Solomon begins this chapter with a view of helping all young men. “Young men, listen to me as you would to your father.” But in verse 10, he tells us of what is on his heart. “My son, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.” The message was to Reheboam primarily.
Solomon again points to wisdom. “Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And with your wisdom, develop common sense and good judgment. If you exalt wisdom, she will exalt you. Hold her fast, and she will lead you to great honor; she will place a beautiful crown upon your head.” (Verses 7-9).
Why does Solomon distinguish between these three ideas: wisdom, common sense, and good judgment? The Britannica Dictionary lists them as synonyms. But God is not one to waste words. Wisdom comes from learning; Solomon here is referring to the wisdom taught in Scripture. Why that particular book? Because it is the Word of God. As a Christian, how can I base my life’s decisions if I am not looking to see what God says about those things. But learning can involve much more than that. We should study history, economics, math, government, etc. And we should be selective in what we read and study. Who wrote this? What did that person believe and what was the purpose in his or her writing the book?
By common sense, Solomon is referring to understanding the world around us. For example, what are the events taking place in the world around us, what is happening in the economy, are we experiencing a major health crisis, i.e., covid?
Finally, once we have learned all we can about the principles that should guide our lives, we have observed what is going on around us, then we should use good judgment to make decisions.
Solomon goes on to write: “I would have you learn this great fact: that a life of doing right is the wisest life there is.” (Verse 11). Don’t we all wish we could live that type of life? But if you have money to invest whether it came from hard work or inheritance, where do you invest it? Are you able to discern whether economic prosperity or a recession is on the way? Many people are blindsided if they have never been through a period of high interest rates and economic downturn.
Sometimes we can’t see the future. Some people started new business adventures just before Covid hit us in 2020. Some people invested in Bitcoin just before a young entrepreneur decided he would take the invested funds and spend them as if they were his. But Solomon gave us a path to follow for the best outcome; yet God does not guarantee our success. He does promise He will be with us in good times and bad.
Finally, Solomon says, “Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life.” He goes on to write about a problem that affects young men: sex. Today that would include young women. This is a major problem in society today because we are bombarded with a worldly philosophy.