I would be very excited if someone gave me a chunk of silver, but I would be so much more thrilled if I searched my whole life for the treasure, and had at last found it.

The book of Proverbs is a mine. There are treasures untold in there. Unlike a material mine, Proverbs cannot be emptied. One cannot find all of the gold. All earthly desires are not this way, for they will not last. Treasures on earth all run dry and come to an end. I thank God for Heavenly treasures, for I can know that treasure remains unfound, waiting to be discovered.