Wisdom (Part 1): Week 4, Day 3

Today is our day of APPLYING what we have learned about wisdom in Proverbs 8:22-36.

When you started reading these verses, if you did not have the correct context to what you were reading, it would be easy to misinterpret the pronoun "me" that is written in verse 22.  This is one of the reasons why context is so important to studying the Scripture, why I asked you to read the first 21 verses of the chapter before moving on, and why we mark certain words the way we do.  This "me" is wisdom personified.  Just in case you questioned if "me" was really wisdom, we looked at a reference in Job and another reference in Proverbs.  Proverbs 3:19 makes very clear that wisdom is being talked about here.

The creation account in the next few verses is just amazing to me.  I can't help but stop and praise the Lord when I read through this.  Wisdom played a critical roll in the creation account.  Wisdom was created by God (8:23) before the earth was created by God (8:27).  Wisdom then helped God create (8:30).  How powerful is that - the same God who created you and me created wisdom, and then used the creation of wisdom to go on and create the whole world.  This can be so mind-boggling if you let it.  If you truly stop to think this through, you can get caught up in it.  Sometimes, sisters, it is better to accept the Word of God for what it says, then to try and reason it out.  God said it, and that is all I need to know!

Wisdom is such an important part of our lives.  We are told in verse 32 that we will be blessed if we keep the ways of wisdom.  We know from reading Proverbs 9:10 that, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  We need to keep the fear of the Lord!  We never need to neglect God, and we never need to disrespect Him.  Doing so would be going against everything that we have learned about wisdom.

We listed three things about the person who listens to wisdom:

1. They are blessed
2. They find life
3. They obtain favor from the Lord

My sisters, if you choose to listen to wisdom, if you choose to fear the Lord, you will be blessed! You will find life (eternal life)! You will obtain favor from the Lord!  How amazing is this God that we serve?  The same God Who created wisdom, and then used that wisdom to create the world, is offering us that same wisdom!

But in stark contrast, the person who chooses to not listen to wisdom, who chooses to not fear the Lord, "injures himself".  It is harmful to us if we do not listen to what the Lord says.  In an eternal sense, those who do not seek the Lord will end up in Hell.  In a daily sense, if we do not do the Lord's will and walk in His ways, we will end up doing things that are not good, honorable, trustworthy, and everything else that was on our list last week.

We are given the choice - to listen to wisdom or to not listen to wisdom.  To fear the Lord or to not fear the Lord.  You have to make the choice for yourself, no one else can do it.  Oh sisters, I pray that you choose to listen to wisdom.  I pray that you choose to fear the Lord.  I hope that everything we have learned and studied so far about wisdom is causing you to choose wisdom.  Next week we will look at Proverbs 9 and continue this conversation.  Please come back and see what else the Lord has to say!

To read the previous posts on Wisdom, click these links:

Week 1: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 2: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 3: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Week 4: Day 1, Day 2