Virtue
is priceless. It is so valuable that the famous Plato said that, “All the gold
which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give for virtue.” Proverbs
22:1-6, echo the same sentiment. And blessed is every man or woman who makes it a
key discipline in life to cultivate sound virtues.
According
to Proverbs 22:1, one virtue we should cultivate is a great character alongside
a good reputation. Character is what we are known by God and reputation is what
others see in us. It is hard to truly have a good and lasting reputation
without a great character. Both character and reputation are so important that
they are to be preferred to wealth. It is better to have the favour of others than
gold or silver. When we are a good character with pleasant personality and a
good reputation, even if we don’t have much, we endear ourselves to others. Conversely,
we will be avoided by others when our reputation stinks.
Proverbs
22:2 is a reminder for us never to value people based on their wealth and
status. We should never practise partiality but give equal worth to the rich
and high in stature, as well as those who are not rich and lowly in status.
Why? It’s because both these people are made in the image of the Creator God. They
must be priced equally regardless of their financial status.
Proverbs
22:3 advocates the cultivation of wisdom. With it, we avoid dangers to our life.
And when we are lacking it, we will have to pay dearly in life. It says, “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naïve go
on and are punished for it.” The wise know their limit and will stop when they sense
danger lurking. The naive is totally insensitive, incapable of sensing impending
dangers, and will cast headlong into crisis. In referring to the prudent verse
3 puts it in the singular, whereas for naïve, it describes them in the plural.
It is because for every prudent person, there are multiples of people who are naïve.
Let us be counted among the prudent and not the naïve.
Repeatedly, the book of Proverbs reminds us that we need to walk
in humility and the fear of the LORD. Proverbs 22:4 is one of them. It says, “The
reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honour and life.” When
we seek first His Kingdom and righteousness and walk yielding to His Lordship,
we find riches, honour and true life. Humility and godliness equal untold blessings.
They bring to us richness of life and a healthy respect from others. In
contrast to one who walks humble with God and cultivate godliness, Proverbs
22:5 tells us that one who chooses to walk perversely will bear the
consequences of their wickedness. Life consists of pathways that either lead us
to life or to destruction. There is a way that always seems right but the end
thereof is destruction. The choice remains ours. We can either walk in the straight
and narrow way leading to life or the crooked and broad path that leads to
destruction. Jesus exhorts us to go for the gate that leads to the straight and
narrow way and to life. And He is the gate.
Proverbs 22:6 is a word of wisdom to parents. If we want our children
to cultivate great virtues, we must start them young. During the impressionable
years of their life, it is easy to bend their spirit and educate their will.
Whatever inclination a person has, it is formed and made while he or she is still
young. That’s why William Wordsworth said, “the child is the father of the man.”
We all know that what the adult becomes is the product of the habits, manners and behavior
that he or she had inculcated during the childhood. So, if we desire to see
virtues in our children, start them young. Train and imbue in them while they
are still malleable and pliable. Help them to go for what is virtuous before
they adopt a vice. Remember, Aristotle’s wise words, “We are what we repeatedly
do. Excellence, then, is not an act, it is a habit.” Let’s cultivate the habits
of virtue in our children for the greater glory of Christ our Lord.
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