13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, 14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

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Our passage consists of four small teachings; the ancient scribes clustered them together because of obvious cohesion with one another. In these four movements, there is one teaching on the life God's wisdom can produce. The opening movement begins and ends with the word "blessed."

What does it mean to be blessed? By looking at all the sentences between the two times blessing is mentioned, it becomes clear that the ancient author thought of blessing as "the multidimensional flourishing" that comes when we abide by God's wisdom.^1 The blessed person finds wisdom and gets understanding. The blessed person has gained more than the greatest riches could ever give them. The blessed person has found something more valuable than all the desirable riches of this world. The blessed person gets a double-fisted dose of life, riches, and honor. The blessed person is on a path of peace and pleasantness.

The multidimensional flourishing of God's blessing means more than happiness. The blessed person "experiences life optimally."^2 Optimization is a word we understand because we often attempt to optimize various facets of our lives. Personal productivity gurus preach effective task management systems, the importance of deep work, and the glories of inbox zero. Fitness coaches offer up time-efficient workout programs, recovery methods, nutrition philosophies, and biohacking. Mental health experts help us optimize our mental state, pastors teach us about spiritual disciplines, career advisors help us skill stack, and financial planners implore us to budget—we constantly pursue an optimized life. Morning routines and habit stacking, minimalism and meal prepping, sleep tracking and supplements—we are a nation of optimizers. However, Proverbs tells us that the optimal life is truly found when we live according to God's wisdom.

The blessed life Proverbs proposes sounds familiar. It certainly has echoes of Psalm 1, where we are told that the blessed person delights and meditates on the law of the Lord and, as a result, becomes like a tree planted by rivers of water, bearing fruit in its season (Ps. 1:2-3). In a similar way, if God's wisdom is treasured, it will become a life-giving tree to those who receive it. This helps us understand the divine origin of wisdom—it works because it is connected to God. But this passage also has echoes of Eden within it. The Tree of Life was in the Garden of Eden and is again found in Revelation 22, meaning it bookends the entire human experience. The tree of life was in the perfect paradise of Eden and will be in the perfect paradise of the new heavens and earth, but is it completely lost to us today? Not entirely. Yes, we live in a broken world filled with hardship, injustice, and pain, but we can taste a bit of the tree of life by adhering to God's wisdom. And for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, he has especially opened the door to partake of the wisdom tree of life. Because he died and rose, we die to sin and are alive to God and all the wisdom that comes with him.

To Solomon, God's wisdom was worth pursuing. Again, he depicts it as a desirable woman—she, her—for his son to partner with in life. He said, "Gain from her is better than gain from silver, and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her" (3:15-16). Wealth does not bring us true happiness. Solomon knew of the benefits of wealth, but he also knew genuine joy could not be found in the material world. As Warren Wiersbe once said, "It's good to have the things money can buy, provided you don't lose the things money can't buy."^3 Money can put food on the table, but can it put life around it? Money can buy a house, but what makes it a home? Money can pay for romantic gestures, but can it produce love?^4 The Wu-Tang Clan preached how cash rules everything around us, but Solomon knew the truth. Without wisdom, what have you really acquired? With wisdom, do you lack anything at all?

So, the proposition is that wisdom can produce a good life. How so? What does it do? What kind of life does it produce?

1. Wisdom Establishes Enduring Systems for Life

19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; 20 by his knowledge the deeps broke up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

In this short sermonette, we learn that even God—who is all-powerful—uses wisdom, and his wisdom establishes enduring systems that produce life. Solomon gives a prime example of how God used wisdom to create the universe (earth, heavens, 19). This is not the last time Proverbs will emphasize wisdom in creation, but here we get a short burst telling us that when God shaped the world, he used wisdom in how he did the work. With intention and care, God designed our world by utilizing wisdom.

The heavens and the earth testify to God's wisdom. The intricate laws of physics reflect order, not chaos. The fine-tuning of the universe—our exact placement in the solar system, the delicate balance of oxygen, and the speed of the earth's rotation—reveals his intelligence. The myriad of ecosystems God designed, each interconnected and sustaining life, is a masterpiece of divine wisdom. Then there is the beauty of creation—it speaks and resonates with us. The diversity of the species, the grandeur of our landscapes, the vast magnificence of space—all of it reflects the wisdom of the Creator. Only divine wisdom could accomplish all this. As the psalmist declares, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Ps. 19:1).

