22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works [e]of old.
23 “From everlasting I was [f]established,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
24 “When there were no depths I was [g]brought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
25 “Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was [h]brought forth;
26 While He had not yet made the earth and the [i]fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27 “When He established the heavens, I was there,
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became [j]fixed,
29 When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His [k]command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
30 Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
[l]Rejoicing always before Him,
31 [m]Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men.32 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.
33 “Heed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
35 “For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord.
36 “But he who [n]sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love death.”
At first glance, these two sections seem a bit disconnected, but really, the first illustrates what we see in the second. If we choose wisdom, we find life and God’s favor. But if we choose to ignore God, we hurt ourselves and embrace death–which seems a silly thing to do when you put it that way.
Note the irony there though. If we choose to go our own way, and rebel against God, who gets hurt? Likewise, when we follow the wise course and put our selfish ambition to death, who benefits. In both cases, we do. Whether we do good or evil, the one who is most affected is ourselves. Oh, we certainly impact other folks too, but we often damage ourselves even more.
But God shows us the utmost in selfless behavior, with all his power shown in the first passage, God could do whatever he wants. Yet He doesn’t choose the shortcut, the self-gratifying route. Instead, He himself chooses wisdom, and patience, and plays the “long game”. God pours out himself, because he knows it will all be worthwhile when we are rescued. He sacrificed his own Son, so that we could have eternal life.
So, if you’re tempted to take the easy way, the one that looks shorter and more satisfying, hold on! Take a minute, ask God for wisdom, and choose the best way. The rewards (for you and others) will be well worth it. Don’t live foolishly, but selflessly, gently, kindly, let the fruit of the Spirit be alive in you, and find real true life.