Two Choices – Wisdom or Folly

Proverbs 3:13-16…”Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she (wisdom) is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.” Here is wisdom in the abstract, personified as a woman. Now, Proverbs 31 tells us that “A wife character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies…She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchants ships, bring her food from afar. She gets us while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard”. Here is concrete example of what wisdom looks like in a person’s life. From beginning to end, Proverbs is a handbook for living a life based on wisdom. In the end, there are only two choices for both men and women; to embrace wisdom or to love folly. Folly of deceitful pleasures will lead to death. So, in life there is only one true choice; to embrace wisdom. The woman of Proverbs 31 should inspire us with a picture of what a virtuous life consist of; shelter for others, serenity, honor, prosperity, generosity, confidence about the future – true blessedness. Who wouldn’t want to be like such a woman: who wouldn’t sing her praises? November 19, 2012