The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12 “But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 “Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16 “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 “Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
18 “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.
19 “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 “Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is the place of understanding?
21 “Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 “[i]Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’23 “God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 “For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.
25 “When He imparted weight to the wind
And meted out the waters by measure,
26 When He set a limit for the rain
And a course for the thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
There are a lot of things people chase after, and if it isn’t gold, pearls, and so on, it might be TVs, cars, or clothing. But none of it comes close to wisdom. There’s no substitute for wisdom, and it isn’t found anywhere in this material world. There’s a lot of people that look smart, and some of them are close to the mark, but there’s only one who is truly wise. So if you want the best advice for your life, listen to God.
He created everything, and only He knows what’s coming down the road. Imagine this, he even knows exactly where lightning bolts are going, and we can barely even see where lightning hits because it is so fast. Who better to trust with your life than the one who made you, the one who wants the best for you, who loves you more than life itself, and ultimately, who knows what the future holds for you.
We chase after so many things, but only one thing is necessary. As Job so clearly stated, to follow God and learn His ways. Solomon himself, when God asked him what he wanted, requested wisdom instead of riches or power or “world peace”. Leave evil and selfish things in the dirt, and fear God so that you can move forward with the greatest gift of all time.