A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed (11:25) … Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God (14:31) … Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will themselves cry out and not be answered (21:13).

We have noted how Proverbs often personifies wisdom as a woman.  One of the most distinctive characteristics of “Lady Wisdom” is her generosity.  She invited everyone to her table, offers her counsel to all who will listen, tirelessly travels the streets and byways seeking any who are willing to learn, to receive her instruction and help.

While Proverbs contains a great deal of sound, practical advice, it is more importantly a book about God’s grace.  Just as it is far wiser to say “Jesus found me” than “I found the Lord,” it is wiser to recognize that Wisdom found us rather than we who found her.  Whatever wisdom we have acquired first came to us as a gift.  Yes, we needed to learn it, put it into practice, and that was often hard work and costly.  However, if gracious Wisdom hadn’t found us first, we’d still be lost in our folly.

The wise understand that they are recipients of God’s gracious generosity.

The wise, therefore, learn to practice generosity.  They realize that God is the Maker of poor and rich; therefore, to show favoritism to the rich or contempt for the poor is to dishonor and despise God.  The wise understand that some of the resources entrusted to their stewardship have been given by God to meet the needs of our neighbors.

When it comes to the Way of Wisdom, consider Jesus Christ: for our sakes he became poor, that we in him might be made rich.  God’s generosity is not a response to our deserving or worthiness, it doesn’t calculate “return on investment” or ask, “What’s in it for me?”  God’s generous, wise grace is more like a wealthy man who pays the guys who work just one hour the same as the ones who worked the whole shift because that’s the way that all those guys and their families get enough to eat that day (see Matthew 20:1-16).

What is one small step towards greater generosity for you?  Don’t limit your thinking to financial generosity alone: consider generosity in time, prayer, emotional support, a helping hand.  What is God inviting you to do this week that is wisely generous and generously wise?