Wisdom (Part 1): Week 5, Day 3

Today we are going to APPLY what we have learned in Proverbs 9 to our lives.  This is the best part about Bible study because this is where grow our fruits that others know us by (Matthew 7:15-20).

Before we begin, read Proverbs 9 again.  We have been talking about wisdom, the characteristics of wisdom, how wisdom relates to God, and how to gain wisdom.  This chapter starts off with wisdom personified again.  This time, wisdom is getting ready for a party.  Actually, if you look closely at the text, she has already gotten ready for the party.  The prep work is done.  She is now inviting people to her party by calling out for them.  Sisters, wisdom is ready for us!  There is nothing that we have to do, but accept the invitation.  Are you naive?  I admit that I sure can be at times.  Do you lack understanding?  Yes!  I know that I lack understanding of things every day.  Wisdom is for me!  Wisdom is for you!  All you have to do is accept the invitation, and abandon your prior ways.  Then, you can live in the way of understanding.

Verse 7 begins talking about a person called a scoffer.  We have learned that a scoffer is someone who jeers or mocks, a disagreeable person, or an unpleasant person.  I'm sure that you know someone who fits this description.  As much as we do not need to spend time talking about who these people are, we also do not need to spend our time trying to correct them.  Scoffers, unpleasant people, are not worth the time of those who are wise.  Leave them alone!  Do not try to correct them!  Do not spend your time trying to make the life of a scoffer better.  The Scripture tells us that spending your time that way will not only not help the scoffer, but it will make them hate you and insult you!  Instead, let us look at the wise man.  A wise person wants instruction.  They want correction.  If we are to be wise, we need to be able to accept correct and training in righteousness.  This is sometimes extremely hard.  Human beings do not like to be told what to do or how to change.  But, if we want to be a wise person, we would be good to accept this kind of instruction.  It may come in different forms - sometimes what your Pastor preaches about on Sunday mornings is the exact kind of correction that we needed to receive.  Sometimes it takes someone coming to you in love and speaking to you directly.  However the reproof comes, wise people are willing to accept it and use it for the good in their lives.

Proverbs 9:10 is a verse that we have talked about a couple of times in the past.  This is the verse that brings this thing called wisdom home to me.  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  In order to be a wise person, I have to know the Lord.  I must have a personal relationship with God.  I must cultivate that relationship in fear and respect of Who God is.  And then, I can obtain the wisdom that He wants me to have.  Do you have a relationship with God?  Are you saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ?  If you are, you can have this wisdom.  If you are not, please reach out to someone that you trust to help you find the Lord!

Verse 12 talks again about the scoffer, but deeper than that, it talks about the individuality of our relationship with God and the wisdom that He gives us.  If we are wise, we are wise for ourselves (no one else).  If we are foolish, we are foolish for ourselves (no one else).  This doesn't mean that our words and actions will not mean anything to anyone else.  On the contrary, our wise words and actions will positively affect those around us, and our foolish words and actions will negatively affect those around us.  What this verse is saying, is that only we can determine for ourselves if we will be wise or foolish.  And only we will receive the internal and eternal consequence for our choice.  Oh sisters, choose wisdom!

This chapter ends will a look at what our lives will be like if we decide to choose foolishness over wisdom.  The woman of folly that is talked about in verse 13 is a foolish woman.  She is boisterous.  She is naive.  She knows nothing!  Yet, she is so appealing to those around her.  The things that she seems to offer to others are sweet and pleasant.  But in an eternal mindset, those who accept foolishness over wisdom will spend their eternity in Hell.  Hell is real, my sisters.  Hell is a place that people will wind up if they do not commit their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ.  You do not have to go to Hell.  If you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, if you choose wisdom over foolishness, you will not go to Hell.  Instead, you will find yourself in a glorious place called Heaven, a place where Jesus Himself is preparing homes for His beloved.

