September 8, 2009

Proverbs 8

Wisdom's Call
 1 Does not wisdom call out?
       Does not understanding raise her voice?
 2 On the heights along the way,
       where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

 3 beside the gates leading into the city,
       at the entrances, she cries aloud:

 4 "To you, O men, I call out;
       I raise my voice to all mankind. 


I love that wisdom is not silent or whispering, impossible to hear or find. She is calling out!

13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
       I hate pride and arrogance,
       evil behavior and perverse speech. 


Verse 13 struck me in light of the book, Fearless, I just read.  What does "fearing the Lord" look like?  It's hating evil, pride, arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse speech (not hating or judging the person who may do those things).  

 22 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works,
       before his deeds of old;
 23 I was appointed from eternity,
       from the beginning, before the world began.

 24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth,
       when there were no springs abounding with water;

 25 before the mountains were settled in place,
       before the hills, I was given birth,

 26 before he made the earth or its fields
       or any of the dust of the world.

 27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
       when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,

 28 when he established the clouds above
       and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

 29 when he gave the sea its boundary
       so the waters would not overstep his command,
       and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

 30 Then I was the craftsman at his side.
       I was filled with delight day after day,
       rejoicing always in his presence,

 31 rejoicing in his whole world
       and delighting in mankind. 


This is the coolest passage!  Awesome!

 35 For whoever finds me finds life
       and receives favor from the LORD.

 36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself;
       all who hate me love death."


If we don't choose the way of wisdom, we only harm ourselves.

7 comments:

Natasha said...

Okay, is wisdom the Holy Spirit?

Candice said...

I am very excited about todays Proverb! So many beautiful things!

vs 8- All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.

Boy, o, boy! Can I say this about my mouth? Absolutely not! I would be a liar. This is what a wise mouth would do!

vs 13- To fear the Lord is to hate evil.

When I read that I thought so highly of myself! Surely, I hate evil, right!? Unfortunately I had to read the second half!

I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

The most excited part I read today was verses 22-31!

Initially I thought this to be the "woman" wisdom. Until I got to 30-31!

vs 30,31- Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.

I would encourage you to reread passages 22-31 again. It is clear Who was at His side, and still is! This is Christ! Wisdom is Christ!!! Let's remember even though wisdom is referred to as a she it does not make Christ a female! Wisdom is ultimately found in Christ! Christ was God's first work! He was birthed of the Father!
Please, tell me if I am wrong. I don't want to walk in error. But it just hit me that Christ hovered over the empty space! Christ sits at the Fathers side. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. How do we see knowledge? Through Christ's revelation. Woohoo! How exciting!!!

vs 34- Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

Father, I praise You that in all of Your wisdom You have birthed Christ into our hearts! We are blessed beyond any comprehension we now have. That we could be called sons of God! Lord, may I watch and wait daily at Your door for anything You might say to me. Your words are in The Word! May I be eager to listen to what Your Spirit is saying to the churches. You have not abandoned me as an orphan! Praise Your holy name, O Lord! May all who hear Your word rejoice in Your holy name! May my lips forever sing and speak of Your name and renoun! Glory! Amen

Alicia said...

Ladies, you are stretching me beyond belief. Candice, from what I can tell and research you are absolutely right. http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/?action=getChapterSections&cid=37&source=2&schap=8

I have sent a message to my pastor asking him 1) if this passage is widely viewed as wisdom being "Christ", and 2) if that's true how that reconciles with wisdom typically being referred to as a female.

This is WAY out of my league!

Stephanie Kay said...

It reminds me of John 1: "In the beginning was the Word..." Jesus is referred to as the Word, God created the earth by his Word. So I agree this is referring to Jesus.

I'm really enjoying/ being challenged by this series, Alicia.

Candice said...

Isn't this so exciting!!! I can just see the Lord hovering over us as we study each day! He is rejoicing and angels are singing as we are awakened to His word!!
We are blessed!

Alicia said...

From my Pastor:

Here's a short answer for you and I hope this helps:

Here's a little outline for Proverbs 8 (I just now saw your note)

Wisdom is a would-be guide for Everyman (1-5)
Wisdom is the partner of morality (6-13)
Wisdom is the key to all success (14-21)
Wisdom is the very principle of creation (22-31) and
Wisdom is the one necessity of life (32-36)

I do think wisdom here is personified in Christ.

Blessings,

Kenny

Anon said...
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