The Way Of Wisdom Series

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.)