Choose wisdom, sisters!  Pray to the Lord that He will guide you in your choice!  If you have made your eternal choice (you are saved by grace through faith) then pray that the Lord will guide your steps every day, that every day you will continue to walk in the ways of the Lord.  If you find yourself in a position where something happened and you went the foolish route instead of the wise route, ask the Lord for forgiveness, and ask Him to guide you back to the right path.  I know He will do so!  If you have not made your eternal choice, please reach out to someone to help you with that decision.

I hope you have enjoyed this study on wisdom!

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, Day 3

Week 5: Day 1, Day 2

Wisdom (Part 1): Week 5, Day 2

Welcome back to our second day of studying this week.  We are in Proverbs 9 this week.  Before you answer any questions, take the time to read the chapter in its entirety.  Today we are going to INTERPRET the Scriptures.

Now, re-read the passage and answer the following questions in your notebook:

1. In verses 1-3, wisdom has prepared for something (we'll call it a "party"). She has gotten everything ready.  Notice that all the preparation is in the past tense.  Look at the word "calls" in verse 3.  It is in the present tense.  What does this tell you about the preparation for wisdom's party and the invitation to wisdom's party?
2. Which two people are invited to wisdom's party?
3. In verse 6, forsake means: to leave behind, give up, abandon.  Folly means: young, naive person.  What must we do to gain wisdom and "proceed in the way of understanding"?
4. The definition of scoffer is: someone who jeers or mocks, a disagreeable person, an unpleasant person.  Is it worth the time of a wise person to correct a scoffer?
5. What two things will happen to the wise man who tries to correct a scoffer?
6. Compare the scoffer to the wise man.  What three things happen to a wise man who gets reproof, instruction and teaching?
7. If we are to be wise, what must we be willing to accept?
8. According to verse 10, what must you have to have wisdom? understanding?
9. Verse 12 compares the wise man to the scoffer again.  What is the comparison?
10. Verses 13-18 tell us all about a foolish woman - the opposite of a wise woman.  Go through each of these verses and lit everything the Bible tells us about the foolish woman and the people who choose to follow her.

You made it through!  This is a great passage, and I hope your understanding of it has become more than yesterday.  Wisdom is something that we would be good to have in our lives.  Pray for wisdom, sisters.  Pray for knowledge of the Holy One.  Pray that the Lord guides you in your walk with wisdom.

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, Day 3

Week 5: Day 1

Wisdom (Part 1): Week 5, Day 1

We are on Week 5 of our study on wisdom.  I hope you have been blessed by what you have learned, and I hope that your relationship with the Lord has grown because of this study.  Today we are going to OBSERVE what is written in Proverbs 9.  This is a continuation of what we have studied the last two weeks in Proverbs 8.  Before reading our new text, take the time to read Proverbs 8.  Once you have done that, read Proverbs 9 in its entirety.

Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine;
She has also set her table;
3 She has sent out her maidens, she calls
From the tops of the heights of the city:
4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks understanding she says,
5 “Come, eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 “Forsake your folly and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.”

7 He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

13 The woman of folly is boisterous,
She is naive and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by the high places of the city,
15 Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their paths straight:
16 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Now read through the passage again, and use the following markings:

• Mark wisdom (and all pronouns) with a blue cloud colored yellow
• Mark understanding and knowledge by coloring them green
• Mark Lord with a purple triangle colored yellow (and color all pronouns yellow)
• Mark love with a red heart
• Mark hate with a black heart
• Mark righteous with a blue box
• Mark evil and wicked by coloring them brown
• Mark time phrases with a green clock
• Mark Holy One with a purple box colored yellow
• Mark woman of folly (and all pronouns) with a black cloud colored orange

Write in your notebook a take-away from today's reading.  During our next time together, we will be INTERPRETING this passage of Scripture.

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, Day 3

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

Wisdom (Part 1): Week 4, Day 2

Welcome back!  Today we are going to INTERPRET the things that we read yesterday in Proverbs 8:22-36.  Before we begin, read through this section of verses again.

