Proverbs 8:17-21. 17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. 18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, 21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. (ESV)
Andrew Murray said: “The true pupil, say of some great musician or painter, yields his master a wholehearted and unhesitating submission. In practicing his scales or mixing the colors, in the slow and patient study of the elements of his art, he knows that it is wisdom simply and fully to obey. It is this wholehearted surrender to His guidance, this implicit submission to His authority, which Christ asks. We come to Him asking Him to teach us the lost art of obeying God as He did … The only way of learning to do a thing is to do it. The only way of learning obedience from Christ is to give up your will to Him and to make the doing of His will the one desire and delight of your heart”. (Andrew Murray in With Christ in the School of Obedience. Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 13.)
Proverbs 8 presents wisdom as a pursuit that requires intention and dedication. The passage illustrates how wisdom calls out to those who are willing to listen, contrasting the fleeting satisfaction of worldly gain with the lasting benefits of choosing wisdom. The focus is on the proactive aspect of seeking wisdom as a divine choice that leads to a meaningful and impactful life. The personification of wisdom in Proverbs is ultimately fulfilled in the person of Christ, who embodies the fullness of divine wisdom. Throughout the New Testament, Christ invites us to embrace wisdom by following Him, revealing that to walk in wisdom means to walk in relationship with Him and reflect His character in the world. Choosing the path of wisdom leads to a life of discernment and divine purpose, enabling believers to make impactful choices that honor God and influence others for His Kingdom.
This means that we all need to evaluate our priorities and invest in the pursuit of wisdom as a foundation for our decisions and actions. If we do so, we will be equipped with the understanding that the pursuit of wisdom is essential for discernment in the face of life's challenges, which will guide us towards righteous living and effective witnesses in our communities. This underscores the necessity of making conscious choices that align with God's wisdom, emphasizing that true success and fulfillment come not only from knowledge but from applying wisdom in our lives. This is an invitation for us to commit our lives to Christ on a path of righteousness that produces lasting fruit.
In Proverbs 8:17-21, in order to find The Way of Wisdom, in three ways we must 1) Pursue Purposefully (Proverbs 8:17-18), 2) Prioritize Priceless Treasures (Proverbs 8:19) and 3) Pledge to Walk Righteously (Proverbs 8:20-21).
In order to find The Way of Wisdom we must first:
1) Pursue Purposefully (Proverbs 8:17-18)
Proverbs 8:17-18. 17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. 18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. (ESV)
Seeking wisdom is an active pursuit that requires intentionality and love, emphasizing that wisdom brings riches and honor, but these are understood as spiritual wealth and dignity. In Christ we find the ultimate embodiment of wisdom, and through Him, we inherit true riches beyond material gain. This requires that we set our hearts hearts on pursuing wisdom as we would any worthy relationship, reflecting Christ's own dedication to us. The authors of Proverbs, especially but not exclusively in Part I, require that we do more than simply obey the teachings or learn wisdom for utilitarian advantage alone. They insist on an emotional commitment, a desire for learning. This love propels one to seek the unknown and allows learning to impress itself on character. Without love, knowledge is inert. Hence, we are required to love wisdom (4:6; 7:4; 29:3; cf. 8:34). (Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1–9: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 18A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 275.)
Please turn to John 14 (p.847)
First in verse 17 we see a loving intimacy which is true and sincere. unlike that pretended love of the harlot which is mere sweet talk (Prov. 7:13). This love is available to all and only has to be asked for. Here ‘Wisdom’ becomes virtually identical with the God who is wisdom. Just as in us wisdom means trust, love and obedience (“the fear of the Lord”), so in God it means personal union and communion with us, supremely realized in Christ (John 14:21). It becomes clear that wisdom demands a changed human nature, what Jesus called being born again, for in Adam all died spiritually and so do not “accept the things that come from the Spirit of God” (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). While Wisdom offers herself to all humanity, her offer is efficacious only for those whose hearts have been regenerated to love her. She effects that change through speech. By definition those who love her are those who seek it diligently (meša?aray; see 1:28; cf. 8:36). (Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2004), 404.)
Jesus explained this in John 14
John 14:15–21. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. (ESV)
• True love manifests itself in willing obedience. This happens through surrender to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit (cf. v. 26), the Spirit of truth who will guide disciples into all truth (16:13), serving as another Helper (or “helping Presence”). He indwells Jesus’ followers forever, functioning as Jesus’ emissary in His physical absence. Obedience to Christ is a clear indication of genuine love for him. (Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2053.)
