WISDOM’S VARIOUS ASPECTS

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

PROVERBS 8:1-21
Lesson #10
WISDOM’S VARIOUS ASPECTS

• Memory Verse: Pro 8:17
• In this chapter of Proverbs we are going to see that wisdom is personified in various aspects.
• Read Pro 8:1-21
  • Wisdom, the Evangelist:
  • “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.” (1-3)
    • Key words: wisdom (skillful living/Jesus Christ); understanding (discern good from evil).
    • Wisdom is the evangelist calling for man’s attention.
      • Mar 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
      • Rom 1:16, Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also the Greek.”
    • God’s wisdom is openly available to all who seek it as opposed to the hidden aspect of evil that hides in the dark.
  • ^“ Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.  O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.  Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. (4-6)
    • Key words: simple (unwise); wisdom (skillful living); fools (no God for me); understanding (discern good from evil); heart (soul or inner man).
    • Wisdom personified calls to all people.
      • The simple are called because they are unwise in the things of God and let any kind of doctrine into their lives. They need to understand how to live skillfully so as to make wise decisions.
      • The fools are called to recognize that there is God for them. God wants a personal relationship with even those that are far away from Him. Because they do not acknowledge God, they have no idea the difference between good and evil and their consequences.
    • All people need the truth of God. (6)
  • “For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.” (7-9)
    • Key words: truth (moral reality); wickedness (lawless evil); abomination (hated); righteousness (pure life); froward (disobedient); perverse (corrupt); understandeth (discernment of good and evil); knowledge (power to know truth).
    • The modern definition of the word truth is that which is truth for me as opposed to that which is truth for you.
      • In academic logic this is no truth at all because truth is not relevant to changing circumstances or opinions. It is the fact of an eternal reality.
      • In these times of modern, changing moral standards, evil therefore is permitted to enter into what is called modern truth if “my truth” accepts that particular evil as valid or legitimate.
    • God’s truth never changes because God never changes. That is why God’s truth is stable and unchanging. That is why God’s truth is real truth.
      • The real truth of God is moral reality because God is a moral God.
        • That is why Wisdom says that wickedness (lawless evil) is an abomination to her lips. Neither is disobedience or corruption a part of God’s truth.
        • The words of God’s truth are righteousness because they require a right standing with God lived in a pure life. Of course, only in Jesus Christ can man have a right standing with God, the Father.
      • Notice it says that God’s truth is easy to understand because it tells you the difference between good and evil giving you the power to know moral truth. (9)
        • Only the believer in Jesus Christ that has the indwelling Holy Spirit can know what is real truth.
        • When a person receives Jesus Christ in his heart and has the born-again experience, the Holy Spirit comes to live in him revealing God’s truth to the believer.
        • The power to know moral truth is the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.
  • ^“ Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” (10-11)
    • Key words: instruction (moral discipline for discernment); knowledge (power to know truth); wisdom (skillful living/Jesus Christ).
    • Wisdom tells us to receive moral discipline because what you learn through God’s discipline is more valuable than the treasures of the world.
    • Moral discipline gives you the power to know the truth so that you can live skillfully in Christ.
    • When you make mistakes in life and receive the correction of the Holy Spirit, that which you learn will be more valuable to your path in life than accumulating the riches of the world.
  • ^“ I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.  The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.  Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.” (12-14)
    • Key words: wisdom (skillful living/ Jesus Christ); prudence (caution); knowledge (power to know truth); witty inventions (clever); fear of the Lord (awesome respect); pride (conceit); froward (disobedient); counsel (advice); understanding (discernment of good from evil).
    • Wisdom (skillful living) dwells with prudence (caution).
      • In other words, Wisdom (Jesus Christ) gives you by means of the Holy Spirit words of caution when you can foresee the consequences of your actions.
        • Read Joh 16:13
