Jesus the Almighty God
Proverbs 8:1-36
In chapter seven Solomon gave us a clear warning against succumbing to the attractive and beguiling Lady Seducer. Her aim was to get us off of God’s path and we learned that her end is death. In contrast, in chapter 8 Solomon mentions a woman that desires God’s best for our lives. She will lead us down the path of righteousness. She will counsel us in the way that we should go. Her instruction is clear, her truth undeniable and her judgment completely sound. Her name is Lady Wisdom. Although she is not a real woman, she does have a real voice. She cries out from the pages of the Bible.
She shows up and speaks through the scriptures. The question is: are we listening?
Our lives are so hectic today. From overflowing email inboxes, cell phones, zoom meetings, kids schedules and the list could go on and on. We are so busy that we sometimes don’t have time for what God has to say.
Lady wisdom is always speaking and I, like you, must take the time to hear what she has to say. In this chapter we will learn many of the benefits of listening to the counsel of Lady Wisdom, and if you do not listen you can't put things right in your life.
We learn in 8:2 that she stands out in the open up on a hilltop, strategically placed by a crossroad. She knows that travelers that come her way will have to make a decision when they get to that crossroad and she is ready, willing, and able to help them make it. She stands for all men to see her and she cries out for all to hear.
Lady wisdom is a stark contrast from the adulteress of chapter seven. The adulteress was lurking in the streets, hiding in the dark, seeking wayward young men to deceive with her whispering and conniving lips. Lady wisdom is out in the open; she stands proudly in the light, and speaks loudly and clearly. There is no shame in righteousness. She stands in her strategic location (crossroads) and she does all she can to lead travelers down the right path. This reminds me of a passage in Isaiah where God wanted to lead the nation of Israel – who had strayed from His ways – back to His best. He said, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’ ” (Isa 30:21). And that’s what we want. We want to know that the path we are taking is the right one. That we are taking the path that leads to God’s best and avoiding the one that leads to destruction.
By the gates at the entrance to the town, on the road leading in, she cries aloud, “I call to you, to all of you! I raise my voice to all people. You simple people, use good judgment. You foolish people, show some understanding. Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right.
Lady Wisdom cries out by the gates at the entrance of the town. She strategically places herself where she can be most effective. She is at a spot where she can address all those coming into and from the city. And as she stands there, as she raises her voice, as she sounds her clarion call, she does so with the intent of reaching all people. This is an address to all of mankind. God never discriminates based upon race, gender or age. No, he is equally available to all. Part of the Good News of the Gospel is that it is available to all men.
Solomon then addresses two categories of people: the simple and the foolish. To the simple he says, “Use good judgment.” In Proverbs, Solomon organizes people into three categories: the wise, the foolish, and the simple. These categories are not dependent on age, class, race, gender, or socio-economic status. Rather, they are determined by one’s direction in reference to the Lord.
1. Those who are moving toward the Lord are called wise. This person is not a perfect or intelligent person, but rather a person who will gain understanding and change his life based on what he hears in Scripture (Prov 1:5).
2. Those who are moving away from the Lord are called foolish. This person is not an ignorant or uneducated person, but rather a person who doesn’t want to change anymore. He thinks he’s doing just fine on his own and doesn’t need any more help, especially not from the Lord (Prov 1:7).
3. Those who are not moving at all with respect to the Lord are called simple. This person is not an unreligious or immoral person , but rather a child-like person who is just starting out on the path of life and thus is about to decide whether to move toward the Lord or away from him (Prov 1:4). The crossroads are before him; which fork will he take? It’s critical to understand, however, that he cannot remain simple forever. It’s okay for a baby to smear spaghetti in her hair, but by the time she turns 30, more will be expected of her. Or, more elegantly, “one does not stay still: a man who is empty headed will end up wrongheaded"..
The message to these people is to use the knowledge they have. If they know better, then they ought to start doing what they know and they have to stop making excuses. You don’t really show that you have an understanding of God’s Word until you are able to put it into practice in your life. So please do just that. Show some understanding by applying God’s truth to your life and you will be all the better for it!
