Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Proverbs 4:1-13
Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, 2 for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. 3 When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. 8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” 10 Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. 11 I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. 12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.
Much of Proverbs is written as advice from a father to his sons. Indeed, some of these proverbs were likely written by King Solomon for his own sons. As Christians, it is good for us to broaden the meaning, and consider this advice to be a loving gift of our heavenly Father, to us, his beloved children. Focus on verse 7, The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. This may seem obvious, but it is actually quite radical. Because of our sinful pride, we want to be independent and selfsufficient. We want to be able to do things ourselves, and figure out our own answers. But doing that limits us to our own experiences and our own brain-power, which is pretty small. God wants us to make getting wisdom from outside ourselves our go-to move. Something else to notice. This is not talking about only getting wisdom when you need it. It is talking about having a habit of always seeking more wisdom, having a “wisdom lifestyle.” When we are constantly learning and growing in wisdom, then, when we need it, we already have it, and we can solve our problems when they are small and treatable, instead of waiting until they are huge and permanent.