Daily Devotion – November 3, 2020 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison
Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16
6:12 Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her.
6:13 She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
6:14 One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate.
6:15 To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
6:16 because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought.
I have heard many stories of people who were searching for wisdom. But this is one of the only times I have heard that wisdom searches for people. Apparently wisdom really wants to be shared. She actually rushes out to find learners. She actually sits at the gate, an easy place to find someone.
It is clear that, at least in this book of the Bible, you would have to really work hard at escaping from wisdom. It is clear that wisdom will come to you if you only pay attention, and that wisdom can be found easily when you go looking for it.
So what prevents our becoming wise? If almost any outward turn with an openness to learn will allow us to experience wisdom, then perhaps the reverse keeps us from growing in wisdom. The reverse would be continually turning inward instead of outward, while never opening up our minds to the new. I am picturing a person placing his fingers in his ears, calling out “La la la la la la la la,” to keep from hearing what someone else is saying to him. That’s the funny version from a sitcom, let’s say.
The more tragic version is the person curled up, curved in on himself, dwelling on his own picture of the world or set of ideas. There is a phrase for that in latin: incurvatus in se, curved in on oneself. Luther called that sin.
If we are the ultimate center of our universe, there will be no wisdom for us.
But if we are in service to a world with a much greater center, outside ourselves, wisdom will come and find us. How wonderful!
Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for delivering wisdom right to us if we are facing up and outward. When we become incurved on ourselves, remind us that we need to look outward. When you and your creation are our center, wisdom will find us. Amen.
