Say to Wisdom, ‘You Are My Sister’: What Proverbs 7:4 Really Means
Proverbs 7:4 shows us that wisdom isn’t just something we learn—it’s someone we stay loyal to.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend. -Proverbs 7:4.
If you didn’t grow up on 80s and 90s pro wrestling, you missed out—not just on dropkicks and folding chairs, but some surprisingly powerful storylines. I see that eyeroll! But it’s true. There are so many connections to the gospel in those storylines—I think they often steal from the plotlines of Scripture. Let me show you one.
Back in the late 90’s, professional wrestling fans were gripped by one of the most emotionally charged storylines in WCW history. Yeah, yeah, I know that feels like a bit of an overstatement. But if you were in junior high and a wrestling fan, like myself, you probably LOVED the muscle-bound surfer dude named Sting. That means for you non-wrestling fans you’ll need to replace the name Sting with some other heroic figure—like David Hasselhoff or Don Knotts.
Anyways, there was this rogue faction of wrestlers known as the NWO. In the early day they were joined by Hulk Hogan who was the super good guy who had just turned evil. It was like if Mother Teresa suddenly started running a death camp. They played it up so well causing fans to wonder, “who will be next to join them?”
Then the worst episode in the history of episodes aired. The NWO came up with this plan to have someone dress up like Sting and attack the good guys. It made everyone think the unthinkable—Sting had done what Hogan did, he was now a bad guy. People in WCW—his teammates, his friends, even the announcers—began to believe he had turned.
The next night on TV, Sting came out and spoke directly to the audience. He was calm, but hurt. He said he had always been loyal—but when one false accusation came along, everyone turned on him. And so, he said, if that’s how little his loyalty meant—if words no longer mattered—then he was done talking.
And from that night on, he didn’t speak for over a year. He transformed. No longer the loud, cheerful good guy—he dressed in black and white. He stayed in the shadows. He said nothing. He only watched… from the rafters.
The silence made people even more suspicious. They whispered. They speculated. They assumed he had really turned. Until the night he dropped down from the ceiling, baseball bat in hand—and fought off the NWO. He hadn’t betrayed them. He’d been loyal the whole time.
Proverbs 7:4—Wisdom as Family, Not Just Facts
Now let’s connect this to Proverbs 7:4. Here we are told to “Say to wisdom, ‘you are my sister,’ and to insight, “You are my relative.” Some think that “sister” might actually mean “wife”. I know that’s strange for us, but it was a term of endearment (see Song of Solomon). Either way the point is that wisdom needs to be a close companion. One to whom you remain loyal, where the bonds are deep.
You see, if wisdom is just a set of words, like “Confucious says…”, then you’re going to fall when temptation comes. That is where Proverbs 7 goes with this. It is this relationship, wisdom as your sister, that helps you to say no of the “strange woman” introduced in verse 5.
The Battle of Words vs. Loyalty
What I’m trying to say is that the enemy (Satan) can spin quite the tale. He can put forth a fake Sting and make good look evil. And he can make evil look good. If wisdom is to you like a set of rules, arguments, cold words on a page, etc. then your battle with temptation will be fighting words with words.
“Well….it sure looked like Sting.”
And it may even seem like that’s what Jesus was doing when he quoted Scripture to the devil in Matthew 4 (or Luke 4). At first glance, it looks like Jesus wins by quoting the right verses—like a battle of Bible trivia. But look closer. Satan quotes Scripture too. This wasn’t about who had the better proof-text. It was about whose voice Jesus loved. Wisdom wasn’t just true—it was His Father’s voice. He wouldn’t betray it.
Listen, if you love your wife—like really truly love her—the enemy isn’t going to be able to string together any argument that will make you listen to the wiles of the strange woman. It’s only when that love erodes, that you her words could even have a hearing. It’s the same way with love and loyalty to God. Satan could have put together any argument—and he put forth his very best against Jesus—but it didn’t stand a chance because the Son’s heart was firmly committed to the Father.
Wisdom Isn’t Argued Into—It’s Lived With
Wisdom isn’t something you argue your way into. It’s someone you know. Someone you’re loyal to. Someone whose presence steadies you when the moment is loud and confusing and seductive. Because when temptation speaks, if all you’ve got are counter-words—you’ll lose. But if wisdom is your sister, you won’t betray her.
And that is precisely what the gospel does for us. The good news is the means by which we come into relationship with God. It isn’t about one set of facts competing with another. It’s about loyalty. It’s about Christ, who is Wisdom, taking the pre-eminent place in our heart. As long as He is there, we won’t go after the tricky words of the devil. But when we question, when we don’t love as we ought, that’s when sin comes in.
All of this is just to help you and I see the type of battle we are waging. It’s one that is ultimately won already in Christ. The gospel has brought us into union with Christ. Now it’s all about believing that. May wisdom be like a sister.