        • Read 1Cor 12:1, 8 The gifts of the Holy Spirit include words of wisdom and words of knowledge.
      • The Holy Spirit gives you the power to know the truth of how clever God is.
    • We learned earlier in Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Now we see that when we have an awesome respect for God we see things from God’s perspective and value the things God values. Then according to Proverbs we will hate the things God hates:
      • Evil
      • Pride
      • Arrogancy
      • The evil way.
      • The froward mouth.
    • God has advice to give you if you will listen. He will advise you in how to live skillfully and how to discern the good from the evil, the good from the bad, right from the wrong.
    • When God arms you with these valuable tools, you will have the strength of God in your life. Integrity of character is personal strength given to you by God as the Holy Spirit changes your character through your experiences in life.
  • Wisdom, the One Who Ordains Authority:
  • “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.” (15-16)
    • Key words: justice (right behavior).
    • God raises up leaders and puts them in authority over us. How does God do this?
      • According to Proverbs it is wisdom or Jesus Christ that elevates leaders.
        • In other words people that know how to live skillfully are elevated by God to reign over us.
        • You say, but not always? You are right because Proverbs is a book of probabilities.
        • Sometimes God gives us bad rulers so that we learn what is of true value by contrast. Sometimes these bad leaders are the chastening of the Lord just as they were for Israel that constantly rebelled against God and His wisdom.
        • However, God’s purpose for raising up wise leaders is to “decree justice” so that we know what is right behavior and what is not.
      • Read Rom 13:1-7
    • National leaders more than anyone else need God’s wisdom because their decisions affect multitudes of people for many years to dome.
  • Wisdom, the Lover of Man:
  • ^“ I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.” (17)
    • God, Jesus Christ, and Wisdom love the people that love God, Jesus Christ, and Wisdom.
    • If you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, seek Him early in your problems and He will give you wisdom to live skillfully and understanding to know right from wrong.
    • Solomon asked God for wisdom instead of wealth and prestige. That request pleased God, and we have already seen in this study of Proverbs that wisdom has its side benefits of wealth and honor.
      • Solomon had it all. His kingdom was the wealthiest and most prestigious in Israel’s history. The temple that Solomon built for God was heavily decorated with gold.
      • However, all of that did not guarantee for Solomon or for the nation of Israel a good end.
        • His son rebelled against Solomon’s teachings and split the kingdom of Israel into two nations.
        • Solomon let all the foreign wives and concubines influence him and the nation away from the God that blessed him so abundantly.
  • “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” (18-21)
    • Key words: righteousness (pure life); judgment (discernment); substance (material goods).
    • These verses tell us why Solomon was so wealthy.
      • The fruit of wisdom (skillful living) is material wealth and prestige, but material wealth and prestige were not the most valuable things that Solomon had. The most valuable possession was the wisdom that God gave him.
      • Notice it says that wisdom is “revenue”. In other words, wisdom is a commodity that can be traded for other things.
      • Wisdom leads a person into a righteous, pure life because the person has the powers of discernment to recognize good from evil and in making his decisions.
    • Read Jam 3:17-18
    • Those that love the Lord: this is the believer in Jesus Christ, and those that love His wisdom (skillful living) and walk in His ways inherit material wealth because they know how to use that wealth wisely in the will of God to glorify God.
    • Read Rom 8:17

Homework
Proverbs 8:22-36

• Application of Pro 8:1-21
  • What is it that comes from the mouth of wisdom? (7-8)
    The moral reality of the Truth of God.
  • Having a fear of the Lord means you are going to have a hate for what? (13)
    Evil, pride, arrogance, evil way, and a froward mouth.
  • Government leaders reign because of what? (15-16)
    Wisdom and Jesus Christ elevate people to leadership.
  • Who is it that God loves? (17)

Those people that love God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

• Preparation for Pro 8:22-36
  • Read Pro 8:22-36
    • What did the Lord possess when He created the world? (22)
    • Who is the “I” in verse 23?
    • Identify the pronouns in verse 27. “He” = ? “I” = ?
    • Rejoicing in His creation, God’s delight was in what specifically? (31-32)
    • How does the person that finds wisdom also find life? (35)
• Memory verse: Pro 8:35