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“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

Proverbs 9:10 ESV

The book of Proverbs is a call to wisdom. Wisdom is exalted in a variety of ways, just as foolishness is decried in a variety of ways. A host of word pictures are used to illustrate wisdom. And repeatedly, the reader is encouraged to seek wisdom.

Sometimes all the talk of wisdom can lead the reader to frustration, wondering “How do I get wisdom? Where does the wise road begin?” The answer is found in 9:10. The beginning of wisdom, true wisdom, is fearing the Lord. In reality, the better mindset is not to chase wisdom, but to chase the Lord because wisdom without God isn’t really wisdom. In chasing God and godliness, we become wise.

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.”

Proverbs 8:12

Notice in this verse those who surround wisdom: prudence, knowledge, and discretion. In other words, as you grow in wisdom, you should notice the other qualities as well. For example, if you lack discretion, it is very likely you lack wisdom as well. If you are growing in prudence, then it is likely a sign that you are growing in wisdom.

If you ever wonder if you have wisdom, it may be a good idea to look for the presence of wisdom’s three partners in your life as a self-test.

“My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;”

Proverbs 7:1 ESV

If we are not careful, we may read past the word treasure. The word keep deals with the action, the word treasure deals with the heart. It may be helpful to be reminded that the word treasure means to highly value.

Let that sink in a bit.

A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with crooked speech,
winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
    points with his finger,
with perverted heart devises evil,
    continually sowing discord;

Proverbs 6:12-14 ESV

According to Proverbs 6:12-14, the one who continually sows discord is a “worthless person, a wicked man.” Be careful how much time you spend in the presence of that person. Be careful not to be that person because sowing discord is more than an irritating personality trait. It is sin.