What good does it do? What comes from committing your heart to God?
First, Solomon describes what it means to genuinely enter into the Covenant with God. We can be amused at the vast popularity of verses 5 and 6 for Bible memorization programs, but how they contradict the assumptions of the people most likely to memorize them. That is, Solomon describes a familial commitment under Eastern feudalism, with an approach to wisdom that denies propositional truth. He refers to the heart as a faculty above the intellect, and truth is beyond proposition. It makes no particular sense on a human level to offer God a tithe of your agricultural produce, yet it guarantees that nature will give you a bigger harvest when you do. Living from the heart is actually healthier, enriching your existence in ways that cannot be counted in your larder.
Solomon mentions how this feudal Father will discipline you as His own child. How could you rebel against someone who so clearly loves you? If there were no measures of discipline, it would only prove you were not standing in His favor.
Solomon again waxes lyrical about Wisdom the Good Woman, your sweetest and most faithful companion. More than all material wealth, make her precious to you. She was there at the moment of Creation, woven into the very fabric of all that exists. This is more of the parable pointing to God’s moral character — His Law — as the fundamental nature of reality itself. You dare not lose track of this.
Then we are treated to some examples of how wisdom makes us act in building a stable society. We are quick to share our resources with others in need because they are family. We aren’t looking for an excuse to make trouble for anyone; they’ll find enough on their own. Don’t covet what an evil man gains by his rejection of wisdom. Don’t let mere material wealth become a barrier between you and God. We are designed to know His will by instinct, but we have to work to keep that instinct in power over our lives. You cannot measure God’s favor with mere material prosperity.