Prov 8:7-9 NLT - For I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception. My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge.
I asked myself the question: what would you do if you met someone who was right 100% of the time? The obvious answer is that you would listen to them and esteem what they had to say. Well, not only is Lady Wisdom right 100% of the time, but we have unrestricted access to her through God’s Word
Lady Wisdom tells us that she will always speak the truth and that she detests every kind of deception. All you have to do is watch the Daily News on the tv to realise that we have to deal with deceptive and corrupt people in the world but God Wisdom always comes to us in truth. There is no deception or corruption at all. Even a well-intentioned person may succumb to the temptation to mislead someone in a business deal, but there is no misleading in God. The text says that Wisdom's counsel is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in her whatsoever.
Paul said, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve” (2nd Cor 11:13-15). John said, “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world” (1st John 4:1,2); “Many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist” ( 2nd John 1:7); and in contrast John said, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1st John 1:5).
I share this with you, because I want to awaken you to the reality of the deception the enemy operates in. Not only is Satan a liar, but he is the father of lying (John 8:44). He is deceptive in every way.
It means that you have a choice to make. You can either walk in the counsel of the world – counsel that is riddled with deception, corruption, and lies – or you can you can accept/apply the clear and honest wisdom of God. Walking in the wisdom of God is simply doing things God’s way. It may not always be popular – the motivation to do right is often scarce and the temptation to do wrong plenteous – but doing things God’s way is always worth it. When you do things His way you have a clear conscious, a pure heart, and clean hands. That’s the way He wants you to live!
The enemy is a deceiver. Everything he does is deceptive. However, when we receive and apply God’s wisdom we are better equipped to avoid the pitfalls of life. This is a good backdrop upon which to say what Solomon says in this passage. The number one way the enemy deceives people is with the allusive pursuit of money. Paul said that having money is not the problem. The issue is not the money; the issue is money having you. Those who pursue money as their main focus in life wind up either getting it, but not having anything else, or not getting it and never being satisfied along the way.
Solomon was fully qualified to talk about both money and wisdom. He was just a teenager when he took over the throne from his father David. He was concerned about assuming such a great responsibility, so the Lord spoke to him through a dream. In the dream God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” This was Solomon’s golden opportunity. He was young, in charge and somewhat afraid. God told him what he wanted to hear, “Ask for whatever you want!” Now, you know that most of us would have started rattling off a list of selfish desires, but young Solomon was different. He said, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David… you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”
Solomon had maturity beyond his years. He did not ask for fame or fortune, he asked for wisdom and understanding; for help in carrying out the duties of the office that he had been charged with. He knew that he was in authority, but also knew that he was under authority. He submitted to God so that those that he led would submit to him. How do you think God reacted to this? He said, “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings” (see 1 Kings 3). Not only did God give Solomon wisdom, but He also gave him riches and honour. Why? Because he chose wisdom above money.
For God to give money to a fool does no good, but if He can get the fool to renew his mind, to receive and apply His wisdom, to have a pure heart and a clear head, then He can trust him with money. There is nothing wrong with having money, but it should not be your number one pursuit. Pursue God, don’t pursue things, and before you know it, things will be pursuing you (see Mat 6:33).
In 8:12 Solomon tells us that Lady Wisdom will give us prudence. What is prudence ?: Prudence is the ability to restrain oneself to act in accordance with knowledge and wisdom. While important, without accurate knowledge and sound wisdom, prudence is of little value. It would be akin to expecting fruit from a tree with no roots or branches. A dead tree produces no fruit and a nonexistent fruit, no matter how well defined or artfully drawn, provides no sustenance.
Wisdom is knowledge combined with the practical experience necessary to use it effectively at the right time or in the right situation.
While prudence is good, accurate knowledge and sound wisdom must come first.
