Last week, we saw that those who find wisdom receive blessings. This week we’ll unpack what exactly those blessings are.
“Treasure Chest” by Tom Garnett (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License
Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace (Prov 3:16-17, ESV).
Look at what awaits you if you find wisdom:
- Long life (Prov 3:16). We saw previously that Solomon understands “long life” to go beyond the grave. You may or may not make it to age 100, but the life mentioned here is something far more significant. It is a “tree of life” (Prov 3:18). God took the tree of life from Adam and Eve when they sinned (Gen 3:22-24), but Jesus promised to give it back to everyone who endures in faith to the end: “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev 2:7). Finding wisdom is part of this restoration process.
- Riches (Prov 3:16). Wisdom does not promise you more money; Solomon just said he’s offering something better than money (Prov 3:14-15)! The Lord offers a treasure that, unlike money, delivers from death: “Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death” (Prov 10:2). Wisdom’s wealth is God’s righteousness, now available through Jesus. It provides acceptance and rescue. (See Rom 3:21-26.)
- Honor (Prov 3:16). It might not mean that everyone likes you. But there is a general trust and influence that results when you are gracious and humble, fearing the Lord: “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life” (Prov 22:4). Insightful people will see the outcome of your wise life and call you blessed (Prov 3:18). In Little Women, dying Beth finds a note written by her sister Jo enumerating her virtues and bestowing such honor as Solomon pledges. Her response? “Have I been all that to you, Jo? … Then I don’t feel as if I’d wasted my life. I’m not so good as you make me, but I have tried to do right.”
- Pleasantness (Prov 3:17). When you seek wisdom, you may still suffer, but ultimately your way to God will become straight: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…and he will make straight your paths” (Prov 3:5-6). In other words, God’s will for you will become crystal clear: “For this is the will of God: your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3). You will seek him and love him more every day. His commandments will seem more pleasant and less burdensome as you grow closer to him.
- Peace (Prov 3:17). Our war with God has come to an end: “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). We can now be agents of reconciliation for others as well: “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself…and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18-19). This peace will spill into every other relationship, wreaking havoc on disorder and waging war against conflict.
Why do we settle for less?
