In New Zealand we have an army of young men walking around with ankle monitors on their legs. Some hide them in shame, but others seem impervious to the stares of concerned citizens. Many among those in charge of such things dismiss concerns that the ever-increasing number of those monitored indicates a massive deficit of wisdom among our young people. Unless the foolishness that drives these young people to believe that crime pays is replaced with Biblical Wisdom, things can only get worse for everyone.
Scripture presents Wisdom as a woman calling out to all who pass by (Proverbs 8:1-36). She is easy to find because she is everywhere she needs to be. A man need only look to the “heights along the way,” or “where the paths meet,” or “beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances,” and she is there (v.2-3).
I must admit that much as I would like to impart wisdom to the simple and the foolish over there, it really does start here with me. If God were to strap a monitor on me for my simple and foolish ways, I wonder how long I’d be wearing it? Would I be ashamed, or would I be impervious to the stares of concerned Christians?
When I hear Wisdom’s voice I am to run and sit at her feet. It is there that I not only trade ignorance for understanding, lies for truth, and partiality for justice. It is also there that I choose to value true riches—Discernment, instruction, knowledge, and, of course, wisdom herself!
To ignore Wisdom’s advice is to invite calamity on the day of trouble. Be warned:
“I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you” (Proverbs 1:26-27).
So, when Wisdom calls, heed her voice and be blessed.
John Staiger