Proverbs 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding
Have you ever known anyone who was cursed with beauty, intelligence, or money? Maybe you are thinking, “Yeah, I’m the guy who is cursed with great beauty.” Maybe that is so, and maybe it sounds funny to ask such a question. But I think you know what I am talking about. There are people who wonder if they are liked for who they are or just because they are beautiful. There are others who feel like they know too much to be happy. It does seem that the more we know, the less happy we are. Money can also clearly be a curse. Maybe money is left by some wealthy relative and it brings no good because the kids squabble over it. So, all these are things that can be blessings, but they can also be curses.
There is at least one blessing in the Bible that is an untempered blessing, and that blessing is wisdom. God speaks much of it. Proverbs 1:1-2 says, “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding.” So, the proverbs are to help a person to have perception and wisdom, to know what to do, to have an understanding of life and the way it works.
What follows is that wisdom is an untempered blessing. It is not a blessing that will ever become a curse. Knowledge or intelligence can become a curse. Money, fame, and beauty can all become curses, but wisdom is an untempered blessing. Better yet, it is an accessible blessing. I don’t have to be brilliant, beautiful, or wealthy in order to be wise.
So, how is wisdom an untempered blessing? Well, Proverbs makes two things clear. First, wisdom is a decision. It is a choice. In verses 8 and following it says, “My son, hear the instruction of thine father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.” Wisdom will beautify your life. It continues, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” What follows is the path of sinners.
So, wisdom is a decision, a choice. You can say no to sinners and yes to the wise counsel you have, or you can do the reverse. Verse 22 says, “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?” Notice the choices here. You can love simplicity and be naïve. Scorners scoff at truth and delight in the scorning. Fools hate knowledge. Those are decisions that can sometimes have emotion associated with them. Verse 29 speaks of those who “hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD.” So, wisdom is a decision, a choice you make. You can’t just say, “I’m going to be wise,” and presto, bingo, magically it happens. You make a choice and decisions from that choice change the trajectory of your life.
Second, wisdom is an attitude. Verse 7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” That is an attitude. We always think about wisdom as being something in one’s head. It is probably more accurately an attitude in their heart. Verse 24 says, “Because I have called, and ye refused.” Wisdom is an attitude. Verse 32 says, “For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” Those who are literally quiet from evil are those who hearken to wisdom. So, wisdom is an attitude that is humble and teachable.
The source of wisdom is God, but the conduit of wisdom is often a father, as here in Proverbs, or other people in one’s life. So, there may be blessings you enjoy today that may be curses tomorrow, but wisdom is an untempered blessing. It is an accessible blessing and that hinges on the decisions you make and the attitudes you harbor.