At the end of Proverbs 1, Wisdom speaks. “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: she crieth in the chief place… in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words…”

Three thoughts on wisdom-

1) Wisdom is not quiet. Have you ever seen an old-fashioned ear trumpet? The first literal hearing aid was the ear horn – a tubular device, designed to funnel sound waves into the ear. This is what I picture here… Wisdom is shouting into that funnel, and she is looking for listeners.

2) Wisdom is not hidden. Wisdom is begging to be heard in these verses. She is found in the streets, in the marketplace, and at the gates of the city. But although she is not quiet and she is not hidden, she still is not heard. Why?

3) Wisdom is not a given; it must be chosen.

“Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:”

It is a given that education will provide the student with the gift of knowledge; it is inevitable that the passing of years will bring useful life experience. But wisdom is a treasure we can choose.

What are some ways we can choose wisdom?

The following is a short list I scribbled in my Bible as sermon notes a few years ago:

1) Desire – “…incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart…” (Prov. 2:4) A wise desire is to accept God’s mind on the matter. What does God like? What does His Word instruct? What does that look like in my life?

2) Prayer – “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…” (Ja. 1:5) It is the will of God for me to be a wise individual. It is His will for me to ask in prayer.

3) Pattern – What is the pattern for wise living? “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience…” (2 Tim. 3:10) Sound doctrine (right thinking) helps us act wisely (right acting), which allows us to have good interactions with others. All these things bear the fruit of peace in our hearts and minds. We choose wisdom when we follow this pattern, rather than inverting it by emotional responses and foolish actions.

4) Spirit of God – “But ye have an unction (gift) from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” We have the Holy Spirit and the Word of Truth. Therefore, we know what to follow and what to involve ourselves with. The Holy Spirit teaches us as we abide in Him.

5) Study – We can diligently apply ourselves to know what God has said in His Word. We can meditate in His precepts. “And that from a child thou has known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture… is profitable… that the man (and woman!) of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished…” (2 Tim. 3:15-17)