Proverbs 8



"The Call of Wisdom"





The father has set out the path of wisdom in seven lectures,

and the path of folly in four.

In chapter 1 Wisdom had called to the son,

and now, as the father is wrapping up his instruction,

wisdom once again raises her voice.



Last week we looked at the "unchaste wife"-the adulteress-

who moves covertly at dusk and deceives with her tongue.



Now we hear the call of Lady Wisdom:

she speaks openly, and she speaks the truth.



Note these two key differences, because they are the difference between life and death!

Folly loves darkness, and avoids the public eye.

Wisdom stands in the public square for all to see.



And while folly uses words to deceive,

wisdom always speaks the truth.

While folly's mouth is crooked,

Wisdom speaks straight.







1. Why Listen to Wisdom? (8:1-11)

Does not wisdom call?

You hear her voice in your conscience.

You hear her voice in the way that God has made all things.

You hear her voice especially in the scriptures.



On the heights beside the way-

as you are driving down the street there are two women:

there is the adulteress "now in the street, now in the market,

and at every corner she lies in wait."

The very picture of stealth and deceit.

And there is wisdom, at the crossroads she takes her stand;

beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud.

Stealth and secrecy.

Openness and truth.



And while the adulteress comes and whispers in your ear,

wisdom cries out for all to hear:

"To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.

O simple ones, learn prudence;

O fools, learn sense!"

What is prudence?

Prudence is thinking before you act; thinking before you speak.

The prudent man thinks ahead.

Hear, O simple ones!

Think about the consequences.

Understand that the way of folly is death.

Learn sense!



Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right,

for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.



Why should you listen to wisdom?

Because she speaks that which is noble.

She speaks that which is right.

(As Paul says, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things." (Phil 4:8))

It's remarkable how many echoes of Proverbs there are in the NT.

Relatively few direct quotations, but lots of echoes.

(You almost might think that Jesus and the apostles were trained in Proverbs

and internalized its message so that their language drips with wisdom!)



Why should you listen to wisdom?

Because all the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge



Wisdom speaks straight.

There is no dancing around.

Do you know how refreshing that is?

Truth.

Straight speech.

Wisdom looks you in the eye, and says it like it is!



Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than gold,

for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you desire cannot compare with her.



What do you desire?

Do you want a good teaching job?

Do you want a raise?

Do you want the approval of your peers?

Do you want an American girl doll?

What do you desire?



Wisdom is better.



Why do you pursue excellence in your work?

Because you think that by it you will gain glory and honor (or at least cash)!



How many of us pursue wisdom?

As I look around our congregation (myself included) I do not see much pursuit of wisdom

We are comfortable in our sloth.

We will pursue a little academic knowledge-

and just enough holiness to satisfy ourselves that we are on the right track.

But a hunger for wisdom?

Our loyalties are divided?

We want to appear safely in wisdom's camp,

but with a little flexibility to spend some time with folly!



2. Wisdom in History (8:12-21)

The main body of Wisdom's speech has two parts:

wisdom's role in human affairs (12-21),

and Wisdom's role in the divine council (22-31)



Verses 12-21 speak of wisdom's role in guiding and governing the human race.

Verses 12-16 start with the civil order.

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.

Do you hate evil?

Crooked and perverted speech?

If you would rule yourself and your household well,

then seek wisdom!

I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.

By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;

by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.

Iraq is trying to write a constitution that will bring peace and justice.

No constitution can do that.

What brings peace and justice is Wisdom.



Consider Israel.

Israel's constitution was written by God himself (the Mosaic law).

Did that produce justice?

What good is a constitution if you do not have wise judges?

No set of laws have ever been framed that can anticipate every situation.

It is not by law that rulers decree what is just.

It is not the Torah that results in righteousness.

But wisdom.



That is true in your home as well.

You cannot come up with a set of rules that will produce faithful children.

You must rule by wisdom.

If you are wise, then you will teach your children both justice and mercy.

Too often we communicate to our children that their obedience is rooted in law:

"You obey me because I am your father!"

Rather than love:

"We love because God loved us first"

Or, as wisdom says:

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Do you love wisdom?

Do you seek diligently and passionately to find wisdom?



