32 “And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
34 Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favour from the Lord,
36 but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death.”
The concluding verses of the chapter drive home the appeal of wisdom by reminding us of the ultimate issues that are involved; life (35) or death (36). The appeal is based on wisdom's love for men and delight in them. We are urged not to refuse it, and we should note particularly what is being said here. It is not that somehow men may inadvertently miss wisdom, for it is not ignorance that is involved, but a question of moral refusal. Wisdom is accessible, nay more, it is on the initiative to bless men, and therefore abundantly at hand for all who will have it. The real question is therefore one of acceptance or refusal. It is a culpable matter, in the moral realm, and its issues are fraught with eternal consequences. One commentator suggests that the metaphor in 34, in the words 'watching daily at my gates', is that of an ardent scholar waiting till the doors of the school are opened and he can begin his studies. When one thinks of the school of Christ, the idea of one who is so keen on learning that he is at the door before opening-time is a graphic and impressive one. If this is the spirit that animates our learning, we will not be long in learning wisdom. Let us learn from this that when we find Christ truly, He will make us wise. It is in the measure in which we have found Christ that we become wise; and if we are not very wise yet, it is more of the real Christ that we need. For he who sits in the school of Christ surely learns wisdom, all-round, balanced wisdom; he learns to use his mind, he learns to think, he learns prudence and discretion as well as knowledge. When we receive the truth as it is in Jesus, this is what we receive.