Wisdom's Value
- Strength For Life
- 13 hours ago
- 4 min read
Part of the maturation process is learning is valuable and what is not. You and I have limited resources of time, attention, money, and strength, and it is important for us to learn what is worthy of our resources and what is a waste of them. If you have read Proverbs through, by the time you reach chapter 22 you should already be persuaded that wisdom is valuable. The first chapters are full of Solomon earnestly instructing his son to treasure and cling to wisdom, and to value more than he would value gold or jewels. Proverbs 22, however, is an entire chapter dedicated to explaining the worth of wisdom for life. For this reason, I’ve entitled Proverbs 22 “Wisdom’s Value.”
As we begin reading Proverbs 22, we notice first the wealth of wisdom. Verse 4 says that “by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.” Riches, but especially honor and life are wealth that matters! These riches are spiritual wealth because they come from possessing spiritual wisdom. Proverbs 22 is full of illustrations involving physical wealth; Throughout this chapter (vv. 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 16), Solomon references rich and poor people. For illustration’s sake, Solomon is distinguishing those that have financial wealth from those that don’t. He knows the vanity of earthly riches, and he wants us to appreciate the extreme value of heavenly wisdom. While wealth is useful and necessary for physical life, godly wisdom is so much more valuable and precious than anything this world considers valuable.
Just as obtaining physical wealth requires physical labor, so wisdom requires spiritual labor. Second, we see the work of wisdom. The labor of obtaining wisdom is not only worth it to you as a person, but also it is worth having so you can impart it to your children. Parenting is work; it is a ministry and can be joyful, but it can also be extremely difficult. Verse 15 describes the difficulty when is says that “foolishness is bound in the heart of a child.” However, Solomon assure parents that “the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
My Christian faith teaches me to spank my children when they need it. Loving discipline is ESSENTIAL if you intend to impart godly wisdom to your children. Fair, faithful discipline forces foolishness far from the heart of your child. Verse 6 further describes the work of imparting wisdom when it instructs parents this way: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Remember, dad and mom, that this is a proverb, not a promise. This verse describes a statement that is true generally but not universally. Parents need to do the work of training and imparting wisdom, while still recognizing that their child is volitional. They choose whether or not to apply the training you gave them to their own lives. Many of these choices manifest themselves once children are grown and gone. We parents don’t answer to the Lord for how our children turn out, but we do answer for how we raised them.
Parents, because you are given parental responsibility, do the work of parenting even when you don’t feel like it. The grammatical subject of verse 6 is the understood “you.” You have an obligation to do the work of training. You also have the authority to set boundaries and make sure your children keep them. Authoritative boundaries are included in the idea of “training.” And just like training requires boundaries, and boundaries require authority, authority requires boldness. Notice the prepositional phrase, “in the way.” Don’t be too timid to tell your child, “that is (or is not) the way we do things as redeemed people.” Teach them God’s way.
Notice another word in verse 6: “he.” This word communicates individuality. If you have several children, remember that they are each unique, and individual doses of love, time, and training are required to teach them God’s moral standards. The words “should go” implies morality. Our job as parents is to teach our children good morals. We teach them way they “should go” and clearly distinguish the way they should not go.
This moral training starts at a very young age. Teach them to be honest when they’re young. Teach them to work hard when they’re young. Teach them to be submissive to authority when they’re young. Instill morals in them when they’re young, and usually they’ll thank you when they’re old. Remember the final words of verse 6: “when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Generally, when your child is old, he will value the wise way you trained him.
The third valuable thing wisdom offers in Proverbs 22 are the words of wisdom. Notice verses 17-21. That section introduces a change of style. Instead of continuing the one-verse, two-line Proverbs found in previous chapters, Solomon returns to more directly addressing his son the way he does in chapter 1-9. “Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge,” he tells his son in verse 17. Here, Solomon is doing the work that he told parents to do in verse 6. He has compiled some wise sayings he wants his son to hear.
Several commentators speculate that Solomon did not author Proverbs 22:22-29. They assert instead that Solomon learned this content from godly men prior to his reign. If that is so, Solomon compiled these words of wisdom for his son’s sake, and for our benefit. He reminds his son in verse 20 that these words of wisdom are “excellent things,” the purpose of which is to “answer the words of truth” to those who question wisdom. Verse 20 reminds me of 1 Peter 3:20, where the apostle instructs his readers to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you.” Solomon gave his son the valuable gift of answers from God’s Word. These words of wisdom will also be valuable for us, if we will but heed them.
The above article was written by Pastor James C. Johnson. He is the pastor of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fl. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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