"I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate" (Proverbs 8:12-13).
The next ten verses contain over a dozen personal pronouns. I, me, my, and mine put the emphasis on wisdom rather than the rewards of wisdom. Therefore, wisdom is to be pursued with passion and commitment.
To possess wisdom is to naturally possess prudence, knowledge, and discretion. Our pursuit of wisdom is as noble a pursuit as we can have because wisdom leads us to an intimate relationship with the Lord. The fruit of that relationship is sensible and discrete living.
The person who lives a sensible and discrete life is the one who is not tangled in the vices of pride, arrogance, perverted speech and all things associated with the "way of evil." In other words, prudence, knowledge, and discretion will cause us to hate the same evil things the Lord hates, leading us to a life untangled.
Keep in mind that wisdom has a moral element as well as a mental element. Fearing the Lord produces a beautiful life that rejects perverse talk, evil behavior, and all things arrogant. It goes back to the fact that life is about Who we know rather than what we know. This is the meaning behind "the fear of the Lord."
If you find yourself entangled in the ugliness of pride, perverse talk, or anything associated with the way of evil, seek the wisdom of the Lord through your fear of the Lord. This will lead you to a life untangled and thus a beautiful life.
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