Proverbs 8 is what always seals it for me — the person of Wisdom in Proverbs is the Person of Christ. When wisdom calls, it’s Christ calling. What wisdom offers, Christ offers. To seek wisdom is to seek Christ. For, in Proverbs 8, wisdom, or should I spell it Wisdom, was there in the beginning.

When God established the earth she was there (8:27). When God architected land, sea, and sky, when the LORD marked out all the foundations of the earth, Wisdom “was beside Him, like a master workman” (8:30). Tell me that isn’t Jesus (John 1:1-3). Wisdom, the Creator’s daily delight — doesn’t that also sound familiar (Mt. 3:17)?

So, when Wisdom offers herself for all who would seek her, it is Jesus offering Himself. When Wisdom speaks, I hear Jesus speaking. And this morning, I’m hearing Him say, “Don’t let go.”

“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD . . .”

(Proverbs 8:32-35 ESV)

Wisdom (Jesus) is the way. Offering counsel, insight, and strength, she calls and raises her voice beckoning all who will to come and listen, heed, and put into practice. She promises that those who diligently seek her will find her (8:17b). Promises that she will give an abundant inheritance to those who love her (8:21). Thus, she urges all who would hear her voice to listen to her voice. To hear her instruction. To watch daily at her gates. To wait expectantly at her doors. For whoever finds her, says Wisdom (says Jesus), finds life.

And for those who find her, for those who have posted up at her gate and pitched their tent at her door, she also says, “Do not neglect it.”

Don’t neglect the way of Wisdom. Don’t ignore it (CSB). Don’t disdain it (NKJV). Literally, don’t loosen your grip on it. Don’t let go.

Familiarity may not always breed contempt, but how often does it breed complacency? How prone are we to take for granted that which has become constant and common? How likely are we to loosen our grip on that which has become ordinary? Let me suggest pretty often, very prone, and really likely.

Only as our hearts are constantly set to seek Wisdom, and only by Wisdom’s enabling grace, does that which once was new remain new. Does that which seemed so vital for life remain vital for life. Only as we hold on tight will we know the continual in-pouring of living water, satisfying every thirst even as it generates a thirst for more.

Every morning Wisdom wants to find us watching at her gates. Every day she anticipates her encounter with us as we wait at her doors. Those who have sought her and found her need to keep seeking her. Believing that she is always the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the only means of knowing favor from the Father (John 14:6).

Don’t neglect me, says Wisdom. Don’t let go.

Only by Wisdom’s grace. Only for God’s glory.