In your notebooks, answer the following:

1. Read Job 28:26-28 and Proverbs 3:19.  These verses help confirm the pronoun "me" in verse 22.  Who is "me"?
2. Verses 22-31 go into an account of creation that takes my breath away.  How did wisdom play a roll in creation?
3. Whenever you see the word "therefore", you need to look back and see what it is there for.  In light of everything that we just read concerning creation and wisdom's roll in creation, what should we do to wisdom?
4. Relate "listening to wisdom" back to Proverbs 9:10.
5. Verse 33 gives us a specific command and a specific not-to-do.  Write these down.
6. Verses 34-36 contrast the person who listens to wisdom to the person who doesn't.  What three things will happen to the person who listens to wisdom?
7. The phrase "sins against me" in verse 36 can be translated "misses me".  What happens to the person who does not listen to, or who misses, wisdom?
8. People who hate wisdom love what?

Congratulations!  You have made it to the end of Proverbs 8.  In our last session, we wrote down questions that we had in our notebooks.  Have you received any answers to your questions? What questions do you still have?  Write these down and pray for wisdom!

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

Wisdom (Part 1): Week 4, Day 1

Welcome back to our study on wisdom.  Today, we are going to pick up where we left off in Proverbs 8.  This is a tough passage to read and understand, but we are going to work through it together.  Trust the method of inductive Bible study, pray, seek the Lord, and remember that it is okay to not know.  Today we are going to OBSERVE the text for what it says.

Before you begin the new section of Proverbs 8, re-read verses 1-21.  This will help you get your mind back into the correct context of the passage.  Remember that the majority of the pronouns are talking about wisdom.  Once you have read through verse 21, go ahead and read verses 22-36.

22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,

Before His works of old.
23 “From everlasting I was established,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
24 “When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
25 “Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was brought forth;
26 While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27 “When He established the heavens, I was there,
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became fixed,
29 When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
30 Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men.

32 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.
33 “Heed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
35 “For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord.
36 “But he who sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love death.”

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Now re-read Proverbs 8:22-36 and use the following markings:

• Mark wisdom (and all pronouns) with a blue cloud colored yellow
• Mark Lord with a purple triangle colored yellow (and all pronouns by coloring them yellow)
• Mark evil by coloring it brown
• Mark love with a red heart
• Mark hate with a black heart
• Mark all time phrases with a green clock (beginning, before, everlasting, earliest, when, while, then, daily, etc.)
• Mark therefore and for by circling them red
• Mark but by circling it blue

In your notebooks, write down a take-away from today's reading.  If you have some questions about what you read, write those down as well.  In our next study, we will INTERPRET the things that we have read today. Take care, sisters. Pray for wisdom!

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

Wisdom (Part 1): Week 3, Day 3

Thanks for sticking with me in this study on wisdom.  I hope that as you have spent time reading about this topic, that you are realizing how much God can give us, if we would just ask Him!  Today we are going to APPLY Proverbs 8:1-21 to our lives.  There is so much to talk about here, I apologize in advance if I get long-winded!

This passage starts off with wisdom being personified.  For those who are far removed from high school English courses, that means that wisdom has taken on a bodily perspective.  Over the next few weeks, wisdom is going to remain in this personified form.  In other words, sometimes it seems as if we are reading about a person.  That is why we marked wisdom, including the pronouns.  We need to know exactly who - or what - we are reading about.  Do not let the personification get in the way of your understanding of this text.  We are learning about wisdom, not a person.

In this first part of this chapter, wisdom is calling out to whoever will listen to her.  She is at the city gates, at the doorways, in the walking paths - she is everywhere.  She is crying out - loudly!  This tells us that wisdom is not hard to find, not hard to gain access to.  Wisdom is available to us, we just have to make the move and ask for it.