Solomon's point is clear: if God needed wisdom to construct the world, shouldn't we lean into wisdom as well? If God needed it, we need it. If Yahweh employed wisdom to shape the cosmos, shouldn’t we rely on wisdom to build our careers, friendships, marriages, families, and ministries? The One who fashioned galaxies and ecosystems knows best how life flourishes—so why would we ignore his wisdom?

One of the most brilliant displays of divine wisdom in creation is the water cycle, which Solomon highlights: “By his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew” (3:20). If you were designing an irrigation system for the entire earth, how would you do it? How do you transport trillions of pounds of water to the places that need it most? God designed a system so perfect that it has been sustaining life for thousands of years. God causes water to evaporate so that it rises up into the atmosphere, where it condenses into clouds—he makes water float! Then, through precipitation, he makes it act like water again, and the rain or dew descends upon the earth. Or he puts it into snow packs up high on the mountain so that it slowly melts and descends to us in rivers and streams and lakes and groundwater. This cycle repeats over and over again, sustaining crops, animals, humans—life! When was the last time your wisdom created a system that produced life for thousands of years? God’s wisdom is so powerful that it sustains all of creation, and it is this same wisdom he offers to us.

Just as God designed the natural world to function with rhythms of renewal, he has designed our lives to work best within his wisdom. In other words, our lives work when aligned with God's wisdom. We flourish when we yield to his wisdom and way—he has designed it to be so. Take the Sabbath, for example. In the creation account, God established the seventh day as one of rest. Later, when he rescued the Hebrews from their captivity in Egypt, he reaffirmed the Sabbath—teaching them to live in a rhythm of work and rest. After centuries of slavery, they were ready for some time off, and God established the seventh day for rest. Say what you want about the Sabbath, but have you ever stopped taking a day of rest for a long period of time? You begin to fray at the edges. You begin to fall apart a little (or a lot). Try working nonstop for weeks without a break, and your body will let you know that you were not designed to function this way. Just as nature functions well because of God's wisdom, we function well when we get into God's wisdom system.

This pattern extends beyond just rest:

• Marriage flourishes when it operates by God’s wisdom. God designed marriage as a covenantal relationship, not just a temporary arrangement based on feelings. God's way stresses commitment over convenience, forgiveness over resentment, and service over selfishness.
• Finances are healthiest when handled with God’s wisdom. The world pushes greed, debt, and materialism, but God’s wisdom leads to generosity, stewardship, and contentment.
• Relationships succeed when guided by God's wisdom. Relationships deteriorate when built on pride, manipulation, and selfish ambition, and they thrive when built on honesty, humility, and love.
• Parenting is most effective when shaped by wisdom—offering both discipline and love rather than neglect or overindulgence. Work thrives when approached with diligence, integrity, and purpose rather than idleness or dishonesty. Decision-making is strongest when rooted in God’s wisdom, leading to clarity and peace rather than confusion and regret.

The fascinating reality of all this is that God used wisdom to create all things, but through human folly and sin, all things were broken. Sin introduced disorder, death, and chaos. What did God do about it? He became one of us—he involved himself in his creation!—in order to fix everything forever. When he arrived, the One who made all things, the One for whom all things were made, the One in whom all things hold together, took on human flesh. He showed us the embodiment and perfection of wisdom. He is the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24). He has rhythms and systems to sustain us and make us flourish, so we must seek him and his wisdom for everything about our lives. He has made the tree of life available—the invitation is clear: Seek wisdom. Seek Christ. And flourish.

2. Wisdom Develops Secure Footing in Life

21 My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, 26 for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

In this little sermon, Solomon assures his son that walking with God in God's wisdom will develop a secure footing in life. His life will enhanced internally as it will be life for his soul (3:22), and everyone else will witness this enhancement externally as it will be like jewelry adorning his neck (3:22). Because of this, Solomon pleads with his son to keep sound wisdom and discretion (3:21). He had already told his son about his part in God's wisdom spiral—if he made sure to pursue and apply God's wisdom, God would respond in beneficial ways—so he needed to keep God's wisdom. He also needed to keep discretion, which means he was supposed to "think through the consequences of an action and choose the most effective way."^5 If we pursue and hold fast to God's wisdom long enough, we will grow able to preach it to ourselves. We will become good self-counselors because we have been counseled in God's wisdom for so long.

