Christmas is for kids, they say. We commonly hear the sentiment that somehow the kid in all of us wakes up for the holiday season, when a child’s imagination and expectation go into overdrive. Things seem fresh and new, “merry and bright.” Our increasingly “spiritual” culture mystically longs for “something other” out there that will satisfy our common lack of meaning and significance. We know there must be more to life than we can see and touch, but as a people we have lost our conviction that God’s revelation in the Bible tells us about it. It may be that in a frame of such meaninglessness, the “holidays” with their “White Christmas” and “Silver Bells” are the best one could hope for.

The Bible, of course, proposes a different approach to life. It is the message of a loving Creator Who wants real fellowship with His creatures. Our sin gets in the way, and yet He does not compromise His character to reconnect with us. God sent His Son in the flesh to remove our sin and thus reconcile us to Himself. God the Son came on Christmas so that we could become the children of His Father, according to John 1:12-13:

¹²But as many as received Him (Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

I mention the Bible’s presentation on the significance of human existence as a matter of context. The whole of Scripture communicates this message: God loves you and wants to have fellowship with you. One expression of that love is found in Proverbs 4, where we see God’s design for the transmission of real wealth from generation-to-generation within a family. I call Proverbs 4 “Grandpa’s Lesson on Wisdom.” This is an exciting family affair to me because when Solomon says, “my father told me” he is referring to King David. Today I want to work with Grandpa David’s lesson in its entirety, where we will find today’s command: “Get wisdom.”

Proverbs 4:3–9 (NASB95) ³When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, ⁴Then he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live;⁵Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. ⁶“Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. ⁷“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. ⁸“Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. ⁹“She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Now let’s take this little lesson step-by-step to see how it is structured:

vv3-4a, Lesson Setting: Verses 3-4 set up the lesson.

Imagine a wise king, a flawed man with true devotion to God, “a man after God’s own heart,” taking some time with his beloved little boy who will one day follow him as king.

³When I was a son to my father,

Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,

⁴Then he taught me and said to me,

v4b, Lesson Introduction: Prioritizing Concentration on the Father’s Teaching.

In v4b we find a good beginning to any lesson for a young boy: LISTEN UP! Two commands jump out at us (commands are in red):

• “Let your heart hold fast my words;
• Keep my commandments and live;

Notice that with this introduction there is a promise: an attentive student should expect that he will live.

v5, Lesson Summary Message: Get Wisdom.

Verse 5 summarizes what David wanted Solomon to do. Did Solomon heed his lesson? Yes! When the LORD appeared to Solomon at the beginning of his reign He offered Solomon anything he wanted (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon asked for wisdom and got it.

• ⁵Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!

The word “acquire” can be used at times in Hebrew to refer to a man “getting” a wife. In Proverbs, wisdom is consistently personified as a young woman who would make the ideal wife. This imagery of “Lady Wisdom” carries through the rest of David’s lesson as she blesses the young man who “gets” her.

• Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

v6, Lesson Rationale: Desirable Consequences of Having Wisdom.

David’s words in verse 6 taught Solomon—and so us—to reason in terms of favorable consequences from having wisdom. The promises of favorable outcomes are in blue.

• ⁶“Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;
• Love her, and she will watch over you.

v7, Restatement of Summary Message:

Verse 7 is ironic in that the first principle of being wise is the attainment of wisdom! David must have had a fantastic sense of humor. I look forward to getting to know him in Heaven.

• ⁷“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
• And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

Verse 7b is challenging in that we should prioritize the most valuable attainment over the lesser pursuits. If you don’t make first things first, you won’t ever get to them.

vv8-9, Concluding Restatement of Rationale: Desirable Consequences

• ⁸“Prize her, and she will exalt you;
• She will honor you if you embrace her.
• ⁹“She will place on your head a garland of grace;
• She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Doting grandparents love to spoil their grandchildren with blessings. They shower them with kisses and hugs. They buy them all kinds of things—clothing, toys, candy—anything to say “I love you, grandkid.” I think being a grandparent has to be one of the greatest blessings in life. It is no accident that Santa Claus is portrayed not as a young pastor in the Mediterranean coastal town of Myra, though no doubt Nicholas of Myra was that very thing at one point in his life. Rather we portray him as an elderly, white-bearded, chubby, Coca-Cola-drinking grandpa! The legendary portrait of “Saint Nicholas” is that he was a great giver. Who is a greater paradigm for giving than Grandpa?!

So it is with King David. His words give life (v4). If you take what he’s giving, the outcome is protection, exaltation, honor, and wealth. We all know that Christmas is for the kids. We all want to give them something that will delight them, something that will communicate our love. We want to enjoy their excitement and revel in that magic of sheer joy we see on their faces when they can’t believe how well we know them or how much we love them. That common experience of all loving parents and grandparents gives us an idea of our Heavenly Father’s attitude toward us:

“He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32.

Let’s give them something of real value and enjoy their delight forever.