Reading

• Prov. 8:1-9:6; 2:1-22; 3:13-24; 1:20-33; 9:13-18; 4:1-27

Devotional

Today’s reading begins our look into the Proverbs. Proverbs are short, wise sayings. Solomon spoke over 3,000 proverbs and the Bible book entitled Proverbs contains many of them, as well as proverbs from a few other individuals. In the Daily Bible, the proverbs are categorized and we will look at the first category today—the importance of wisdom.

Wisdom calls out to us every day, offering understanding to the simple-minded person. Wisdom speaks truth always, never deceitfulness. The call of wisdom is:

“Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold“
(Prov. 8:10 NIV)

¹² “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. ¹³ To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. ¹⁴ Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power.
(Prov. 8:12-14 NKJV)

The promise of GOD is that those who seek wisdom will find it. This is comforting because it separates those who care about being wise from those who are fools. Prov. 8:22 says that wisdom was GOD’s first work, before any of His mighty deeds of old, including the creation. Whomever finds wisdom finds life and receives favor from the LORD, but those who fail to find wisdom harm themselves, hate life and love death (see Prov. 8:35-36).

Wisdom calls to us as sons:

¹ My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, ² turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— ³ indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, ⁴ and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. ⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ⁷ He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, ⁸ for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
(Prov. 2:1-8 NKJV)

Wisdom will keep you safe and prevent you from falling into the traps of sin and those given to doing evil. But there is a serious warning given to the one who rejects wisdom:

²⁴ But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, ²⁵ since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, ²⁶ I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you— ²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.  ²⁸ “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, ²⁹ since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. ³⁰ Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, ³¹ they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. 
(Prov. 1:24-31 NKJV)

Pursue wisdom with all that is in you!