In our next “proverb of the day” we read that Wisdom was present “in the beginning” as God created the world and its inhabitants! Knowing this—matters! Wisdom flows from the very character of God; wisdom is not something created apart from Him. Wisdom’s words also contribute not only to our understanding of creation but also to our understanding of the Word, who was with God in the beginning, namely Jesus, His Son. (John 1:1)
God is Wisdom. In the beginning was wisdom who was the character of God.
We read that Wisdom outranks wealth: while money can buy some of life’s pleasures, it cannot purchase character, a good reputation or a meaningful relationship with God. Wisdom is also available to anyone who wants her, since those who desire wisdom will find wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (James 1:5)
Listening, trusting and obeying wisdom is choice and becomes a matter of life and death. I choose Life, how about you?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs 8, The Message
Lady Wisdom Calls Out
1-11 Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling?
Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?
She’s taken her stand at First and Main,
at the busiest intersection.
Right in the city square
where the traffic is thickest, she shouts,
“You—I’m talking to all of you,
everyone out here on the streets!
Listen, you idiots—learn good sense!
You blockheads—shape up!
Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well,
I’m telling you how to live at your best.
My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth—
I can’t stand the taste of evil!
You’ll only hear true and right words from my mouth;
not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.
You’ll recognize this as true—you with open minds;
truth-ready minds will see it at once.
Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,
and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.
For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;
nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
12-21 “I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity;
Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.
The Fear-of-God means hating Evil,
whose ways I hate with a passion—
pride and arrogance and crooked talk.
Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics;
I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out.
With my help, leaders rule,
and lawmakers legislate fairly;
With my help, governors govern,
along with all in legitimate authority.
I love those who love me;
those who look for me find me.
Wealth and Glory accompany me—
also substantial Honor and a Good Name.
My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary;
the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.
You can find me on Righteous Road—that’s where I walk—
at the intersection of Justice Avenue,
Handing out life to those who love me,
filling their arms with life—armloads of life!
22-31 “God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—
before he did anything else.
I was brought into being a long time ago,
well before Earth got its start.
I arrived on the scene before Ocean,
yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.
Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,
I was already there, newborn;
Long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons,
and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,
And set Sky firmly in place,
I was there.
When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,
built the vast vault of Heaven,
and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,
When he drew a boundary for Sea,
posted a sign that said no trespassing,
And then staked out Earth’s Foundations,
I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.
Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,
always enjoying his company,
Delighted with the world of things and creatures,
happily celebrating the human family.
32-36 “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.
When you find me, you find life, real life,
to say nothing of God’s good pleasure.
But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;
when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.”
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Wisdom was, is, and always will be God who was, is and always will be because wisdom is the character of God. Read through this proverb again and write down other characteristics mentioned. This will help us to know God more as we seek to be more like Him. Here are few I found; Sanity, Knowledge, Discretion, Insight, Understanding, Virtue…Keep the list going!
May we seek God with all our hearts, minds, and souls then be responsive to Him as we go about this day that HE has made. To seek God is to find Him as He promised!
To focus fully on the character of God as we walk with Him, we begin to see who He is in relationship to us. We learn that the more we know God, the Father who is also the God of Creation; it brings us to our knees with awe, humbled respect and reverence for the One who does what He says, rescues and heals, takes away our fears and anxieties, and forgives our sins with help to sin no more but to grow in His love. Our foolish pride and “blockheaded” arrogance is stripped away when we bow before him as seek is love, mercy, and grace.
God gives generously, also His character, so that we may become more like Him in every way. Wisdom is the character trait that we must seek to live and thrive in a broken world in need of wisdom and a Savior. “Be still and know God”, says the Psalmist, (Psalm 46:10). Let go of what we want to seek what God wants to do in and through us!
God is found by those who seek Him. “You can find me on Righteous Road—that’s where I walk—at the intersection of Justice Avenue, Handing out life to those who love me, filling their arms with life—armloads of life!”
“Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well, I’m telling you how to live at your best.”—Wisdom, Proverbs 8
Lord,
I bow before you today seeking your wisdom, crying out for the way you think which higher than the way I think. I seek your understanding with your knowledge so I will know what is true. I listen for Your Holy Spirit’s discernment warnings of what is to be ignored and put aside. Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul and restore the joy, awe, and peace of you in me and me in you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
In Jesus Name, Amen
