Proverbs 4:7 NET “Wisdom is supreme–so acquire wisdom, and whatever you aquire, aquire understanding”.
In the New Testament, the Greek word for Wisdom is Sophia. It can be defined as “the right use of the mind in any given situation.” Wisdom is seeing the way God sees and applying the right actions to a circumstance.
In Proverbs 2 it says to incline your ear unto wisdom, apply your heart to understanding and cry out after knowledge. The writer, Solomon then says something very interesting about those who seek wisdom from God. He begins to describe those who seek wisdom as being like miners searching for silver. They are like those who dig for treasures, such as silver, who have certain characteristics. The Bible is saying to dig in the mines of this earth for the wisdom of God. Dig deep and seek God’s help in understanding your circumstances and in finding out what actions you can take.
Wisdom from God is not shallow or on the surface level. Like those who search for silver, you have to dig deep. Silver is not found on the ground and easily gathered. If that were the case, then silver would not be valuable. Wisdom is both rare and valuable. There are certain characteristics that miners/ prospectors have. Number 1: The prospector must search diligently. Therefore, a person has to continue to dig and dig and keep digging some more. Number 2: A miner is not swayed by discouragement but is persevering. He or she is persuaded that there are treasures to be found, so he just continues to dig! Silver Miners don’t give up! Number 3: A miner is committed to sell out, forsake the “normal life,” and live a solitary, but not lonely, life. Because with the aid of others who love God and His wisdom, people who are just like you are like these prospectors who are unique and don’t live a “normal and shallow” life. They sell out, and they live differently and are different.
Wisdom can be acquired by experience, and one can learn from previous experiences. Wisdom is also shown in First Corinthians 12:8 as a spiritual gift. God gives spiritual gifts at times that are not based on your intelligence, experience, or knowledge. When God gives a spiritual gift, it can be totally “Divine” in nature, which means that this word of wisdom did not come from you but was “dropped into” your mind as the “right way” to see a situation. Therefore, wisdom can be learned and can also be given supernaturally to the believer in Christ. So seek, ask, knock and dig deep for the treasures of wisdom from God. It is worth living as a “miner for silver!”