Skip to main content

Wisdom Has A Posse


“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power. By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just; by me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.” (Proverbs 8:12-21) 

As I look at today’s passage, the picture I had taken for the photo directory last year comes to mind. My left arm is wrapped around Grace, and my right hand is holding up my camera, in what I think of as a James Bond hold. I don’t like getting my picture taken, but my goal was to let the people in the resort name that person who walks around all the time with the little yellow dog and the great big camera.  It’s a slightly different take on the adage “You are known by the company you keep.”
          Wisdom’s roommate is prudence. She owns knowledge and discretion, counsel and sound judgment. If you need understanding or power, her door is the one you knock on. No, she’s not the sort you’d want to invite to the bar for a drink on Friday night, but when your life is falling apart, she’s the one you should turn to. And if you haven’t spoken civilly to her before that, you’re not likely to appreciate what she has to say. I mean, how do you like it when the only time a “friend” stops by is when he wants to borrow money that he never pays back?
         Equally, would you like it if every time a friend invited you over, he said, “but leave your roommate at home, and don’t bring anything with you.” You don’t get wisdom without prudence coming along, and they bring their possessions with them: counsel (Oh, we hate being told what to do), sound judgment (Oh, we hate being told that we’re wrong), understanding and power.
          Oh, yeah, well, power… power you can bring with you, and when you leave, Wisdom, I’ll keep power and watch over it for you. No, really, I won’t abuse it, and I won’t act like an indulgent grandparent. No, I’ll take good care of power. Uh-huh. Wisdom is to wise for that. She has  a posse.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more