Back in Proverbs 8:18, we see Prosperity, or at least sufficiency, for ‘enough is as good as a feast’. Wealth that is not needed is like food—it goes bad on us. But Wisdom’s wealth never does this—it is enduring, a word that looks backwards rather than forwards. Wisdom has been there from eternity (referred to in Proverbs 8:22–26) and is like wine long stored. Wisdom is not a glamorous girl but a venerable lady. It is God who has a right to give this wealth, for with me has the sense of ‘it is mine to bestow’. So, wisdom can say that those who find me have it. Wealth and power are neither indications of the kind of wisdom God desires, nor are they necessarily indications of divine blessing. The writer avoids blessing wealth for its own sake (John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Pr 8:18.).
Illustration: “God Has Rejected Me”
Sometimes though what seems to be defeat, we learn the ways of wisdom. In 1966, Jimmy Carter ran for governor of Georgia and lost to avowed segregationist Lester Maddox. In his book entitled: “Living Faith”, Carter recounts the aftermath. He said: “[My sister] Ruth drove to Plains and listened while I deplored the poor judgment and racist tendencies of my fellow Georgians and vented my anger toward God. Then Ruth quoted James 1:2.
James 1:2-6. 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (ESV)
Carter continued: “I said, “Ruth, my political life is over! It’s not my goal just to grow peanuts, sell fertilizer, gin cotton, and build up a bank account. God has rejected me through the people’s vote.” Ruth replied, “Jimmy, you have to believe that out of this defeat can come a greater life.” I responded bitterly, “There is no way I can build on such an embarrassing defeat.” Patiently, Ruth explained what James was saying. When we face trials with courage, we learn to endure and pray for wisdom. Wisdom leads us to depend on things made available to all through God’s love. Christ gives us courage to (try) something new. Ruth advised me to do something totally unrelated to my business or politics. Shortly afterward I was asked by the Baptist Brotherhood to go as a lay witness on a mission in Pennsylvania. I did, and it changed my life”. (Jimmy Carter, Living Faith (Random House, 1996), quoted in Men of Integrity, Vol. 2, no. 4.)
In order to find The Way of Wisdom we must:
2) Prioritize Priceless Treasures (Proverbs 8:19)
Proverbs 8:19. 19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. (ESV)
The fruits of wisdom are superior to gold or silver, suggesting that wisdom yields a treasure that satisfies deeper than material wealth. Christ offers Himself as the fulfillment of all wisdom, and the one who seeks Him finds true contentment and abundance. Think about what you truly value most. If we prioritize spiritual riches that nourish their soul and draw us closer to God's heart, then we will find fulfilment over fleeting worldly desires. wisdom and godly living are greater in value than all worldly wealth. After all, to know the Lord and obey Him is to have all the wealth of heaven and earth at your disposal (Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993), Pr 8.).
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 5 (p.908)
In verse 19 we are introduced to the concept of Fruitfulness. This shows that we are to see Wisdom not just as a store to draw on but as living and growing. The wise are like trees which yield a crop of fruit. God through His Wisdom regenerates our nature so that we ourselves become like her. This is why she is better than the most solid gold and the purest silver. For these cannot buy us a new nature (Eric Lane, Proverbs: Everyday Wisdom for Everyone, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2000), 78.).
In 2 Corinthains 5 we see how wisdom, epitomized by the “fear of the Lord’, relates to believers regeneration:
2 Corinthians 5:11-21. 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (ESV)
• 2 Corinthians 5:11 starts at the same place as Prov 1:7, which says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge/wisdom, But fools despise wisdom and instruction”. Wisdom sees God as the source of life. As v. 14-15 explain: By Christ’s death, the death penalty for sin (see Gen. 2:17) has been paid for all those who trust in him (see Rom. 3:21–26; 5:6–8; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 3:13), and God counts their old life as ended, thus freeing them from any future penal claims. … As a consequence of Christ’s death, the power of sin in one’s life (see Gen. 3:1–7) has also been broken for all those who trust in Christ (cf. Rom. 6:1–14). Paul concludes this benefit in verse 21: the heart of the doctrine of justification: God regards (or counts) believers as forgiven and God declares and treats them as forgiven, because God the Father has imputed the believer’s sin to Christ and because God the Father likewise imputes Christ’s righteousness to the believer. (cf. Rom. 4:6–8; 5:18; 10:3; 10:6–8; see also Isa. 53:11: “the righteous one, my servant, [shall] make many to be accounted righteous”). (Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2230.)
