He then describes the superiority of wisdom over wealth. Then he turns to the application of wisdom in everyday life in speech, hearing, treatment of the poor, and speech. He next procedes to consider the fact that those who live wisely also live humbly. And now he will tell his readers that life must be lived under the Lordship of God in trust and obedience. And now, another move which brings us back to the beginning of the discussion and points us away from riches and back towards God.
Lets look at our next text.
When the wise person is confronted with difficulties in life, he or she is not brought to a point of unbelief. Instead, their wise faith injects itself into the situation and they are enabled to overcome any difficulty. This text is a concluding note on the value of love. More than that, I take these allusions to Old Testament wisdom to be the organinzing principle of this epistle. By way of conclusion let me say that when we take the time to examine the allusions and quotations of the Old Testament in the New we find not proof texting, as is sometimes claimed, but excellent theological insight into the meaning of the Old Testament text exhibited by the New Testament writers.