Sister Wisdom

“Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call insight your intimate friend” (Proverbs 7:4).

Sister Wisdom – it is she we must come to know and love.  

I have one sister, and, of course, I did not make her. She came to our family because of the relationship between my mom and dad. I am reminded by her at family gatherings, that apparently I was very much given to tormenting and teasing her more than our two brothers. We laugh about it now, and this is because there’s relationship and love between us.

Wisdom is precious and involves the treasures of relationship and connection. And for this reason the Scriptures define her in terms of a person.

We can accumulate information. We are very good at data collection with the gathering of facts and figures and details that we cobble together in a structure of knowledge.

Wisdom, however, requires an organic, restful, affectionate approach.

This word “sister” also shows itself in Song of Solomon, the most free and marvelous series of love language exchanges in our Bibles. The husband described in these chapters makes an exclamation as he identifies his bride:  “You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse!” (Song of Solomon 4:10). Three other passages include this declaration “my sister, my spouse” — Song of Solomon 4:11-12, 5:1.

Intimacy, it is clear, must be part of the picture when it comes to wisdom.

Adam Gets Help

Think back to the Garden of Eden. It was not good that Adam was alone, so said the Lord according to Genesis 2:19. The man needed someone like him, someone to relate to, someone to face, someone to embrace. God put the man to sleep, took something from him, and fashioned the woman for him.

A “sister” was given to Adam. He was “not good” without her. With her, however, he was very good (see Genesis 1:31). Intimacy was introduced and so man could now be wise with the presence of his sister and spouse, for “a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).  Proverb 18:22 tells us that he who finds a wife finds good and obtains favor.

Where we would be without women? Nowhere is the literal answer that first comes to mind. Woman may have been originally formed from something that came from the man, but every other son has been developed inside of a woman to come out from her.

Spiritually speaking, wisdom can only exist when the parts become whole, which is really what makes for the beauty of holiness (see Psalms 29:2, 96:9). Adam’s expression upon his sight of the woman made for him is most telling: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (see Genesis 2:23).

The picture is drawn clearly for us. Without our embrace of sister wisdom, we lack real understanding and the fear of the Lord.

The Push and the Pull

Solomon the king is accredited as the writer of Proverbs. Throughout this collection of wise sayings, he dressed important principles in figures of women. If anyone knew women, Solomon did. The Scriptures say that he a thousand of them in his life – “He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines” (1 Kings 11:3).

The words of Proverbs present to us the woman we should embrace and romance – wisdom, the sister – and also the one we should avoid – folly, the strange woman, the adulteress.

Proverbs 7 gives us the account of a scene Solomon says he saw from his window. A naïve man, a person without wisdom, got caught by a subtle, flattering predator. He allowed himself to fall under her spell and was taken captive to sin by her wiles. He followed like an animal being taken to the butcher.

The culture and fashion of the age work to drive us into activities and practices that leave us dead. Share on X

In this passage, we see the push of the world system represented by the seducer. The culture and fashion of the age work to drive us into activities and practices that leave us dead.

There’s a religious element expressed in this story. “I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows” the adulteress tells her prey (Proverbs 7:14). Religion that is not by grace through faith and the gift of God is “worship” that involves payment and performance. Purchases are made. Offerings become currency. In religion, one may buy a license to entertain the self as he wants.

The pushes come, and the unwise fall into the wrong bed. It’s a bed made attractive by enticements, as described by the crafty woman – “I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon” (Proverbs 7:14-15).  The blankets and smells lull one’s conscience and convictions to sleep.

Push may come to shove in the midst of temptation because there is the pull of the old nature in each of us. Our flesh clings to the natural, to surface satisfactions. “For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaves unto the earth” (Psalm 44:25).

Consider the rich, young ruler in Mark 10. He was pushed to Jesus by a desire to pull himself to the inheritance of eternal life; he wanted Jesus to tell him how to “do” the necessary stuff to get what he wanted (Mark 10:17). Inheritances, however, are not about our doing. Rather, inheritances are established via relationships.

And so it is with wisdom – we gain her favor through our rest in our relationship to her. We enjoy the presence of God and keep the Sabbath. That is, we cease our efforts to make something of ourselves. Instead, we raise our hands and open our hearts. We rejoice and we rest.

The Way of the Savior

It is the Lord who puts gladness into us. There’s a peace wisdom supplies, as noted in these passages from the Psalms:

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for You, Lord, only make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).

“As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).

Let us dance with wisdom, as Jesus did. Even the Savior refused to strive in His humanity. He lived by every word of God.

Christ finished His work with psalms and hymns and prayers that carried Him as He went toward the Cross. He committed His spirit to the hands of the Father and bowed His head in entrance to death. He rose from the grave and appeared here and there as He taught His followers for 40 days.

And then Jesus went up, taking His seat at the right hand of the throne of Heaven. There, He intercedes as our Advocate while the Holy Spirit now moves, seals, and takes residence in us who believe, and works the works of righteousness through us.

May we understand the security and eternality of the relationship present with the one true God. There is rest among the Persons of the Godhead. There is no pushing and pulling in the midst of God. The Father established the Plan of Redemption. The Son accomplished the Work committed to Him in the Incarnation. And now the Holy Spirit comforts as our Helper, freely breezing as the rushing mighty wind and baptizing with the fire sent from Heaven.

The Son waits in patience as the Spirit fashions together the Body. All wisdom is being expressed and revealed, according to the will and timing of the Creator.

Someday soon, we shall know and see all things as they should be. We shall enjoy total wisdom. It will happen when Christ receives to Himself:  His Bride, His sister, His spouse — the Church.

What a day of rejoicing that will be.