Mensa Otabil - Friends of Wisdom
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We’re still looking at the subject of wisdom, and today we’re examining the friends of wisdom. Wisdom’s friends can be found in Proverbs chapter 8, verse 12: «I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find out knowledge and discretion.» Wisdom doesn’t just walk alone; you can’t simply say, «I’m so wise,» while other aspects of your behavior are unwise. It’s like the old story of Anany, who supposedly gathered all the knowledge or wisdom of the world into a pot and decided to climb up a tree to hide it. Just that action of trying to hide wisdom in a tree betrays a lack of wisdom.
So, when a person claims to have wisdom, there must be accompanying traits that demonstrate their wisdom. Here are three of them. The first one is prudence. If a person possesses wisdom, they will be prudent. Prudence simply means sensible behavior or measured actions. A person who is wise exercises control over their behavior; they are sensible, measured, and not just out there making a lot of noise while producing no results. To be prudent is to manage what you have well; it is the ability to manage the little that you have so that you can grow it. Wisdom can take what is small and make it big; wisdom can take what is insignificant and make it significant. Why? Because wisdom is prudent and takes good care of what it possesses.
It is faithful in little so that it can be faithful in much. Therefore, if we are wise people, one thing we must learn is to be faithful in the little things that God gives us to do. It may be teaching a Sunday school class, or performing tasks in church, or doing something in your office that may not seem significant, like sweeping here or cleaning there. Prudence requires us to manage the little things well so that we can manage the bigger things effectively.
The second friend of wisdom is knowledge. Knowledge here means to take note of things and learn from them. Knowledge is a friend of wisdom; it is not just about the accumulation of facts. Many times, we think that memorization is a sign of knowledge, but it is not. Knowledge involves paying attention and observing; it is seeing things clearly and taking note of them. When something is out of place, a knowledgeable person can see it. A wise person pays attention; even when they make a mistake, they learn their lessons and move on.
This is wisdom: paying attention. Don’t let your mistakes just be mistakes; let your mistakes be lessons. Let your past serve as lessons, and that’s what knowledge does. It helps you pay attention so you can learn from it. A person who is wise will be prudent; they will manage things well. They will be knowledgeable, paying attention and learning.
The third friend of wisdom is discretion. Discretion means making good choices. It means that even when you have the option to do something, you don’t abuse that permission. It’s like someone saying, «Oh, come to my house; the house is yours.» If you go into their house and act as if it truly belongs to you, throwing your weight around, that demonstrates a lack of discretion. You can’t just bump into the person’s bedroom or ransack the fridge without exercising good judgment.
Discretion means you’ve been given permission; you have access, and while all things might be yours, you exercise self-control. You decide, «Although I can do this, I don’t think it’s wise to do so.» For example, although the person has given me their phone number, I don’t think it’s smart to call them at this hour. That is discretion.
Therefore, wisdom requires that we have discretion, that we pay attention, and that we are prudent with the little that we have. If we are wise, as the Bible teaches us in Proverbs chapter 8, then these qualities will accompany our wisdom. May the Lord help each one of us as we seek to live a more fruitful life. Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I want to grow in wisdom. Help me to grow in prudence, in knowledge, and in discretion. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.