The Cry of Wisdom

The book of Proverbs, along with Job and Ecclesiastes (and some Psalms), belongs to the wisdom literature of the Israelites. Many of the people in the near east had wisdom literature. In fact the Israelites may have borrowed some of their own wisdom from the Egyptians and Babylonians. That should not be surprising. Almost all people have their own wisdom. I can start a few and I bet you can finish them; “A penny saved is…, If you can’t do it right…, A fool and his money are…” Wisdom literature is not always short sentences but can also be written (or told) to teach people how to act and serves as a guide to life.

In our reading from Proverbs today we hear that wisdom, personified by the writer, was created by God before anything else. I suppose we do not usually think about where wisdom comes from. Most often we think that it comes from ourselves. We talk about the great ideas that we come up with, the solutions to problems we solve, and the decisions we make as our own. Yet, in the light of Proverbs, we see that wisdom comes from God. While God has given us wisdom, God also has allowed us to do with it what we want. Sometimes we use it for good. Other times we use it for bad. Sometimes we use it for selfish reasons, other times to help others. A quick view of the world around us cannot but note that it seems that we have use wisdom more for more of the former than the later. It is not hard to see how that occurs – just turn on the television or look at your social media. There are countless people telling you that you are the most important person in the world and you deserve all that you have – even more; and they will help you get it for a few dollars.

How often is it that you have fallen for that line. Paul does warn us that following God’s wisdom is not always easy. He tells us that sometimes answering God’s call involves suffering. While that is not always true, it does remind us that it involves choices that we may not wish to take. But we also are guaranteed to have a guide along the way – the Holy Spirit. It is difficult in our complex world to see what God is calling us to do. Sometimes we make the wrong choice while other times we choose to ignore God’s call. In both instances we are forgiven by the blood of Jesus and given another chance. 

While we too often believe the wisdom of the world over God’s, we are people of faith and look to Jesus as our example working to conform our lives to his. Guided and gifted by the Holy Spirit we look for opportunities to share God’s love with others. In situations of hate and anger we are called to be peacemakers. In times of chaos and instability we are called to be persons of calm and comfort. I know, these are not easy tasks but we can do them because Jesus is our foundation and will not abandon us as we strive to answer God’s call.