Silver and Gold. You must have heard the
many ads telling us the virtue of owning it because its value never goes down. When
I was young, gold was $32 an ounce. Now it is over $1500 an ounce. If only I
had bought it when it was $32! But would I be rich? What does a hungry person
need more, gold or food?
In today’s proverbs, wisdom’s value is
compared to both gold and silver. Wisdom is more valuable than both. If the
money you have in your bank account gets seized by the government, as is
happening in Cyprus, what would you do? For many, their character would emerge
and anarchy would erupt. I don’t want to scare you, but it would get very
messy.
Verse sixteen tells of the rewards of wisdom
in contrast to the value of gold and silver. Wisdom will bring long life. Why
is this so? I know for me personally, money gets my blood pressure rising.
There have been times in my life when money was very tight, when finding a
little cash for the next meal seemed out of reach. We even had food stamps for
a short period of time. When I think about retirement, and the impending drop
in disposable income, I can feel stress rising. And stress can kill.
So for me, I am working hard at learning to
trust Him with that future. It is very peaceful when I leave that future in His
hands. Verse seventeen says peace and wisdom walk the same roads. If I am
walking in wisdom, peace will be there as well. I am learning to quiet my body
when I feel it go into panic mode. I turn my thoughts to His care and
provision.
Wisdom will be the food that gives us life,
like the tree of life found in the Garden of Eden, and that tree in heaven,
always bearing fruit year round. Wisdom continues to nourish.
So, I haven’t bought gold. I haven’t stocked
up on survival food. I don’t own a working gun and I haven’t purchased a safe.
Perhaps I am not being wise. Perhaps I am investing in other ways, ways that
will last into eternity. Missions giving will span the divide of death, but
gold won’t.