Proverbs 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
The other day we looked at Proverbs 4:7 which says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Wisdom is the quality that preserves all the other good things we hope to see in life. For instance, if we wanted to have understanding, then an open attitude toward the truth comes first and then understanding follows. We don’t understand so we can become wise; we need wisdom, which is an attitude toward the truth, in order that we can understand. One comes before the other.
That is true with so many other things like money, influence, or power. All these things, as we said the other day, can be detrimental to the person possessing them if that person doesn’t have the wisdom to possess them well.
In Proverbs 8 wisdom is personified. It is pictured as a person, a lady. She says, “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.” So, this is a choice. You don’t have wisdom by merely tripping over it accidentally. You seek for it. You search for it. You have an open heart toward God, His truth, and the things that He has put into your life in order to give you guidance.
Verse 18 goes on to say, “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.” So, it is not just that riches may come from wisdom. It is the durable kind, the kind that endures and has long duration.
As I said the other day, suppose there is a guy who is forty years old without any sense who happens to win the lottery. And, on the other hand, there is a seventeen-year-old who has wisdom and twenty dollars in his pocket. Who will be doing better in twenty-five years? The answer is clearly the kid who has twenty dollars in his pocket and a lick of sense in his head. Without wisdom we cannot keep the things that may be good in our lives, and, in fact, those things, like money, may harm us unless we have the wisdom to be good stewards.
Not everyone will be brilliant, rich, or have huge influence, but anyone can be wiser than they are now. Anyone who will be such a person will be wise because they seek that wisdom from God. Nothing good is durable without wisdom; it is the principal thing. Get it first!