Listen to the reward that wisdom promises to the one who seeks:

Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice,

granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.



Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and all these things (your daily needs) will be added to you.

Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.



The inheritance of wisdom is a treasure beyond comparison.



Our Lord Jesus Christ was offered an inheritance.

Satan tempted him in the wilderness, saying,

if you worship me,

then I will give you all the kingdoms of the earth for an inheritance!

Jesus refused.

He preferred the inheritance of wisdom.

He had learned from Proverbs that Wisdom would reward him

with enduring wealth and righteousness.



3. Wisdom in the Beginning (8:22-31)

Verses 22-31 then speak of wisdom "in the beginning."

Is this a reference to the second person of the Trinity-the eternal Son of God?



The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.

(Literally, Yahweh fathered me-brought me forth-which the LXX translated, "created")

and the word "work" is literally "way"--

the way of wisdom goes all the way back to the beginning.

But is wisdom the eternal Son of God?



Certainly that is not what the author of Proverbs was thinking.

There was no clear understanding of the Trinity in the OT.

Proverbs has been personifying wisdom as a woman.

And that feminine personification continues through chapter 9.

So there is no thought that "Wisdom" is the "son" of God.



Wisdom, in Proverbs 1-9, is an attribute of God that has been personified.

Wisdom was brought forth, or begotten, in the beginning

as God's workman (v30).

In Genesis 1, we hear that God spoke, and it happened.

In Proverbs 8 we hear that God's wisdom went forth and accomplished his purpose.



But it is only the NT that we come to realize that this personification of wisdom

has more to it than a mere literary device.

In Colossians 1 we discover that the Son of God is the firstborn of all creation,

the one by whom all things were created.

In Hebrews 1 we discover that the Son is the one "through whom also he created the world."

In John 1 we learn that "All things were made through him."



In other words,

Proverbs 8 was not intended to refer to Jesus,

and it is most certainly not describing

the origin of the second person of the Trinity!

Rather, it refers to the origin of wisdom.



If you jump too quickly to Jesus,

you will wind up losing sight of the lesson that Proverbs is teaching.



What is the origin of wisdom?

Where does wisdom come from?

The LORD brought forth wisdom at the beginning of his way, the first of his acts of old.

Ages ago I was set up at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

When there were no depths I was brought forth,

when there were no springs abounding with water.

Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth,

before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.

When he established the heavens, I was there;

when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

when he made firm the skies above,

when he established the fountains of the deep,

when he assigned to the sea its limit,

so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

then I was beside him, like a master workman,

and I was daily his delight,

rejoicing before him always,

rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.



Notice the tripartite picture of the world here:

the heavens, the earth, and the deeps.

God drew a circle on the face of the deep,

and he made firm the skies above.

This is a picture of a flat earth established in the midst of the waters,

with a solid dome over the earth.



In other words,

God built this world, with wisdom as his master craftsman.

Why did God build this world?

For the children of man.

Wisdom rejoiced and delighted in the children of man.

This was the purpose for which God made the heavens, the earth, and the seas:

that he might have a place to dwell with his people.



And if you would have fellowship with God.

If you would dwell in his presence,

then you must seek after wisdom.



Conclusion (8:32-36)

In the conclusion we see wisdom and the father identified:

And now, O sons, listen to me:

blessed are those who keep my ways.

Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gate, waiting beside my doors.

For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD,

but he who fails to find me injures himself;

all who hate me love death.



If you would dwell with God,

then find wisdom.

Dwell with wisdom.

Listen to me.

Watch daily at my gate.

Wait beside my doors.



How can you listen to wisdom?

How can you hear instruction?

Listen to the Word of God.

Read the scriptures.

Wisdom calls to you from the sacred page.

Paul tells Timothy, "devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,

to exhortation, to teaching" (1 Tim 4:13)

The implication of that is that Timothy's congregation

was to devote themselves to the hearing of the word.



Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly

as you teach each other with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.



If you find wisdom, you find life.

But if you fail to find wisdom, you love death.



In the end, it is not about whether you pursue wisdom or folly,

but whether you find wisdom.



In other words, it is not about the journey, but the destination!

Do you long for wisdom?

Then seek Christ.