Prov. 8:6-21 - NOTES
6 Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.
7 For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.
9 They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Take my instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
11 For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.
12 I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
14 Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.
15 By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.
17 love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness.
OUTLINE:
Prov. 8:6-11 - The goodness wisdom promises.
Prov. 8:12-18 - What wisdom has and what wisdom gives.
SUMMARY: In contrast to the evil woman of chapter 7, another "woman" is presented: Wisdom personified again as a prophetess whose call the son should heed. After calling to all classes of men to come and be wise, Wisdom praises in the first person her own moral excellence and value. Furthermore, the Lord Himself did not begin to create the universe apart from wisdom.
Proverbs 8:6 "Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips [shall be] right things."
We see over and over in the Bible instructions for us to hear. This has to do with our receiving them down into our inner being. When we open our inner ears up to the things of God, we shall grow in understanding; for He is the truth.
Proverbs 8:7-8 "For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness [is] an abomination to my lips." "All the words of my mouth [are] in righteousness; [there is] nothing froward or perverse in them."
We see again from this, that wisdom is absolute truth. Those who are wise speak nothing but the absolute truth. Anything but truth is an abomination (displeasing to God).
"The words of my mouth": If you are a preacher, this is the sermon that proceeds from the mouth and must not be slanted, but straightforward. There should be no variance at all in the message, no watering down. Even words should be simple words (plain), not fancy or without understanding.
Righteousness, we have said so many times before, means in right standing with God. It is better to have our mouth filled with words He has given us to say.
Proverbs 8:9 "They [are] all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge."
The one who applies his mind to the wisdom of God will understand and gain moral knowledge and the insight to recognize truth.
Proverbs 8:10 "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold."
This is just saying how much better it is to go for wisdom than the things of this world, and knowledge is better than searching for gold. We touched on this more fully in a previous lesson. Things of this world are not to be even compared with knowledge and wisdom of God.
Proverbs 8:11: "For wisdom [is] better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."
This also is covered in the explanation above. The world and all its wealth, even its jewels, are not to be compared to the godly things. The most valuable reality a young person can attain is the insight to order his life by the standard of truth.
Proverbs 8:12 "I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions."
This is an explanation that prudence and wisdom go hand in hand. This is saying that it is practical and applies to everything in life.
Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."
We learned earlier that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fear is reverence to the ultimate when speaking of God. God hates evil. If we are His, we hate what He hates. As we said in a previous lesson, pride and arrogance have no place with us. We are no more than what God has allowed us to be. If we have pride, it should be pride in that we are His and not our own. We are either children of light following the Lord, or we are children of Satan and follow him. We must hate evil to please God. Turn from even the appearance of evil.
It is better to listen than to speak, unless the words in our mouth are placed there by the Lord. Pride and arrogance is the opposite of being humble. The Lord loves the humble. The evil way is the way of the devil. The froward mouth comes from an evil heart and speaks ungodly things.
Wisdom hates what God hates. The highest virtue is humility (submission to God), and thus wisdom hates pride and self exaltation above all.
Proverbs 8:14 "Counsel [is] mine, and sound wisdom: I [am] understanding; I have strength."
Wisdom hates all the bad things we have been talking about and loves the things of the Lord. Now wisdom is saying what it is. We know that wisdom is strength. Think of Solomon. Of all the things that he could have asked God for, (riches and fame being two), he refused them and asked for wisdom. You see, wisdom brought to Solomon all of those side benefits. Wisdom (God), made him the richest man in the world and also brought him great fame, not only in his own country but in all the known world. Understanding is a side benefit of wisdom, as well. Wisdom is understanding.
In Isaiah 11:2, we read, "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;" We should seek this Spirit of the Lord to have these things.
Proverbs 8:15-16 "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice." "By me princes rule, and nobles, [even] all the judges of the earth."
Solomon's desire from God was to have the wisdom to rule the people fairly. Kings are more in need of wisdom than the ordinary person, because their decisions cause hardships for the people when they do not make good decisions.
Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God."
Princes and kings are in office because God ordained it. In this royal court setting, Solomon addresses his son as a future king. All these leaders should do their work by God's wisdom and justice.
Proverbs 8:17 "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."
Wisdom's love for the one who receives it is proven by the benefits mentioned (in verses 18-21).
Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." This in Matthew is in Jesus' own words. God is always reaching out to man. While we were yet in sin, God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross that we might live. He loves us, we need to love Him.
John 14:21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
Proverbs 8:18 "Riches and honor [are] with me; [yea], durable riches and righteousness."
Solomon, who was given great wisdom, experienced its wealth of benefits firsthand as a young king.
In Matthew 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:" "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Lasting riches are those that are stored in heaven.
Prov. 8:6-18 COMMENTARY
v. 6: Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.
Solomon, in this chapter, personifies wisdom as a lady, who invites you to receive her and blessings she brings. (Pr 8:1-10). He will continue the personification in this chapter by describing the great things that accompany her (Pr 8:11-21). Wisdom is the sweetest sound on earth. Have you heard her? She calls you (Pr 8:1-5) and she speaks only of excellent and right things (Pr 8:6).
For those who desire the right things, wisdom has all the right answers-her lips only reveal the right things! For example, wisdom teaches men to work hard and love their wives, wives to love and honor their husbands, children to obey their parents, business owners and mangers to be just and equal to their employees, employees to work hard, citizens to pay taxes, and leaders to remember who rules them! It endorses gracious speech, kindness to animals, support for the poor, saving money, and to honor to the aged. It condemns sexual immorality, drunkenness, religious hypocrisy, gossiping and slandering, backbiting and lying, abortion, gambling, and foul speech, etc.
v. 7: For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
Wisdom is gloriously pure, without deceit or lies, unlike any other source of information available to us. If you're tired of hearing the rant and raves of the scoffers and fools of this world, turn off you're your TV and turn your mind and thoughts to the source of true wisdom, God's revealed Word and its pure words of truth and wisdom. This chapter of Proverbs personifies wisdom as a woman. Solomon did this to exalt wisdom personally and powerfully. The main lessons are to see the value of wisdom, the benefits that come from having it, and the easy availability of it for those who desire it. Here, right off the bat, the lady tells us that wisdom is as simple as loving truth and hating wicked thoughts and deeds. Wisdom teaches you the knowledge and skill of sound speech. It can give you the correct words of truth to answer those who ask you questions, and it will guide you to speaking the right words at the exactly right time.
Wisdom also assures us of what we WON'T hear when God speaks to our hearts by His Holy Spirit. We are told that wickedness is an abomination to the lips of wisdom. When we listen to the Lord as He teaches us the Word, we can be assured that we will NOT hear anything wicked. This actually will help us to know when the Spirit of God is speaking and when He is NOT speaking. If we hear something wicked - it is NOT the Spirit of God offering His wisdom to us. Too often people make really ignorant decisions when they think they've heard God. But if they are counseled to do something ungodly - something wicked - something unscriptural - it is NOT God speaking. But if we hear truth - and realize the ramifications of what His wisdom would have us do - then we are hearing the Spirit of God. Once again the Word "mutter" is so helpful to us in understanding God's ways here. We will much more likely be receiving God's wisdom when we are taking the time to think and ponder God's Word than in doing any other activity we can do. It is the mouth of God who is speaking truth to us as we mutter to ourselves concerning what the Word of God says. God is wanting to speak truth to us - to lead us in His way. But to hear Him we need to take the time to ponder and seriously think about what the Word of God says to us. When we do - we will enter into the counsel of God as He speaks to us about what is right in God's eyes.
v. 8-9: All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them. 9 They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge.
"In righteousness," the doctrine that declares the perfect infallibility of God and His Word appears here as a statement made by Wisdom. God is speaking in this passage as wisdom personified. God is calling out to men and women everywhere to listen and to open their hearts to receive the wisdom that God wants to grant to them. Wisdom is awaiting them at home, in the workplace, in the market, where the two roads diverge in the wood (with thanks to Robert Frost). But the question should rightly be asked, "Can we trust what Wisdom says to us in all these situations?"