When we are Born-Again and the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, and we have the ability to tap into Godly wisdom. The Holy Spirit will take what the Bible teaches us and will lead, guide, and direct us in the way that we should go.
I believe in education, but I want to be clear that oftentimes God, through His wisdom and revelation, will lead us to do something that we did not learn within the halls of higher-education
A good example is Joseph. His brothers sold him as a slave and he wound up in Potiphar’s house. It took him no time to apply the wisdom God was giving him. Before he knew it, Potiphar had promoted him to the lead position on the compound. He was in charge of everything. Nothing in the Bible suggests that Joseph was naturally prepared for such a job. It was the wisdom of God upon his life that gave him the ideas he needed, to set things in place, in such a way as to get results. Potiphar noticed that everything Joseph touched turned out well, so he promoted him all the way up to the number one position. We know that Joseph later wound up in a state-run prison. Guess what happened there?
The wisdom of God, leading him to make decisions that produced results, caused him to get promoted again. Before he knew it he was running the prison . He was in charge of everything And finally, we know that he got his big chance to stand in front of Pharaoh. Once again, by the wisdom/revelation of God, he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and Pharaoh promoted him to the number 1 position in all of Egypt. Joseph was over everyone but Pharaoh. Nothing happened, in the entire nation, without Joseph’s approval. By the wisdom of God Joseph came up with an elaborate system of collecting, storing, and then distributing grain that made Egypt the most powerful nation in the then known world. It was not formal education that prepared him for the fiscal and logistical challenges the nation was facing, but rather the wisdom of God.
In 8:13 there are awesome benefits laid up for Kingdom citizens. God desires great things for us. He takes the time to think about us (Psalm 8:4). He makes plans for our lives, good plans, plans to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). But please don’t think that we have nothing to do with what happens to us. He has plans, but we must cooperate with those plans; and part of that cooperation is learning to love what He loves and to hate what He hates.
Our text says, “To have respect for the LORD is to hate evil.” Other translations call this “The fear of the Lord.” Many people today don’t have this " fear of the Lord". I don’t mean a fear that leads to timidity, but rather a healthy reverential fear. Many have lost the reverence for God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, creator and sustainer of all life, alpha and omega, beginning and ending, author and finisher of our faith.
Lady Wisdom tells us that she hates pride and bragging, she hates evil ways and twisted words. She doesn’t stand by as people tell dirty jokes. She doesn’t celebrate with those that are puffed up in arrogance. She calls right right and wrong wrong! She says what she means and she means what she says. She humbles herself under the mighty hand of God, because she knows that if she is faithful, God will exalt her in due season (1st Peter 5:6).
The point Solomon is making is clear and that is that the more a person fears and respects God, the more he or she will hate evil. The more we grow in God the more we should develop distaste for unrighteousness. Love for God and love for sin cannot coexist. Now, I am not saying that you will be completely sinless, but I am saying that you should not practice sin. Sin should no longer be your lifestyle. Sin should no longer be tolerated by you. It should bother you to be around sin. It should irritate when sin passes through your eye gates or your ear gates. If sin does not affect you at all, then there is something wrong. That’s why we must be very careful no to harbor secret sin in our heart. If we tolerate sin within ourselves we will build up a tolerance for sin altogether. Before we know it, we will find ourselves developing excuses for why we do this and that; knowing that what we are doing is wrong.
It means that you should make a clean break from sin today. Commit yourself completely to God. If you want God’s best. If you want God’s blessing. If you want to walk in grace, peace, protection and health; If you really want to walk in ways of the Lord, then make a commitment to walk in the purity God desires for you to walk in. You can't live like a heathen and still receive divine benefits
In 8: 14-16 Solomon continues to speak as ‘Lady Wisdom’ and she tells us that Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.
James made it plain when he said, “Every good and perfect gift is from God” (James 1:17). Believe me, the enemy is not out to do good. His purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). That being the case, we can see how Wisdom's hand is behind the good done by kings, rulers and those in authority. Wisdom tells us that rulers lead with her help and it is only because of Wisdom that nobles can make righteous judgments.
