Treasure & Wisdom: Proverbs 3

Wisdom & Treasure 5/27/25
FCC Grayson is back in Proverbs for a bit and I wanted to take the next few Men’s Ministry blogs to go back and hit some areas I have been thinking about. This first blog takes us all the way back to chapter three. Most of you know that my background is in finance and I found it interesting that Solomon (one of, if not THE, richest people in history) keeps connecting wisdom with treasure. His first argument in this chapter is that wisdom is the greatest treasure a person can have:
               Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,
               for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
               She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her[1].
  
 The wild swings of the stock market this year have led to many folks investing in precious metals as a hedge against unpredictability…gold and silver are seen as “safe” alternatives. But here we see Solomon, who had more gold and silver than we could dream of[2], urging us to pursue wisdom over these riches. It seems to me he knew, perhaps more than anyone who has ever lived[3], that God’s wisdom gives us things that money cannot buy. Our social media feeds and the news are filled with discussions on mental health and “biohacking” (i.e. unlocking the full potential of the body for longevity) and these are certainly both topics that are important and worth studying. Christians, though, should use wisdom (particularly the wisdom found in Jesus) as the starting place for any study. The first two verses of chap 3 make it clear that a long, full life and peace are the result of God’s wisdom. This chapter is full, in fact, of promises related to wisdome. Verse 2 promises favor and a good name. Verse 6 promises guidance through life. Verse 8 promises health. Especially reassuring to me are verses 23-26 where we are assured that wise behavior creates a safe environment for us and those we love and “the Lord will be at your side”. I’ve spent a large part of my life feeling like if I could just get more money then life would be so much better, but Solomon is telling us in this chapter that if we focus on God’s wisdom, our lives WILL be better. Our homes will be blessed and our names will have honor if we just follow His instructions[4]. In my own life it is sad to compare how much I think about my finances versus how often I pursue God’s wisdom by reading His Word.
 Secondly, I feel it is worth looking at what this chapter says we should do with any material things we do gain in life:
                Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
                then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new                 wine[5].
  
 Those who are studying Wilson’s commentary will remember he equates wealth with our accumulated capital and firstfruits with our income[6]. We are very clearly promised blessings when we give God what is His[7]. In the context of wisdom, when we faithfully use our material blessings in the manner God wants us to, we discipline our monetary habits. When we let wisdom guide each financial decision we avoid things like overspending, reckless purchases, etc… “if you are wise, your wisdom will reward you”[8]. In a larger sense, when we give our “treasures” to God, we are acknowledging that all good things come from Him. We are thanking Him for His provision and humbly honoring our Creator’s love for us. This humility puts us in the proper standing with God and has its roots in the verse we keep going back to: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”.[9] When so many are struggling paycheck to paycheck, it feels counter-intuative to say “Hey, if you give faithfully and generously to God’s kingdom you will actually end up in better shape than you are now” but that is exactly what we are told to do. It may not make sense to us at the moment, but it is important to remember verse 5 in this same chapter- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” Sometimes we just need to go on faith and believe that God will do what He promised.
 For the men following the reading schedule, next week we get into chapter 19 and we have some pretty lengthy passages in the commentary but it eases up as we move into summer. We’ve had a couple fantastic events in May and Men’s ministry hopes to see you at our cookout/horseshoe tourney and Empower in June. Please reach out if you have anything you need prayer about or there is anything we can do for you.
 
   [1] 3.13-15
   [2] See 1 Kings 10.14, 23, 25 and 2 Chronicles 9.13
   [3] A reading of the book of Ecclesiastes will back this up, in my opinion
   [4] 3.33-35
   [5] 3.9&10
   [6] Proverbs, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, p 83-85
   [7] Compare with Proverbs 30.8&9 for those who argue for a strictly “prosperity gospel” interpretation of these verses
   [8] 9.12a
   [9] 1.7