Wisdom is speaking to several groups of people:

1. Men (women)
2. Sons (daughters)
3. Naive ones
4. Fools

No matter who you are, or what your current state is (some days I feel pretty naive), wisdom is available for you!  All of us are daughters of someone.  Wisdom is for us!  She is calling out for us, she is in our doorways, she is on the paths that we walk daily.  We need to answer her call.

Wisdom speaks about six different things:

1. Noble things
2. Right things
3. Truth
4. Righteousness
5. Straightforward things
6. Right things (yes, this one is listed twice.  If something is repeated in the Scripture, it is doubly important!)

I think we could spend the next hour talking about these five (six) things.  Wisdom speaks of noble things.  The definition of noble is: having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.  Synonyms of noble are: righteous, virtuous, good, honorable, upright, decent, worthy, moral, ethical, reputable.  This is the type of woman I want to be!  I want people to look at me and thing that I am a moral, ethical, decent person.  I want to speak of these things.  If I have wisdom, then I can be this way.  You can, too!

Wisdom speaks of right things.  The definition of right is: morally good, justified, acceptable.  Synonyms of right are: just, fair, proper, good, upright, righteous, virtuous, moral, ethical, honorable, honest.  People with wisdom speak of things that are fair, proper, and honest.  Let's think about the word "honest".  The opposite of being honest is being untruthful.  Lying.  Spreading gossip.  Talking about people in a bad way.  How easy is it for us to get caught up in talking about things that are not good?  It is so easy!  We need to pray for wisdom, and pray that God will help us to resist the temptation to get caught up in frivolous gossip that will not help us be an honorable person.

Wisdom speaks of the truth.  This one should be easy enough, right?  Just speak the truth!  However, in our sin-filled lives, sometimes it is just "easier" to lie.  Or so we think.  We lie to cover up what we don't want others to know.  Was the thing that we did that we want covered up done in wisdom?  If so, is there a reason to have to cover it up?  We need to live in truth.  We need to be honorable in our actions so that we do not have to cover up what we have done.  We need to pray that God would guide our every action, so that everything we do will be honorable to him.  Then, we can speak the truth about the things we do.  We should not be ashamed of our actions, as long as they please the Lord.  Pray that God will guide your life so that you can speak the truth in wisdom!

Wisdom speaks of righteousness.  Righteousness is the quality of being morally right or justifiable.  Remember what the Scriptures said in Genesis 15:6, "[Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness."  Habakkuk 2:4 tells us that, "the righteous shall live by his faith."  Our faith in God is counted as righteousness, and our righteousness as Christians is because of our faith.  We are saved by the grace of God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.  Hang on sisters, let's get real.  Can we be morally right?  No!  We are sinners.  We could never be completely right, even if we tried as hard as we could.  We have a sin nature that we cannot get rid of.  And the payment for that sin nature is death - eternal death, eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23).  However, 1 John 1:9 tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  So, through faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ and through confession of our sins, we can be made righteous! (Can I get an Amen, here!)  One of the greatest mysteries in the Bible is the fact that we can be saved, we can be made holy (no time to talk of that now), we can, "become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21).  And those who are wise speak of righteousness.  As daughters of God, we can know true righteousness.  We have become the righteousness of God.  What an honor, what a responsibility.  We need to pray to God for Him to give us the wisdom we need to speak of righteousness.  We need to pray that He will help us to act like we are His righteousness.  The world will know us by our fruit.  Oh sisters, let your fruit show that you are God's righteousness!

Wisdom speaks of straightforward things.  Straightforward means honest and frank.  In other words, truthful and sincere.  Are you sincere in your words and actions?  Or are you dishonest and hypocritical?  Hypocrites say one thing and do something different.  Honest people say one thing and do that one thing that they spoke of.  They are straightforward in all their ways.  People who are wise speak of, and do, straightforward things.  We need to pray for wisdom that God would help us speak and do the same things, and that those things would be honorable.

And once again, wisdom speaks of right things.  If the Scripture says it twice in a row, it is doubly important.  Sisters, if we are to be wise, we need to speak of things that are right.

