Ben Fourie

“Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.” Proverbs 9:1-2 (NIV)

The Bible puts a big emphasis on wisdom. We find it all over the Bible in Exodus, Kings, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Gospels, Acts, Paul's letters to various churches, Revelation and others. In this part from Proverbs, wisdom is seen as a woman who built a strong and permanent house.

This is in contrast with the nomadic tent that have no permanence. The Biblical symbolism of the figure seven reflecting perfection, is to be seen in the seven stone pillars. They signify the strength and perfection of wisdom. Wisdom also prepared a sumptuous meal and invited everybody to take part. The picture of wisdom is of something extraordinary.

What the Bible depicts as wisdom is something very different than cleverness or having a great deal of knowledge. Knowledge about God is without doubt very important. In one of the great theological dissertations faith is depicted as having true knowledge of and vast trust in the Lord. In verse 10 the author tells us what wisdom really is: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”.

It is not about how much I know about God, the church and religion, but about how I use this knowledge to live my life according to his will and in his service. It is not about how many verses I could quote from the Bible, but in what sense they are my guidelines in life. In Luke 2:40 we read that Jesus grew and became strong and that He was filled with wisdom. As a boy of only twelve years old, he was in the temple asking questions to the teachers of the Law and they were amazed by His understanding. Wisdom according to Proverbs is when I not only have knowledge about God, but when I know God Himself.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to know you beter. Amen