Proverbs 17:16-17 (ESV)
16 Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
It would be dumb to believe that one can buy true love by hiring a prostitute. In the same way, the fool wrongly believes she can purchase wisdom. But wisdom won’t be sold. She is available without cost, yet will only reveal herself to those who seek, listen to, and apply her insights. The benefits wisdom offers to the faithful come without charge. Not only is it wrong to gossip, but it is also wrong to reject a friend. A real friend sticks by her neighbor, even when suffering comes. The one who abandons her friend was never a friend at all. The friend of Jesus has been forgiven an unpardonable debt and brought into communion with the King of the universe, although she did nothing to earn her status. This godly woman will extend grace to those around her, sticking by her friends through thick and thin, mirroring what the Lord has done for her.