When this happens, Solomon says a secure life follows. The person drenched in God's wisdom walks securely, does not stumble on the path, doesn't fear, and sleeps well (3:23-24). The possibility of sudden terror or inevitable interactions with the wicked doesn't worry them (3:25). They have internal and external peace. The Lord is their confidence (3:26). He keeps their foot from being caught (3:26). In short, Proverbs is telling us that a life yielded to God's wisdom is a secure life.

It's true. A life spent adhering ever increasingly to God's wisdom helps us avoid unnecessary hardship. Wisdom, of course, cannot eliminate all suffering. We must think of Proverbs as the idealized life—general principles, not ironclad rules. Besides, even Proverbs would never make the claim that wisdom leads to a pain-free life—there are many proverbs that talk about wise people who do suffer—but God's wisdom can spare us from many self-inflicted wounds. It can help us avoid debt and financial ruin (Prov. 22:7). It will encourage us to avoid sexual sin and its consequences (Prov. 5:3-5). It can train us away from destructive anger and violence (Prov. 29:11). As I said, it never promises to eliminate all suffering, but it does guard us from unnecessary pains attached to our own folly.

I have witnessed this more times than I can count in the recovery ministries attached to our church. Men and women whose lives have been hindered, at least in part through their own decision-making, begin to come into God's wisdom, and things start clearing up. Given time and faithfulness, life begins to become safer, more secure, and less chaotic. The danger that used to lurk behind every new day is dampened. And this story is true for every one of us. God's wisdom helps us climb into stronger levels of security because we less often become victims of our own folly. "As we grow in wisdom, God protects us from the land mines that sin has hidden" in this world.^6

One way God provides this safety is by becoming our confidence for us (3:26). He comes to our rescue; he is at our side. One of the most secure people in human history was Paul the Apostle. He suffered much for the cause of Christ, but, as he did, he felt God's strong hand of protection upon his life. Even when he was about to be martyred for the faith, he wrote to his protege Timothy that the Lord had stood with him and strengthened him when he had undergone persecution (2 Tim. 4:16). From a Roman prison, about to die, Paul confessed, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom" (2 Tim. 4:17). What we have there is a man who lived by God's radical and counterintuitive wisdom, which caused him to sense God's radical and counterintuitive hand on his life. He felt so abundantly secure—so secure that death itself would deliver him safely into the heavenly kingdom.

This is the level of sure footing God can give to us. Strong. Confident. Anxious about nothing. Seeking the kingdom. Focused on him. Devoted to his purposes. For this reason, let's keep sound wisdom and discretion to the point we can counsel ourselves well. As we do, life is enhanced, and we become safe and secure inside and out.

3. Wisdom Generates Life-Giving Communities

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. 29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, 32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. 33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. 35 The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

In this final sermon, Solomon tells his son that God's wisdom generates life-giving communities. Ever since Cain killed Abel, humanity has been at odds with itself, but when God's wisdom enters a community, it brings life instead of death, peace instead of conflict, generosity instead of greed. In our modern world, where selfishness, division, and pride run rampant—some call it a culture of death—this is precisely the kind of wisdom we need.

First, notice how God's wisdom keeps us from withholding good from others. When it is in our power to do good to another, God's wisdom trains us to do it (3:27). Nor does God's wisdom allow us to delay or deny help when others need it, which is what the man who says, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it" is trying to do. Someone once said, "He who gives quickly gives twice," because it is sometimes painful to wait for the help you need.[^7] When we have resources and opportunities to aid others, God's wisdom drives us to do so, to become like Jesus and serve others, but we live in a time of increasing stinginess when it comes to time, love, and generosity. When we see a friend battling hardship, God's wisdom causes us to reach out with more than a "let-me-know-if-you-need-anything" text. When we see a coworker drowning in work, God's wisdom causes us to search for ways to alleviate their pressure. God's wisdom causes us to feel we are in debt to others—so we try to find ways to give them their due.

Second, notice how God's wisdom keeps us from relational manipulation. Solomon implores his son not to plan evil against an unsuspecting neighbor (3:29) or argue with an innocent man just for the heck of it (do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm, 3:30). So many relationships are filled with manipulation and hidden motives. In these cases, everything the manipulator does in the relationship is done for selfish reasons. This plotting is behind so much cutthroat workplace betrayal, church gossip and conflicts, or longstanding family grudges. But God's wisdom tells us to stop using people as pawns for our own personal gain. Instead, we should build relationships based on trust, not the control of someone else.