Quotation: 3559 Franklin’s Observations
Benjamin Franklin said: “Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vaccum, it makes one. If it satisfies one want, it doubles and (multiplies) that want another way. That was a true proverb of the wise man; rely upon it: “Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure, and trouble (therein)” (Benjamin Franklin, as quoted in Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 830.)
Finally, in order to find The Way of Wisdom we must:
3) Pledge to Walk Righteously (Proverbs 8:20-21)
Proverbs 8:20-21. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, 21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. (ESV)
The path of wisdom is marked by righteousness and justice, leading to the inheritance of substance and treasures only God can provide. In Jesus, we walk in complete wisdom and find our lives enriched and our paths directed rightly. God here invites us to commit to walking in wisdom, following Christ's example of living out God's justice and righteousness, and witness the transformative impact of these divine treasures in our lives and communities. As opposed to the way of the world as illustrated through the Book of Ecclesiastes, here Solomon writes that the wisdom of the Lord gives substance, weight, and stability to those who pursue it. (Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Volume Two: Psalms-Malachi (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2006), 196.)
Verse 20 introduces us to the need of having a sense of direction. Wisdom knows where she is going and keeps on that way, which is the meaning of walk in the way. Walk is figurative and refers to the manner of life, what someone does, a person’s conduct or behavior. The way of righteousness is what justice and right living require. We may express the meaning of the figure by saying, for example, “I live in a way that is right” or “I do the things that are right.” That way is righteousness, deliberately chosen and firmly followed. Those who have wisdom have a clear grasp of what is right and do it unwaveringly (William David Reyburn and Euan McG. Fry, A Handbook on Proverbs, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 2000), 187.)
Please turn to the next book, Ecclesiastes 7 (p.521)
Finally, in verse 21, The Way of Wisdom promises a substantial inheritance. In granting/bestowing it means ‘cause to inherit’, for these riches are ours, not as a gift nor as wages, but of family right. What could be more secure? This is why it is filling their treasuries /makes their treasuries full, for these riches are not subject to the fluctuations of the market, and never lose their value. Just as Wisdom offers great treasure to those who seek her, so Jesus makes all who come to him spiritually rich, at great cost to himself (2 Cor. 8:9; Matt. 6:19–20; Rev. 3:18). In him we have an imperishable heavenly inheritance (1 Peter 1:4–5). (Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 90.)
Ecclesiastes 7 explains the treasure of the inheritance of wisdom
Ecclesiastes 7:11-20. 11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. 12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. 13 Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. 15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. 19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. (ESV)
• A fool squanders his birthright (cf. Luke 15:11–32), but wisdom is good with an inheritance and enables one to make good use of it. Wisdom is similar to money in that both offer the possessor some real protection against the difficulties of life (Crossway ibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1204.)
• From verses 16-20, the author here using the term “righteous” in the sense of being “right in one’s cause” (cf. 7:15), his counsel is a warning against the obsession of always being proved right in an argument or dispute. To insist on this is ultimately self-destructive: people who have to win every argument will eventually alienate everyone around them. (cf. 1 Cor. 6:7 for Paul’s advice on this. A clear example of this is Verse 20. Wisdom recognizes that even believers continue to sin and need forgiveness. The fool thinks he is without sin. Paul’s affirmation in the New Testament that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23) makes this clear. Wisdom enables one to have an awareness that in this life, there is no such thing as sinless perfection (J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 1176.).
Illustration: During 1870, the great missionary Hudson Taylor [felt] overwhelmed by problems. He wrote: “Almost daily I had letters from some group of workers asking for guidance, and wondering whether to stay or leave the station, as work for the time being was impossible. I knew not what to advise, but in each case, like Hezekiah, I spread the letters before the Lord, and trusted Him to teach me how to reply to them. There was no conscious revelation, but in every instance I was guided to reply in the way that led to the best results, and I sent each letter off in the joyful peace of knowing that I had asked, and He had granted, the wisdom that is profitable to direct”. (Marshall Broomhall, Hudson Taylor: The Man Who Believed God (Moody, 1929), 153).
• May we all be so surrendered to the Lord to seek His wisdom and confident in His providence to then walk in “The Way of Wisdom”.
(Format note: Some base commentary from Eric Lane, Proverbs: Everyday Wisdom for Everyone, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2000), 73–81.)