To the believer it means that you should acknowledge God as the source of all true wisdom. Don’t allow arrogance to make you think that you achieved what you have achieved by yourself You will be amazed at the difference God’s wisdom, when properly applied, can make in your life.
We must remember that Godly wisdom is not just going to fall into your lap, but it will not hide from you either. (8:17-19) If you seek wisdom, if you read the Word, if you pray earnestly, God will reveal or unveil His guidance, insight, revelation and knowledge for living to you. If you do your part (seeking), He will do His (revealing). And one final point , “Those that seek me early shall find me.” We should seek God and earnestly pursue His wisdom – His way of doing things –
One of the greatest tricks of the enemy is to attempt to get us to pursue our goals by unrighteous means. How did Satan trick Eve in the garden? He told her that if she ate of the fruit that she would be like God.
Well, guess what?
(1) Eve was already created in the image and after the likeness of God.
(2) Eve already had dominion over the fish of the sea, the beasts of the field and the birds of the air.
(3) Eve was already blessed.
(4) Eve and her husband Adam were able to walk with God, uninterrupted, in the cool of the day
She already had everything she needed. But she threw it all away because she was tricked into thinking that Satan had something better to offer.
What you receive from me - says Wisdom - is more valuable than even the finest gold or the purest silver: Life is more than just money. Although money is "a " factor, it should not be “the” driving factor in our lives. If you make all your decisions based upon money alone, you will find yourself like Eve – compromising to get ahead. What God has to offer is more valuable than money . Wisdom is much more valuable than silver and gold or even rubies, pursue her with your whole heart.
We need to seek God for true success - not success according to the worldly standards but success that is attained through righteous means and therefore, comes with God's blessings . When you become successful God’s way you are able to maintain a clear conscience a free heart, and a peaceful soul.
Lady Wisdom continues to speak here and she tells us that her ways are honest and her path is right We live in a time where political correctness and a fear of offending anyone has caused us to avoid absolutes altogether. But Solomon is not mincing words here.
If you choose to live you life in accordance with God’s Word, if you choose to walk down the "Righteous Road" , then it will mean that you will have to take a stand, from time to time, for what you believe in. But don’t allow this to discourage you; our text makes it clear that there is a reward in store for those that choose to live upright before God. Lady Wisdom says that she leaves riches to those that love her, those that choose to receive/apply what she teaches . What is this "riches" ? Is this money? Wealth? No The reason God wants you to walk upright, to become the person He wants you to be, to maximize your potential in life, so that He can bless your children and your children’s children because of you (see Prov 13:22). He wants you to leave an inheritance of righteousness to your seed. This is the wealth promised by Lady Wisdom.
We must remember that whatever we compromise to gain we will have to compromise to keep.
In verse 22-29 Lady Wisdom says some things to us, about the creation, that are worth noting:
When we come to the section of Scripture verse 22-31) that we are studying we find that the advice of the previous chapters isn’t really present. We don’t hear things like, “When sinners entice you don’t go along with them,” or “Don’t stand as surety for your neighbor’s debt.” In our section of Scripture for today we read about Lady Wisdom speaking of her origins and her delight
What we have here is poetic language. Within the poetic sections of the Old Testament we have different styles of poetry. The Psalms are poetic song lyrics, an early hymn book of the Hebrews. The Song of Songs is made up of romantic poetry set in story form, and Proverbs contains poetry that conveys teaching in a poetic form.
One of the key features of Hebrew poetry is that the Hebrews didn’t put any effort into rhyming. The Hebrews were more drawn to what we call “parallelism.” Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. In Proverbs 11:22 we read, “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.” In Proverbs 22:1 we read, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Parallelism starts with a short thought and is then followed by another thought that either underscores what has already been said or contrasts what was just said. You can easily see this in the two Proverbs I just shared with you.
