One of the most interesting elements of the book of Proverbs is how the attributes of Wisdom and Folly are personified as living beings—as two women who call out in the streets and seek to persuade all who pass by to join their cause. In verse 20 of chapter 1, we meet Lady Wisdom for the first time, and she is crying aloud and raising her to all within earshot, encouraging them to hear her voice, turn at her reproof, and find that she holds the key to the good life. At the same time, she makes very plain that all who choose to ignore her words do so at their own peril, as doing so will lead to their ultimate destruction.
The book of Proverbs shows us that pursuing wisdom isn’t like seeking an impossibly hidden treasure that no one could ever hope to find. Lady Wisdom doesn’t hide in the back of an empty shop somewhere only to be found only by a select few. Instead, we see that she initiates. She is the one who puts herself in everyone else’s way and cries out to be heard. We are called by Scripture to seek and pursue wisdom, but as we do, we quickly find that God hasn’t actually made that wisdom particularly difficult to find.
God, as the source of all wisdom, has woven it into the very fabric of the world he created, but he also speaks it most clearly and directly through his Word. We often describe these terms as “General Revelation” (what we can know about God and his ways through creation) and “Special Revelation” (what we can know about God and his ways through Scripture). When we stop and take the time to listen to God’s revelation in these two forms, we find that his ways, his nature, and his commandments are actually very clear for us to see.
Wisdom cries out to be heard, but what does it take to truly hear her voice? It takes pursuing the voice of God both in his Word and in in the world he created. He has made this wisdom plain to see, and it is available to anyone who would open their ears to listen, but our passage of Proverbs also helps us understand that hearing the voice of wisdom isn’t merely about the intake of information. Many will hear the voice of wisdom and reject it, believing themselves to have better answers. Truly hearing wisdom is a moral act rooted in the fear of the Lord as we humble ourselves before him, believe in the goodness of his ways, and seek to honour him as an outflow of thankfulness for the love he first showed us. Wisdom is crying out, and her voice is plain for all to hear. May we be those who listen her voice and follow her instruction that, in so doing, we may find that she holds the keys to the good life we all long to achieve!
All the best,
Luke
