Prov 8:11 [ESV] for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
When we moved into our first Australian house in Sydney we soon discovered that we did not have anywhere to hang out our laundry to dry. Now, for certain, one of the advantages of living in Australia was the very limited need for a tumble drier. In the UK our tumble drier had been on most days as we had the three children and ourselves, and all involved in work and sport several times a week.
So I bought a whirligig and set out to dig a hole in the back garden to set it up, and had some concrete ready to mix to set it in place.
Well I had never tried to dig in bone hard red clay before. Seven hours later I was on my hands and knees with a kitchen knife prising that last few bits of brick-hard red clay out of the hole, ready for the whirligig to be set.
It was getting dark the time it was set up and concrete poured. It was in my eyes a thing of great beauty, and I confess to standing looking at it several times in the following weeks and months, admiring its straightness and its strength to fulfil its purpose.
But even with so much effort and as much pleasure as that brought, it was never going to be close to what God does for my soul every day. I just need to have the right perspective.
KNOWLEDGE – The writer here is establishing a principle that has already been developing since verse eight. Everything that comes out of God’s mouth is better than anything you can ever find on earth, even by digging for years in the soil (rubies), or diving to the deepest parts of the oceans (coral). No amount of human effort in pursuit of beauty can come close to the true beauty of God’s word in Jesus.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word used for “better” is pronounced as “tabab” in Hebrew, and carried the meaning of “to speak”. We see the same word in Gen 1:4 when it is translated as “good” [that the light was good”.
The word “better” is also used in the LXX and the Greek there is “κρείσσων’ [kreisson] – which also appears four times in the New Testament [1 Cor 7:38; 1 Cor 11:17; Phil 1:23; and Heb 6:9] always translated as “better”.
WISDOM
What past lessons are available for me today, that will set me up for a win?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Context as a Gallup Strength leans towards understanding the past and distilling great learnings for the present and the future from the past. This can really set you up for wisdom, as long as you don’t start to dwell in the past.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – For skill and learning in all things speaks loder than rubies or corals, and all that you may desire or pleasure in, will never be equal or even appropriate in comparison.
For wisdom – for skill and learning in all things
is better – speaks louder
than jewels – than rubies or corals,
and all that you may desire – and all that you delight and pleasure in
cannot compare with her – will never be equal or even appropriate in comparison.
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to remember all you have done for me, and to stir up the gratitude and joy that you have already given.
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