However the poetic language of Proverbs 8:22-31 is not an example of parallelism, but it is instead an imaginative, picturesque view of the origin and purpose of Lady Wisdom from a poet’s perspective. Now that we understand what we are dealing with here in Proverbs 8:22-31 lets go into it in detail.
Proverbs 8:22-31 is a very interesting passage of Scripture. When we read it, we discover that God is not speaking. The question that people have tried to understand is: who is speaking in verse 22? Is the Son of God speaking or is Wisdom speaking
Proverbs 8:22-31 has been interpreted in primarily two different ways. Some claim that the passage refers to God the Son but the majority of Biblical scholars understand the passage as referring to wisdom. Proverbs 8:22 was a highly contested verse during the Arian controversy. Arius (A.D. 250-360) taught that the Son of God was not divine but was a created being. The A.D. 325 Council of Nicea rejected Arius’ teaching and in the Nicene Creed affirmed that Jesus was not created.
According to Arius, Jesus was subordinate to God the Father because God had created him. Arius and his followers put much stock in verses like “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) and in biblical phrases like “the only begotten Son” (John 3:16) or “the firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15). If he was begotten—so they said —there must have been a time before he was begotten.
Also Prov 8:22 became a key verse for the Arian cause: “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work.”, The Arians maintain Proverbs 8 22 is about Jesus - Proverbs 8 says wisdom was created- Jesus must have been created. The links in the chain appear to hold tight according to Arianism.
The Council of Nicea was convened in 325 A.D. and Arius lost the theological debate.
Far from being an obscure 3rd century problem, Arianism remains alive even in some circles even today.
What came out of the Council is what we know today as the Nicene Creed.
These statements used by the followers of Arius cannot be referring to the Son of God because they do not agree with Colossians 1:16-17.
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17 (NASB)
Other verses that prove that Jesus is God
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23 ESV).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 ESV).
To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 9:5 ESV).
For in him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9 ESV).
God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1Timothy 3:16 KJV).
In summary, both the Old and New Testaments reveal the wisdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ and their roles in creation – wisdom as the skilled master craftsman and Jesus as the Creator God.
Prov 8:30-34 MSG- Delighted with the world of things and creatures, happily
celebrating the human family. “So, my dear friends, listen carefully; those who embrace these my ways are most blessed. Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don’t squander your precious life. Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.
I hope you see a pattern here. Verse after verse, chapter after chapter, God through Solomon is telling us that He desires that we will live life His way. Why? So that we can enjoy His best. He wants us to live fruitful lives. No loving father wants destruction, disaster for his children. He wants so dearly to bless us, but because He is a God of integrity, He cannot go against His Word. He will not bless a mess. That’s why He wants us to live our lives by His principles. He tells us here to live a life of discipline and to develop self-control, because without discipline we can easily squander our lives away. Year upon year can go by and before we know it, we are at the end of our lives, without anything to show for it. Please don’t squander your life away - Prov. 5: 11-14.
From the creator’s perspective the choice is clear. He wants us to maximize our potential and purpose. He wants us to arrive at His desired end for our lives and He will do all that He can – without violating our free will – to help us to arrive there. This is where God’s Word, Spirit and wisdom come in. He provided us His purpose in His Word and He provided us His Spirit to lead, guide and direct us through life - John 16:8-15. Our text says that when we find wisdom we find life. Why does Solomon call it life? Because it is the life that God intends for us to have. Listen, walking with God is much more than just escaping hell. Sure, He does not want you to go to hell, and that is why Jesus paid the penalty for your sin on the Cross. But if you are a Born-Again believer and all God intended for you to do was to escape hell, then you could die right now. The reason you are still alive is because God has a purpose for your life
It means God wants dearly for you to maximize everything He put inside of you, but because He is the God of integrity, He will never violate your free will. He will do everything He can to help you, but at the end of the day, the choice is yours. You can either walk in His wisdom and enjoy His blessings or you can reject His wisdom and wind up damaging your own soul.
What will you choose?
