Proverbs 8: Do You Value Wisdom?

Wisdom is the ability to know what is right and wrong, and to know how one should act in certain situations. Is this something you value? Is this something that really want?

Verse 11 of this chapter says:“For wisdom is better than rubies, and desirable things cannot be compared to her.”

Rubies are very precious stones which are worth a lot of money. A single ruby is worth thousands of dollars, and was of even greater value at that time. Solomon is telling us that we should value wisdom more than we value money or material possessions. Why? Well, if you think about it, you can have all the money in the world, but if you do not know how to use it wisely, what is the point?

Proverbs 11: You Can't Take it With You

You may have seen the bumper sticker that says "he who dies with the most toys wins." This statement is supposed to make us realize that life is not about stuff.

But so many of us live with this mindset. We want things. Fast cars, lots of money, and giant houses, among other things. But you know what happens to people who live their life for stuff? They die, just like everyone else, and they do not get to take their stuff with them. (Maybe you've seen the other bumper sticker that is more accurate: "he who dies with the most toys still dies.")

Verse 7 says, “When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too.”

The wicked man's hope is on things on this earth. His hope is in his wealth or in his ability or in his station in life. So when he dies, his hope dies.

Let us, instead, cling to an eternal hope, found in God and in our resurrected Savior.