When my wife and I got married, we didn’t have much money. Of course, we’d heard people say that if you wait until you have enough money to get married, you’ll never get married. I hear people say the same thing about having kids. If you wait until you’re ready to have kids, you’ll never have kids. Whether that is wise or not, I don’t know.

Anyway, we didn’t have much money for our honeymoon, but were blessed by a family in our church who let us stay in their vacation home for free. The house was in Sunriver, OR. It’s wonderful little community that’s tucked into a forrest in central Oregon. There’s not a whole lot to this town, and I think that’s the point. You’re supposed to go there to get away from things and relax.

Being in the forrest in central OR, called the High Desert, carries with it the added treasure of being vulnerable to forest fires. While we were there, we were able to drive through a couple of sections of forest that had burned in the past couple of years. Because of this little treat they have warning sirens throughout the town to warn you of things like forest fires and tornados. We were aware of the sirens because there was one right next to this house. We weren’t aware that they do tests regularly to make sure the sirens work. Needless to say, when it went off one of the mornings we were there, we were a little startled. Not only were we unsure if it was a test or not, it was LOUD! There was no escaping the sound of this thing. I’m pretty sure they could use these things to bring people out of comas. It probably wakes the dead.

While there was no threat or danger to us as it was a test and only a test with no emergency instructions to follow, it was somewhat reassuring to know that if there was danger, we’d probably be warned enough in advance to be able to respond and get outta Sunriver.

And that’s exactly how wisdom calls to us. The idea in this passage is that it would be so loud you wouldn’t be able to miss this call. And for sure, wisdom calls out to us with enough advance notice that we can avoid whatever danger we may be wandering into. And if we respond with the same passion with which we pursue gold and silver and earthly possessions, we will find ourselves taking residence next to the warning that will keep us from future dangers.

Proverbs 8:1-11

Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
At the top of the elevated places along the way,
at the intersection of the paths she takes her stand;
beside the gates opening into the city,
at the entrance of the doorways she cries out:
“To you, O people, I call out,
and my voice calls to all mankind.
You who are naive, discern wisdom!
And you fools, understand discernment!
Listen, for I will speak excellent things,
and my lips will utter what is right.
For my mouth speaks truth,
and my lips hate wickedness.
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing in them twisted or crooked.
All of them are clear to the discerning
and upright to those who find knowledge.
Receive my instruction rather than silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold.
For wisdom is better than rubies,
and desirable things cannot be compared to her.

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