ALL the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness! Well there is an answer for us. Wisdom cannot lie to us - cannot mislead us - will not deceive us! Every utterance - every word from the mouth of God given in wisdom is righteous (that means they are all in a state of being RIGHT!). What is even better is that we next read, "There is nothing crooked or perverted in them." Crooked here means to twist something - and it speaks of those who are shrewd and cunning - those who are devious and who wrestle the truth in a direction that is to their liking. God does not work like this. Holiness means that God's motives are utterly transparent. He may speak things in a mystery - but He never speaks things with devious or cunning intent. What drives Him is His love - and His passion for righteousness and for His own glory. Perverted here is the Hebrew word "iqqesh" which means something crooked and perverse. It describes one with a deceitful, perverse, and evil heart. The person like this perverts morals, social graces, even religious things for underhanded purposes. Once again - God knows nothing of this kind of mindset or motive. We read further of His heart in verse 9.
All God's utterances - His Word - are straightforward. In the vernacular of our day - God shoots straight with us. The idea behind this word is honesty. It also has with it the idea of someone who is incapable of being perverted or being partial in their judgment. Something we all need to grasp is that ultimately God is worthy of all glory - therefore - what He does is ultimately to display His own glory. What we don't grasp is that God is not being in any way conceited by doing this. To be conceited, God would have to be gaining or seeking glory that is not rightfully His. The truth is - all glory is rightfully His - all the time - in every situation - and from every person that has ever lived or ever will live - period! Therefore God speaks the truth - and He does so with absolute honesty - and with a view to the absolute best at all times.
v. 10: Take my instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
Lady Wisdom speaks here, and she says her instruction and knowledge are better than silver and gold. How valuable is wisdom? You can't find any valuation for it on the New York Stock Exchange or in a bank. There is no mention of it in any of the mutual funds or among the currency exchange markets either. So just how valuable is wisdom? Well, according to what we read in Proverbs 8:10-11 wisdom is extremely valuable - worth far more than anyone in the financial world could imagine. n a bank. There is no mention of it in any of the mutual funds or among the currency exchange markets either. So just how valuable is wisdom? Well, according to what we read in Proverbs 8:10-11 wisdom is extremely valuable - worth far more than anyone in the financial world could imagine.
This comparison in value is a frequent theme in Proverbs. Solomon knew that most men were eager to earn more money, amass great wealth, and the power and influence that come with it, but more than any man, he reached the conclusion realized that wisdom is far greater than riches or power. Men are content to dedicate most of their waking hours to the attainment of more wealth and don't have time for God's wisdom.
v. 11: For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.
Next we are told that wisdom is better than jewels. The word used here usually refers to rubies and other highly valuable gems. The word also indicates that these are not raw jewels, but ones that have been cut and adorned with gold and other items to make them highly valuable. Imagine if you will the entire collection of England's crown jewels. These too do not possess value that can be compared with God's wisdom. The value gained from Wisdom comes simply from seeing things the way that God sees them and thus knowing how to make decisions that please and honor Him. Look at the second phrase, "all desirable things cannot compare with her." The import word here is "all." If you took all the things of this world that people consider valuable and pile them all up into one giant heap, they would be worthless compared to God's wisdom. People of this world puts great delight in the things they consider to be valuable. They covet these thing and spend a great part of their lives trying ti acquire them. The problem is that none of those temporal things are as valuable in life as knowing God. They don't add up to a happy, joyful, and spiritually prosperous life in this world or to eternal life spent with God in heaven.
v. 12: I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion.
Prudence can be defined as wisdom applied to practice; so wherever true wisdom is, it will lead to action, and its activity will be always in reference to the accomplishment of the best ends by the use of the most appropriate of godly means.
Wisdom dwells with prudence. Wisdom is found with those who do not make "snap" judgments and decisions but exercises sound discretion to arrive at the most prudent decision ot solution. They stand back from things long enough to ask questions - and more importantly - to ask God about what their eyes see and what their minds seem to be comprehending. Thus, when we walk with this wise cautiousness - we are led to find knowledge. We are led to find out things that a "once-over" mindset and choice will never find. You don't judge a book by its cover - you open it and read a little. You don't make wise decisions by reacting to the outside only - you take time to investigate things, people, and situations. When we walk in this wisdom - prudence will also help us to find discretion. We remember discretion from earlier verses in Proverbs. Discretion is being able to differentiate things. It is seeing two things that may look alike at first, but are not. Closer examination reveals the difference. And the difference often makes all the difference.
v. 13: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
Hate . . . most people believe that Christians should not hate at all. They believe that hate is a bad thing. Yet here in Proverbs, the book of wisdom from God, we have a command to hate! Let's take a look and see how God calls us to be a hater . . . of sin and evil.
