Proverbs – Lesson 15 – Proverbs 3.13-20 (August 12, 2026)

Click The Blue Heading To Download Notes

PROPOSITION Wisdom is our most valuable possession because it teaches us how to use everything else God gives us.

 

Review

 

Proverbs is God’s Handbook for His Image Bearers. God created us in His image and gave us a life to live in His world. Proverbs teaches us the wisdom we need to live that life according to His design.

Proverbs 3 has shown us what wisdom looks like in everyday life. Wisdom trusts the LORD instead of leaning on our own understanding. It fears the LORD and departs from evil. It honors the LORD with what He provides. In the previous lesson, Solomon taught his son to remain trainable when the LORD corrects him.

Proverbs 3:11–12 (KJV) 11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

 

Solomon has taught his son to seek wisdom, trust God’s wisdom, and accept the correction necessary to become wise. Now he explains why wisdom is worth all that effort.

Proverbs 3:13–20 (KJV) 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her. 19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

 

What Is Wisdom?

 

Solomon says wisdom is more valuable than silver, gold, rubies, or anything else we could desire. To understand that statement, we need to know exactly what he means by wisdom.

Wisdom is not simply knowing what is true. Wisdom is skill. It is the ability to take what we know and use it properly.

The building of the tabernacle gives us a visible picture of Wisdom.

When Israel was in the wilderness, God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle. God gave Moses the pattern for what He wanted built because the tabernacle had a very important purpose.

Exodus 25:8–9 (KJV) 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

 

God also provided the materials through the offerings of His people. They brought gold, silver, brass, precious stones, cloth, wood, oil, spices, and other valuable materials.

But having the materials was not enough.

Someone needed the skill to understand what those materials could become and how to fashion them according to God’s plan.

God provided a man named Bezaleel.

Exodus 31:1–6 (KJV) 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

 

God calls Bezaleel’s skill “wisdom.”

Bezaleel could look at gold and understand its value, but wisdom allowed him to see its purpose and potential. He knew what that gold could become when it was used according to God’s plan.

That is an important part of wisdom.

Wisdom sees value, purpose, and potential.

When Bezaleel finished his work, the gold, silver, wood, cloth, and stones had been skillfully fashioned into the tabernacle. The materials became part of the place God had designed to dwell among His people.

Exodus 40:33–34 (KJV) 33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

 

That is why the picture of Bezaleel helps us understand the wisdom Solomon wants his son to find.

God has also placed valuable things into our hands. He has given us a body, mind, family, money, work, abilities, influence, opportunities, and years to live.

Wisdom sees their value, but it also asks what Bezaleel had to understand about the gold:

• What is this for?
• What could this become?
• How did God design it to be used?

 

Wisdom is the skill to use what God gives us according to God’s plan.

Why Wisdom Is Worth More

 

Proverbs 3:13–15 (KJV) 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

 

Now Solomon’s comparison has real meaning.

Gold is valuable, but wisdom knows what to do with the gold.

Bezaleel’s wisdom allowed him to take something already valuable and use its value for an even greater purpose. Gold became part of the place where God dwelt among His people.

This is why wisdom is more valuable than everything else we can possess. Whatever God gives us reaches its greatest purpose when it is used according to His design.

Zacchaeus gives us a simple example with money.

Zacchaeus already understood the financial value of money. He was a chief publican and had become rich. When he met Christ, he began to see a greater purpose for what he possessed.

Luke 19:8–9 (KJV) 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

 

The value of Zacchaeus’s money did not change. His understanding of its purpose and potential changed.

Money could do more than make Zacchaeus wealthy. It could feed someone who was poor. It could restore what he had wrongfully taken. It could demonstrate the change God had made in his heart.

That is wisdom at work.

It sees what God has provided and asks what that provision can accomplish when it is used according to God’s design.

The same is true of a family. Scripture shows that a family can become a place where another generation learns to know God.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 (KJV) 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

 

A job provides income, but God shows us greater potential in our work. Our labor can provide for our needs and give us the ability to help someone else.

Ephesians 4:28 (KJV) 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

 

Influence can be used to draw attention to ourselves, or it can help other people see God through the way we live.

Matthew 5:16 (KJV) 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

This is what Solomon wants his son to understand about wisdom. Wisdom allows us to see the full potential of what God has placed into our hands.

What Are You Building?

 

Bezaleel had valuable materials, but he also had God’s pattern. His skill was valuable because it enabled him to build what God had designed.

