Once again Solomon employs the warmth of fatherly instruction to encourage the determined quest to attain wisdom. He tells his son, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight (vs. 7). Wisdom and insight are used synonymously here to indicate the practical application of God’s Word. That is the heart of wisdom. It does not terminate in the realm of ideas. Biblically speaking, wisdom is godliness. It is “boots on the ground” Christianity.

Solomon draws upon his care for his son in order to persuade his readers to go after and cherish wisdom at all costs. He personifies wisdom in order to awaken our affection and encourage our pursuit: “Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.” (vs. 6). This matter of desire is of great importance. Unless we desire the right thing then we will inevitably desire what is wrong. Thomas Chalmers, the great Scottish Presbyterian coined the phrase “the expulsive power of a new affection.” He meant it to illustrate the power of true affection for Christ to drive out sinful affections.

Solomon warns against the destructive power of sin. The wicked, he says, cannot even sleep at night unless they’ve convinced others to join them in their sin. But wisdom is a safeguard against sin’s destruction. The way that leads to life is clearly marked by the instruction of God’s Word. It is a pathway of uprightness and justice. Just as the apostle Paul used the language of holy striving when it came to following Jesus, so does Solomon appeal to the same kind of determination to describe the pursuit of Godly wisdom.

“Ponder the path of your feet;

then all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

turn your foot away from evil.” (vv. 26-27)