"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honor when thou dost embrace her."
Proverbs 4:7-8
Part 2
Yesterday: Whatever You Do Get Wisdom!
“Wisdom is the principal thing.”
“Therefore get wisdom.”
“And with all thy getting get understanding.”
God makes His wisdom our priority.
Today: We Honor God’s Wisdom
“Exalt her, and she shall promote thee.”
When we give wisdom the vital place in our lives, she will do us great good.
“As you highly esteem her, she will raise you to honor”[1] (Clarke).
There is a principle that fits here, “you get what you honor.”[2] If you honor wisdom, you will glean the benefits of it. If you honor the Lord with your life, then you will be honored by Him. In contrast to that, if you choose not to honor Him, there is a price for your dishonor. Note what the “man of God” told Eli, the High Priest, was God’s response to neglecting his duties and ignoring the sins of his sons, the priest’s.
“Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house [Eli], and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 2:30).
In the same way, wisdom can be ignored, but beware, if so, she will ignore her ignorer someday when she is urgently needed (Proverbs 1:20-27).
“She shall bring thee to honor when thou dost embrace her.”
When we learn to love God’s wisdom and pick up His truth and “embrace her,” then we are rewarded with honor. If not from men, from God for He has promised: “for them that honor me I will honor.”
“The wise shall inherit glory: But shame shall be the promotion of fools” (Proverbs 3:35).[3]
“As wisdom is valued and loved (cf. 4:6), she gives honor (3:16) and an attractive life, pictured as a beautiful wreath (1:9) and a crown of splendor (used in 16:31 of gray hair, or age). The opposite is also implied: a foolish, unwise life is dishonorable, unattractive, and shameful. Solomon experienced both wisdom and folly and therefore both kinds of results.”[4]
The difference between a wise person and a fool is what they do with “wisdom.”
Wisdom: The wise embrace her. Fools only snub her!
Quote: “I cannot work; I cannot speak; I cannot live or love as I should unless God’s wisdom lights my path”[5] (David Jeremiah).
[1] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Proverbs 4:7.
[2] The first time I heard this statement was from Pastor Frank Hamrick at a youth-workers fitness conference early in ministry. There is was used in the context of honoring teens who live for the Lord. Solomon shows that this is true of personally honoring wisdom.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Pr 3:35). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[4] Buzzell, S. S. (1985). Proverbs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 913–914). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Jeremiah’s quote Downloaded: Friday, April 23, 2021. From: https://www.wisefamousquotes.com/quotes-about-gods-wisdom/.