Should Proverbs 4:3-4 be taken literally? If so, and if this book was indeed composed by Solomon, we have a picture of the young prince in his childhood being taught by his father King David to choose the path of wisdom.
And what does Solomon remember his father saying to him? "The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight" (vs. 7). David's advice was taken to heart by Solomon and became his legacy. Later, when Solomon is visited by God and invited to ask for anything his heart desires, he remembers his father's words and requests wisdom.
The primacy of wisdom, of putting the search for insight above everything else in life, matches what we know about Solomon and what we find in one of his other books, Ecclesiastes. Much of the rest of this chapter reinforces the lesson Solomon learned from his father that the path of wisdom is to be followed and the path of foolishness or wickedness is to be scorned.
How about us? We probably all "know" that we should pursue wisdom in life and attempt to do the right things. But are we guilty of just paying lip service to that concept? Do we legitimately seek to conform our actions and behavior to the precepts of wisdom, especially as we find them in the Bible, such as in the book of Proverbs? How many people pretend that they are being wise and righteous when they really just do what they want to do? Let's not fool ourselves. Let's be whole-hearted in our pursuit of wisdom as well, so that we may leave a spiritually healthy legacy behind us as David did.
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