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2/15/13. Proverbs 8:1-36. WISDOM SPEAKS- my devotional

2/15/13. Proverbs 8:1-36.  WISDOM SPEAKS- my devotional

Proverbs 8:1-36                                                                                    Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

Key Verse: 8:35,36                                                                               2/15/13

 For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves;all who hate me love death.”

     Dear Lord, thank you for guiding my heart to think about the Gospel. Without you I could dwell on all the bad news in the world and all the news trivia and various controversies. If I dwell on these things too much I feel that they drain the life out of me. But when I dwell on the gospel and on Christ and life from a Christian perspective, my heart is strangely warmed. I have the life of God infusing into my bones. Thank you Lord. Please enlighten my heart with your word now. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: Wisdom Is More Precious Than Rubies (1-21)

Verses 1-21, “Does not wisdom call out?    Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge. 10 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. 13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. 15 By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just; 16 by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. 18 With me are riches and honor,enduring wealth and prosperity. 19 My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, 21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full.”

Wisdom speaks for herself! Her invitation is to all mankind (4). This is not worldly wisdom; it is spiritual wisdom from God. This wisdom offers prudence to the simple and understanding to the foolish. She detests wickedness and crookedness and hates arrogance and pride (13). Anyone who loves wisdom and seeks her will surely find her (17). True wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.

I truly need the wisdom of the Lord. The wisdom of the Lord is very satisfying. It sooths my soul and calms my heart. It draws me along with cords of the love to the very heart of God. Worldly wisdom has its place, but it can not hold a candle to the wisdom of God.

Where would I go without the wisdom of God? There is no where else to go. Am I to go to the legalistic teachings of Islam? Am I to memorize the various quotes of Buddhism and Confucism? Am I to read endless philosophy books? These all can not satisfy. Only Jesus and his Gospel satisfies my heart and my soul and my intellect. Peter said it well. When Jesus asked him, “You do not want to leave too do you?” Peter said, “Where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter was right. I feel the same way about the teachings of Jesus.

The wisdom of Jesus also brings wisdom and knowledge to the simple. I am one of the simple. I have no theology degree. I don’t have a philosophy degree.  I am not trained in oratory or the wisdom of the Greeks. No I am a simple middle class Midwesterner, Kevin Jesmer. But because of the things I have learned from Jesus, I can have a little bit insight into God, eternity, humanity and life. All that I know has been given to me by God through the Bible and life experienced and expounded on by the Holy Spirit. I know that with Jesus I will not just dwell on my aches and pains when I get older. I will be able to give wise counsel to others. I will be able to share my thoughts and maybe even write a book or three.

God’s wisdom is more valuable than gold or silver. A person may spend their time living for money and loose it all wandering in this world. A person can hold onto the wisdom of God and put it into practice and be blessed in all they do. They have wisdom, strength, patience, delayed gratification; they also have the best consultant so that they don’t waste many years applying their energies in the wrong direction. That consultant is the Holy Spirit. I have probably amassed more wealth living as Christian family man, than a person could who is only focus on making money. It is because of the foundations and the stability that Jesus gives. He grants eternal fruit in this world. How foolish it is to live for wealth and ignore the wisdom of Jesus Christ. How wise it is to follow the wisdom of God.

A little side note. Verse 13 reads, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” When I was converted I used to spew out dirty jokes all the time. I thought it was funny and so did my friends. But it was not funny to God and to people of God. Soon after my conversion, I was in my apartment and I was reading this verse. The Holy Spirit convicted my heart that I was a man of “perverse speech”. I tried to deflect the conviction but soon had to face the fact. This verse transformed my heart. I stopped all dirty jokes. I was a changed man because of verse 13.

Verse 17 reads, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”  In the King James version it reads, “…those who seek me early find me.” We need to seek the wisdom of God. We need to seek the wisdom of God early. It cannot be casual. It can not be put off. Today is the day of salvation. We need to seek the wisdom of God like a man who finds a treasure in the fields. When he finds it he sells all he has and buys the field. Lord, grant me a seeking heart. Help me to seek your wisdom and in doing so may I find you.

Part 2: Whoever Finds Me Finds Life (22-36)

Verses 22-36, 22 The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,before his deeds of old; 23 I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. 24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; 25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth,26 before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. 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 constantlyat 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. 32 “Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. 34 Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35 For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. 36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”

God created the world through his word of wisdom. This Wisdom points to Jesus the Word John 1:1,2 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” This is in reference to the Trinity. All three personalities of the Trinity were there at the beginning of Creation. That tells me that God’s wisdom is intimately part of Creation. It is the most ancient wisdom. It is the wisdom that speaks to our souls… to my soul.  Why are people so attracted to the latest trendy religion? Why not go the wisdom of the ancients? The wisdom of God the Creator. The God of the Bible?

Wisdom in creation far exceeds anything man can imagine. Wisdom rejoices in God himself and she delights in all his works of creation. We just need to take good unbiased look at Creation and we will discover the wisdom of God in creation. It is amazing what God has done in this world. We can also see God in her creation. Didn’t St Francis of Assisi come to faith through his observations of the natural world?

This kind of wisdom is worth seeking with one’s whole heart, for whoever finds this wisdom will be blessed and whoever fails to find her will surely die (35-36). “34 Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35 For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. 36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”  It is serious business. It is not an option to seek the wisdom of God or not. Those who choose the latter will only hurt themselves. It is not God doing it. They harm themselves. They are allowing themselves to go towards death and may I add, eternal condemnation. Our choices have consequences. We must make the right choice. That choice is the wisdom of God from the Bible and life experience, embossed on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is a proven fact that those who choose this route will find life and favor from the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to love true spiritual wisdom and to honor you from my heart.

One Word: Those who seek wisdom find her

 

 




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