"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil . . . here is where it all starts. It starts with a respect and honor for God Himself. We will never be wise until we understand that God is great - greater than all others and penultimate! That respect, honor, and yes fear will move us toward wisdom - because what is penultimate in our lives is what will eventually govern us. That honor and respect also means that we will hate evil.
Hate . . . This Hebrew word means to hate, to despise, to dislike something or someone and thus to be hostile toward it and loathe it. The statement, God doesn't hate anyone is not theologically sound. According to Psalm 11:5, God hates those who love violence. We learn in Hosea 9:15 and Amos 6:8 that God detests and hates those who turn to evil and choose it instead of Him. Psalm 5:5 makes is clear that God hates all those who love evil. Rather than try to do an exhaustive study on this - let's realize at this point that God hates certain things - and yes - He hates certain people. Here is the fact of this passage - if we honor and respect God - we will hate evil. We will loathe and despise it with everything within us. The proverb goes on to say, we hate several things specifically. Pride Arrogance . The Evil Way . . . the word way is the often used word it again refers to a lifestyle - a way a person walks and lives their lives. The Perverted Mouth . . . This is a mouth that deviates and distorts the Lord's ways and turns from Him. It is corrupt and deceptive speech - a distortion of what is straight and right.
v. 14: Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.
• COUNSEL - Wisdom says that counsel-God's righteous advice-belongs to her. If we want godly counsel,
we will have it if we learn wisdom. Counsel refers to a plan or advice and here refers to godly counsel - or counsel that would help us to walk in the will of God. Want to please God in your life? Want to walk in this life in a way that honors and glorifies God? Then learn wisdom - because with wisdom - with seeing the world as God does comes counsel to do what is right.
• SOUND WISDOM - This word means a wisdom that guarantees continuing success or continued advancement. When we learn from Wisdom, we will learn how to stay on the right path - recognizing what path it is God desires for us to walk upon - and thus we will have the truest measure of success - and that is knowing that we are pleasing and honoring God.
• UNDERSTANDING - Wisdom next tells us that she is understanding. Wisdom helps us comprehend and discern the right kind of action and choices to make. It is the ability to take the raw data about God - the very rudimentary understanding of Who He is and what He likes and dislikes - and take it and begin to distinguish when sitautions pose different things to us. We know which way is in accordance with God's will and thus take it.
• POWER - Wisdom also gives us power. The word here means might, power, and strength. It speaks of God's strength and power. Wisdom has the blessing of placing us in a position that God will grant us His power. Thus as we endeavor to do things that glorify Him - we can know that they will succeed, not due to us and our great knowledge - but rather due to wisdom's promise of the power of God to accomplish what He desires.
These are definitely four things that every man desires. They are the fruits of wisdom - and of cultivating a lifestyle where we listen closely to God. That will not only bring blessing, but it will bring victory and joy to our hearts. May we embrace wisdom and enjoy this four-fold blessing that God promises to us.
v. 15-16: By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.
Wisdom is the thing that rulers need more than anything else. That is what we get when we read today's proverb of the day. In the midst of speaking of all the things that wisdom does for us - God includes that it is by wisdom that kings reign and rulers do what is right. What is interesting about this passage is that it assumes that a king or ruler will do what is right. That is not exactly an assumption that we share today.
Any authority that a king, ruler, prince, or noble has is what is called "derived" authority. They do not get their authority inherently, but receive it from God when they become a leader. This is something that is so important for us to remember. In years gone by kings would speak of how they rule by divine right. This was because the Scriptures teach us that there is no authority except from God - and all the authorities in this world are where they are only because God allows it. Unfortunately, the kings who said this said it because they wanted an absolute authority by which they could command their subjects to be submissive to them. They could have cared less about their people - what was important to them was their power.
God, though, sees things differently. It is by God's wisdom that kings and rulers should decide issues of justice. It it by God's wisdom that princes and nobles decree justice. Thus, in the end, the authority that God gives to a ruler is to be used to ensure that justice and righteousness reign in that society. In the end, God makes it clear that all the authority that these rulers have - is to be used to decree justice - and to judge rightly. what a different way of thinking - and yet it is not foreign to those of us who study the Scriptures. All throughout the Bible we see that ever since the fall of man the world has been turned upside down. Mankind thinks all things are about man. but the reality is that all things are about God and His glory. When we turn from that, rulers who do not decree justice and do not live for God's righteousness - we have a mess.
