“7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
”
It’s Saturday morning so this will be an abbreviated reflection, although I find this chapter to be quite powerful. I want to focus on just two verses, seven & twenty-three.
I love humour and I find verse seven to be quite funny and therefore quite powerful. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom! It reminds me of the Jerry Seinfeld sketch about Halloween; “get candy, get candy, get candy”. Watch this Seinfeld clip to get an understanding of what Solomon is saying our hunger for wisdom should look like! He is quite serious, do not let anything cut in on your desperate search for wisdom. The beginning of wisdom is the understanding of how relentless we should be in pursuit of it!
After a long series of if/then statements about wisdom and its benefits, Solomon pivots to this statement; “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”. It is striking in its placement here in the chapter, it really stands out.
Guard your Heart!
Following this exhortation Solomon provides three examples of what he means: guard what your mouth speaks, what your eyes see, and where your feet take you.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What do you think is the connection between the desperate search for wisdom and the exhortation to guard your heart? What is your definition of wisdom and how does this exhortation interact with it? Share your thoughts below.