My twin sister and I are very close. We attended the same schools, and we share many things in common—same room, same wardrobe, and—most importantly—same faith. Aside from God, no one knows me better than she does.
So when I read in Proverbs 7:4 that we’re to “love wisdom like a sister,” my thoughts went immediately to the close relationship I have with my twin sibling. And I’m not too far off, for the Hebrew word for “sister” is a term of endearment that expresses intimacy (Song of Songs 4:9-10 NIV).
The metaphor is meant to encourage us to be closely related to and familiar with wisdom and insight, as if they were beloved members of the family. We’re to treat the way of wisdom as a deep commitment and an intimate relationship, not an academic pursuit. For when we “love wisdom like a sister,” she’ll hold us back from courting sin and from walking down the pathway of destruction (Proverbs 7:5, 24-25).
A case study in Proverbs 7:6-23 illustrates the point. We read of a young man who made several conscious choices to act foolishly. He unwisely strolled about town, in the wrong place and at the wrong time of night. He was looking for trouble. When an immoral woman approached him and boldly seduced him, he didn’t flee. She flattered him, and he liked it. She enticed him, and he pondered her proposition. She assured him that a night with her would be both sensual and safe, and he believed her.
The writer was intentional when he personified wisdom as a beloved sister and temptation as an immoral woman. When tempted, there are always two voices competing for our attention. Which one do we listen to? The one we love more.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 21:1-17
More:
Read Proverbs 9:10 and 15:33 for the source of wisdom. Then use Ephesians 1:16-19 as a guide in praying for yourself.
Next:
What’s the relationship between loving wisdom and fearing God? How can you cultivate your love for wisdom?
yemiks1 on November 9, 2012 at 9:50 am
Grace & Wisdom be to you! Amen!
jimgroberts on November 9, 2012 at 10:42 am
“Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God”.
To follow Christ is to walk in wisdom just as He said “I do nothing but what I see my Father do”.
Do not be deceived as Solomon was that we have wisdom in ourselves. No – “he who has an ear hear what the Spirit says to the church” – and we are the church. Be wise – remain in Christ.
daisymarygoldr on November 11, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Great post, Poh Fang! In the literal sense, wisdom is personified as the beloved sister and temptation as the immoral woman. And in the spiritual sense, the meaning goes much deeper. “Wisdom” personified as sister symbolizes heavenly wisdom from above. While the immoral woman named “Folly” (Proverbs 9:13) is worldly wisdom which is earthly and sensual (James 3: 15 NKJV). This is the wisdom that appeals to our flesh and fallen sense of reasoning.
In the Bible, wisdom does not implicate intellect or to be book smart. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that gives us divine insight into scriptural truths and its practical application to everyday life. The young man in the passage represents spiritually immature individuals. Also, foolishness has a moral connotation. Paul says that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. Those who flirt with the philosophies of this world are called adulterers (James 4:4).
A fool is not someone with mental inability but a person who is morally deficient. Deficiency is because of disobedience to God’s Word (Matthew 7:25) as fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 29:3). And so, a person that lacks wisdom may have Bible proficiency but does not rightly apply God’s word to life’s situations.
This is why, those who experiment living according to the Bible with the aid of humanistic wisdom end up getting caught in the snare of their own cleverness. The Tennessee woman who wrote the book on Biblical Womanhood is a classic case that illustrates this point. For many, her findings are funny. Sadly, it is the perfect picture of people who interpret and apply the Bible to their lives without the fear of God.
How is the fear the Lord related to wisdom? To fear the Lord is to hate evil behavior and perverse speech (Proverbs 8:13). A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil (Proverbs 14:16 NIV), whereas a fool finds pleasure in doing wrong (Proverbs 10:23). Why pursue a personal and close relationship with wisdom? When we love God’s wisdom like a sister she will protect us from the sinful seductions of the world system that leads to death.
A sister can be trusted because she has your best interests at heart with no ulterior motives whatsoever. Moreover, none of us would want to see our siblings get hurt or be destroyed. Godly wisdom will enable us to have joy and happiness, long life and peace (Proverbs 3:13-18).
Both you and I are blessed with sisters 🙂 but unfortunately, all don’t have one. My husband has brothers but no sisters; our daughter badly wanted a sister and was disappointed when it turned out to be a brother. My advice to her was: “If you want a sister, then ask God.” James tells us that if anyone does not have wisdom we need to ask God. For this reason, I pray for us constantly, asking God to give us spiritual wisdom and insight so that we might grow in our knowledge of God (Ephesians 1:17-19).