God desires to have all human leaders filled with His wisdom and understanding. He desires for them to make just and righteous decisions. That means He desires for them to rule according to His righteousness - and to establish His law in the hearts of men. He calls them to "judge rightly," and when He says this, He means that they judge according to His ways and according to His Word.
Wisdom tells us that when a king rules as he ought to, he does so according to wisdom. When a ruler or a prince does what he should in governmental affairs - he is doing it God's way. I realize that if we were to say that today - many would have a stroke and would cry out that this is contrary to the separation of church and state that is in the constitution. But then again that would just reveal their ignorance first, because no such separation exists in the actual constitution, and it would reveal their spiritual ignorance second, because THE ONE THING that we must have as a nation is God's favor. A ruler who wants to rule by his own thinking and his own wisdom is not going to have the favor of God on his life - and by that fact - we won't have the favor of God upon our nation. That is why for me - one thing I look for in a leader is whether he is willing to speak positively about the Bible - and whether he looks to it for wisdom in leading our city, state, or nation.
v. 17: love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.
Here is a sincere invitation and offer from God and Solomon, but it is only recognized and obeyed by the children of God. Most men have no faith, so they reject both the living God and His words in the Bible. What will you do with this gracious and kind invitation? The apostle Paul counted all things loss and dung in comparison with divine wisdom, which is most fully expressed in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ (Col 2:3)
Wisdom expects you to love her. Wise men will separate themselves from foolish goals in life to focus on getting wisdom (Pr 18:1). They will make pleasing God first in their lives (Matt 6:33). Unless you have great passion for wisdom, you will search for it in vain (Pr 2:1-5). David said, "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day" (Ps 119:97). Anything less will not work. Neglecting wisdom is to love death (Pr 8:36).
Wisdom expects you to seek her early in life, before you learn man's foolishness, or damage your life with folly, and while you have the passion and strength of youth. Solomon wrote, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not." (Eccl 12:1). Childhood and youth are vanity, so it is the best time to reject folly and seek wisdom to avoid youthful sins (Eccl 11:10; II Tim 2:22).
Wisdom expects you to seek her early in the day, before the duties and distractions of life take your heart and mind away from the most important love of your life. Take time first thing in the morning to read God's word and tell Him how much you love Him and desire His wisdom
v. 18: Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness.
Wisdom is speaking to us about riches, wealth, honor, and righteousness. We live in a world that thinks it truly understands what it means to be rich and wealthy - yet - from what we read here in Proverbs chapter 8 we will learn that what they are pursuing is not true wealth. Therefore in case we too are confused on this issue it would be wise for us to examine what is written here - and be wise in this area of true riches and wealth.
It's fascinating that each time wealth or riches is mentioned, these things are qualified in what is mentioned with them. First we see that wisdom will bring us riches and honor. Honor speaks not just of having "fake" honor because you are wealthy. This kind of sychophantic honor is pitiful to watch. We see those who fall over themselves to show honor publicly to those who have a lot of money - yet who may secretly curse them when they are not around them. What Proverbs says is that this rich man also receives honor - but it is true honor due to his wisdom, not due to his having a lot of money. The second phrase says that he will also have "enduring wealth and righteousness." The idea of enduring is something hat lasts. It is durable and not subject to decay or to fading away. But this kind of wealth is found with those who combine it with "righteousness." They have wealth, but they also do what is right in life - regardless of what their wealth could purchase. All these things remind us of what our Lord Jesus Christ said - that we should not work for the riches and wealth that are subject to moth and rust - to decay and to thieves. We should work for and desire the wealth that will last for all eternity. That is what this passage is saying to us as well by qualifying both riches and wealth with honor and righteousness.
Wisdom does bring natural success to the nations and men seeking her. The success she brings is of an enduring sort based on righteousness. When Israel was wise, they were rich, very rich (Deut 28:1-14; I Kgs 10:27). When Israel sinned foolishly, they were reduced to poverty, great poverty (Deut 28:15-68; I Kgs 11:9-13). And this is one of the basic lessons of this book of wisdom. America was great, and still has greatness, for one simple reason - God's blessing. A large part of America, now a small minority, feared Him and sought Bible wisdom.