Our lives also have a design.

God created us in His image. He designed us to reflect His character and live in fellowship with Him. Our families, possessions, work, abilities, bodies, and influence are materials that can be used toward that purpose.

Adam and Eve show what happens when people reject God’s design.

God placed Adam and Eve in Eden and gave them a life filled with purpose and provision. He gave them work, marriage, food, fellowship with Him, and clear instruction concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:16–17 (KJV) 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

 

Eve looked at the forbidden tree and decided for herself to use it for a selfish purpose.

Genesis 3:6 (KJV) 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

 

God had already explained how the tree fit His plan. Eve followed her own understanding instead.

The result was the loss of the life Adam and Eve had enjoyed with God in Eden.

Genesis 3:23–24 (KJV) 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

 

Now Solomon’s earlier instruction carries even greater weight:

Proverbs 3:5–7 (KJV) 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

 

Wisdom trusts that God knows what He designed our lives to become.

The Blessed Man

 

Proverbs 3:13 (KJV) 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

 

Solomon calls this man happy because he has found something that affects the value of everything else in his life.

He can look at money and see its value, purpose, and potential under God’s direction. He can look at his family and understand what God designed that family to become. He can look at his abilities and see how they can serve others and glorify God. He can look at the years God gives him and understand that those years can accomplish something that matters beyond himself.

The blessed man is learning how to build his life according to God’s plan.

That is why wisdom is more valuable than the gold, silver, rubies, etc…

More gold would not have helped Bezaleel if he did not know what God wanted him to make with it.

More possessions, opportunities, influence, or years will not replace wisdom in our lives.

Wisdom allows us to make the fullest use of what God has already placed in our hands.

Wisdom Leads to Life

 

Proverbs 3:16–18 (KJV) 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

 

Solomon describes what wisdom can produce: length of days, riches, honor, pleasantness, and peace. Wisdom teaches us to use God’s gifts in ways that lead toward the life He designed.

Then Solomon calls wisdom “a tree of life.”

That takes us back to Eden.

Adam and Eve desired to become wise apart from God’s instruction, and they lost access to the tree of life. Solomon tells his son that God’s wisdom leads him toward life.

Through Jesus Christ, God gives eternal life to those who believe.

John 3:16 (KJV) 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

God also places His Spirit within those who belong to Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (KJV) 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

 

The tabernacle was built according to God’s plan and became the place where God’s glory dwelt among Israel. Through Christ, God’s Spirit now dwells within His people, and wisdom teaches us to build our lives according to His design.

The God Who Knows What Life Can Become

 

Proverbs 3:19–20 (KJV) 19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

 

Solomon finishes by pointing to creation.

The God who tells us how to build our lives is the God who built the world.

He knows the purpose and potential of everything He created.

He knows what marriage can become when it follows His design. He knows what money can accomplish when it is used wisely. He knows what our work can provide, what our words can accomplish, what our influence can do for another person, and what our years can become when they are given to His purposes.

We see what something is.

Wisdom helps us see what God designed it to become.

Bezaleel needed God’s pattern to see what the gold could become.

We need God’s wisdom to see what our lives can become.

Build With Wisdom

 

God has placed valuable materials into our hands.

A family can become a home where another generation learns to know God. Money is can be good or evil, it can be used to honor God or to promote selfish desires. Our careers can be used to honor God and display faithful character. Influence can point someone toward God.

Wisdom sees the value, purpose, and potential of what God provides.

Bezaleel saw more than the value of gold. Through wisdom, he understood what that gold could become when it was used according to God’s plan. And wisdom enabled him to work that gold into the form and shape God intended.

Solomon says the person who finds that kind of wisdom has found something more valuable than the gold itself.

Review

 

Wisdom is the skill to use what God gives us according to God’s plan.

Bezaleel shows us why wisdom is so valuable. He could see the value of the materials, but wisdom allowed him to see their purpose and potential. And to craft the gold into the form God desired. This gave it more value.

God has also placed valuable things into our hands. Family, money, careers, abilities, influence, time, and our bodies have purpose and potential. Wisdom teaches us how God designed them to be used.

That is why wisdom is more valuable than silver, gold, rubies, or anything else we could desire. Wisdom teaches us how to make the fullest use of everything God gives us.

Closing STATEMENT Wisdom is our most valuable possession because it teaches us how to use everything else God gives us.