Proverbs chapter 3

vs 13

Wisdom is a blessing, but it's also something that must be sought after.

vs 14

Wisdom is profitable. But not in the way that you just gain money. Whatever you get from it is worth more than money.

vs 15

The most valuable thing, it would seem, is wisdom.

vs 16

So even though riches seem to be in the purview of wisdom, there is also honour and long life. So wisdom is more valuable because it includes them all, I suppose. Although money just by itself can bring both honour and long life... depending on the situation and culture, I guess. I mean, honour meant a lot more to ancient peoples than to us.

vs 17

That's a pretty mighty claim. Does that mean that the way of wisdom is always peaceful, or that the way of peace is always wise? Probably neither. I think it's just a generalisation - a life characterised by wisdom will generally be peaceful and pleasant.

vs 18

Life and blessing come from wisdom too. I don't really know that I'm adding that much to these statements.

vs 19

What does this mean, exactly? Wisdom is more than just knowledge, although the word tends to get interchanged in Proverbs a little. Is this verse assuming a pre-existing chaos before God's creation began? Some people would say that Genesis 1-3 was written later, like perhaps even post-exile or something, in which case Solomon having a less developed sense of creation myth would make sense. But even if it was written (down) by Moses, the Book of Law was lost, so Solomon mightn't have read it.

That still doesn't really come down to what it means that God made the earth by wisdom. I would assume that it means God made the earth wisely, rather than through some sort of knowledge about how pre-existing stuff worked.

vs20

Again, was this a knowledge about how to divide deeps and make clouds dew? Or was it a knowledge of what the consequences of creating them thus would be? I prefer the latter. But I can't make any arguments based on the language or such.

vs 21

I don't think it's because wisdom is like a toddler that will go and smash stuff while you're not looking. I think more it's the idea that you should keep your eyes fixed on it for the purpose of direction sense.

vs 22

I'm not sure of the ornament thing, except to say that it's a status symbol, a display of wealth. I think the link between wisdom and life has been well explored.

vs 23

As has the link between wisdom and straight paths an walking straight and safely.

vs 24

This idea of a stress-free life is new. And quite comforting, too. This is a real reflection on the ultimate wisdom of God and its effects on you. I mean, even the most world-wise person will not sleep easy, because they should know the rules of Ecclesiastes better than anyone - that life can always turn to crap. But the real wise person knows that, regardless of the crappiness of life, that God is in control, and thus should be able to sleep easy.

Easier said than done, but I think Solomon is talking about the benefits of wisdom in a fairly general way, talking about benefits that it has per itself, rather than guaranteed benefits you will see in one person's life. Not that they aren't also applicable to real life - just that we still find ways to worry, to make mistakes, to trip up, and to shorten our lives.