My son (1:8, 2:1, 3:1). This fatherly figure wants desperately to pass along the wisdom to his son. He calls on him to listen, to keep attending to the wisdom contained in his words. They offer his son a better way. Perhaps the father made many mistakes and he wished for his son to not follow in his ways. Mistakes can be very painful.
So what is the first specific wisdom he passes along to his son? He tells him to keep love and faithfulness close at hand. What would that look like? It will prolong life, and bring peace and prosperity (v2), and favor and a good name (v4), so it is important to know.
The author first uses the picture of a person hanging his wisdom around their neck. It would always be visible. It would always be handy. Others would see it present in your life, and every movement would be noticed. Chance are, it would even get in the way if you were engaged in daily activities, just like a woman’s necklace and an infant child.
But wearing around your neck is an external action. It could get lost, or even taken off on purpose. Someone might steal it. But the author says we should write this wisdom on the tablet of your heart.
I don’t know about you, but my heart doesn’t have a tablet. I can’t afford an iPad for my heart. Wrong kind of tablet! We are talking about a stone or clay tablet. It takes time and effort to write something on this kind of tablet. It is not something that can be accomplished quickly. It also can’t be erased easily. It is a semi-permanent form of document preservation. Slow, inefficient, but lasting.
That is the way we are to store God’s wisdom in us. It takes time and effort to write it in us. Chiseling or scraping again and again. And no one is able to see this wisdom directly. It is on the inside. They will only be able to tell it is there by your actions. Unlike the necklace, it can’t be lost or stolen.
We want things quickly, but gaining and keeping wisdom takes time and effort, but has its rewards. Verse four highlights two: favor and a good name. Things go smoothly when you have a good name, and when people trust you, doors open. Definitely worth the effort.
The Arnold Journey 