Third, notice how God's wisdom keeps us from celebrating division and conflict. We should not envy a man of violence—devious people like that are an abomination to the Lord, which shows us how much God values care for others (3:31-32). This exhortation is important for us because we live in an outrage culture that thrives on division. Outrage has been monetized as it can drive traffic, build coalitions, and reinforce group identity. Some anger is, of course, righteous, but many people are just addicted to conflict and can't get enough of it. This exhortation from Solomon means we should be careful about who we admire and how we choose to get ahead in life. I know we like to say, "Nice guys finish last," but when Jesus returns in glory and banishes all wickedness from his kingdom forever, we will realize how untrue that statement is. We should not pursue success at the expense of our integrity. If you win by dishonesty and abuse, you haven't actually won.

Finally, notice how God's wisdom keeps us from pride. God opposes those who scorn him in rebellious pride, but he gives favor to those who are humble. Both James and Peter pick up on this concept in their writings (James 4:6, 1 Pet. 5:5). Self-promotion, arrogance, and always seeking validation—are not marks of God's wisdom. Instead, wisdom chooses humility, service, and quiet faithfulness over loud promotion—and God gets behind that kind of life, and blesses that type of community.

Christina

What kind of people do we want to be? What kind of community do we want to create? A selfish culture where people only take? A manipulative culture where people use one another? A culture of violence, division, and power-seeking?

Or will we build something different?

Conclusion

In Genesis, when Joseph stood before Pharaoh, he was only a prisoner—betrayed by his brothers, forgotten by the world, and suffering in isolation. At that point in his life, Joseph would have been forgiven for doubting the value of God's wisdom. Yet, when Pharaoh sought an interpretation of some disturbing dreams, Joseph was called upon, and he did more than give an interpretation; he used God's wisdom (Gen. 41:16). As he did, he proposed a plan to store grain during seven years of plenty to help everyone endure the seven years of famine that Pharaoh's dreams warned about. The system he created established life for millions. The security he developed enabled everyone to endure the crisis of famine. And his wisdom increased and established Egypt's community and his own family in profound ways. His dad later compared him to a fruitful branch running over a wall—everyone in and out of Egypt's borders was blessed by Joseph's wise life (Gen. 49:22).

God's wisdom made Joseph a blessing. And God's wisdom can do the same in us. Without it, our lives stagnate and flounder, but with it, we become a source of life for many. The life it produces is good, so let's continue to press into its goodness.

[^7]: Publius Syrus (in Waltke)

Study Questions

Group Study Questions for “God’s Wisdom for a Complex World: The Life it Produces” (Proverbs 3:13-35)

Head (Knowledge, Facts, Understanding)

​ 1. According to Proverbs 3:13-35, what does Solomon say about the blessing of wisdom? How does he compare it to wealth and material gain?

​ 2. How does God’s wisdom in creation (Proverbs 3:19-20) demonstrate his intentional design? What examples from nature are used in the sermon to illustrate this?

​ 3. What does Proverbs 3:27-35 say about wise and foolish behavior in community? How do these principles contrast the way the world often operates?

Heart (Feelings, Impressions, Desires)

​ 4. The sermon highlights how wisdom brings security, peace, and confidence in God’s care (Proverbs 3:21-26). Have you ever experienced peace from making a wise decision? How did that impact you?

​ 5. The message describes modern challenges like selfishness, manipulation, and division as marks of a culture without wisdom. How do you see these issues at work in your own life or the world around you?

​ 6. Proverbs 3 presents wisdom as a “tree of life”—a concept linked to Eden and eternity. How does this imagery shape your view of wisdom and your desire to pursue it?

Hands (Actions, Commitments, Decisions, Beliefs)

​ 7. Proverbs 3:27-28 teaches that wisdom leads to generosity—doing good when it is in our power to do so. What is one way you can practice this in your daily life this week?

​ 8. The sermon challenges us to build life-giving communities rather than ones shaped by conflict, selfishness, or pride. What steps can you take to foster trust, humility, and peace in your relationships?

​ 9. Joseph’s life demonstrated that wisdom prepares, sustains, and blesses others (Genesis 41). How can you apply wisdom in your work, family, or ministry to be a blessing to others?