Discovering the Way of Wisdom
"More than any other book of the Bible, the biblical Book of Proverbs discusses one of these topics of broad contemporary concern — money and questions of wealth and poverty, the rich and the poor. Although Proverbs is often thought to be nothing more than a simple and straightforward guide to worldly success, including financial success, closer examination shows that the book's pithy sayings and elegant poems form a sophisticated and clever system of rhetoric that transcends the comparatively superficial 'advice' it appears to give. Instead, it plumbs profound truths about a host of matters we are still concerned with today. The ancient sages who composed and edited the book wanted to convince their original audience, and subsequently those of us who read the book today, to acquire 'wisdom,' or those values and virtues or character traits that can help us lead not merely financially prosperous lives but, more fundamentally, the fulfilled and morally upstanding lives so many of us long for. According to Proverbs, the moral teachings this book holds out to us are of even greater worth than material wealth and should be the primary objects of our search for happiness. For if we have wisdom, we have the key to other blessings, such as peace of mind and a sense of security, harmonious personal and social relations, and a healthy relationship with money. These are the benefits of the way of wisdom that the sages of Proverbs invite us to choose, the characteristics of which we will explore. To reject this path, according to the Book of Proverbs, is to follow the way of folly."