Let's now spend a little bit of time talking about the "fear of the Lord" as mentioned in Proverbs 8:13.  Earlier this week we looked at Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  In Proverbs 8, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil."  To fear the Lord is to honor and respect Him, to fully trust Him, to do as He says, etc.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  The start of gaining wisdom is to fear the Lord.  Wisdom comes from Him, so we need to honor and respect Him in order to be wise.  The fear of the Lord hates evil.  As wise women, we need to hate evil.  There is so much evil in the world around us.  Let us fear the Lord, pray for wisdom, hate evil, and pray for wisdom on how to handle the world that we live in.

In Proverbs 8:14-16, we are told nine things about wisdom:

1. Counsel belongs to wisdom
2. Wisdom is sound
3. Wisdom is understanding
4. Wisdom is power
5. Kings reign with wisdom
6. Rulers decree justice with wisdom
7. Princes rule by wisdom
8. Nobles rule by wisdom
9. All who rightly judge do so by wisdom

Do you see, yet, what a wonderful thing wisdom is?  Do you understand the responsibility that the wise person has?  Do you see how trust and faith in God make wisdom what it is?  Do you sense the urgency to become wise?

So how do we get this thing called wisdom?  Proverbs 8:17 says, "...those who diligently seek me will find me."  James 1:5 says, "...if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God...and it will be given to him."  All we have to do is know in our hearts that we want wisdom and ask God for it.  That's it!  He will give it to us if we ask Him.  What a wonderful, powerful, amazing God we have!

One more thing that comes with having wisdom - it does not guarantee a life of monetary riches.  Our true riches are the righteousness, the justice, the love, and all the other things that we have talked about in this incredibly long blog (much love to you for sticking with me!).  Matthew 6:25-33 tells us to seek God first, seek His kingdom, seek His righteousness (there's that word again).  Everything else will come after we get our hearts and minds right.  God will supply everything that we need.  Everything.

Oh my sisters, do you see how wonderful wisdom is?  Do you sense the amazing things that can come with living a life of wisdom?  Do you understand how important it is to fear God above all else?  I hope that you do.  I hope that you didn't get bogged down in the amount of information that came from this week's passage.  Take time over the next few days to meditate on the Word of God. Pray that He will give you the wisdom to understand His Word.

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

Wisdom (Part 1): Week 3, Day 2

Welcome to our day of INTERPRETING the Scriptures! We are looking at Proverbs 8:1-21 this week, and over the next couple of weeks we will look at the second part of Proverbs 8 and Proverbs 9. Read through this week's text slowly, absorbing what the text says.

Now, re-read the passage, and answer these questions in your notebook:

Side note: In verse 1, I told you to mark wisdom and understanding the same way.  The Hebrew meaning of wisdom in this verse is: technical skill, experience, shrewdness.  The Hebrew meaning of understanding is: cleverness, skill.  In verse 5, the Hebrew meaning of understanding is: see, pay attention, consider, teach, examine.  In verse 1, understanding means close to the same thing as wisdom, so we are going to mark them the same way. In verse 5, understanding takes on a different meaning, so we are going to mark it green throughout the rest of the passage.

1.  In verses 1-3, is wisdom a seemingly difficult thing to come by? How prevalent is wisdom?
2. In verses 4-5, wisdom is speaking to four different groups of people.  List these out.
3. In verse 6-9, the author talks about wisdom "speaking".  List the six things that wisdom speaks about. List the three things that wisdom will not speak about.
4. In verses 10-11, wisdom is compared to riches.  Write out these comparisons.
5. In verse 12, what three things does wisdom do?
6. In verse 13, look at the phrase, "the fear of the Lord."  Read Proverbs 9:10 and write down the relationship between the fear of the Lord and wisdom.  How does that relationship help you interpret verse 13?
7. Look at verses 14-16 and list nine things that you learn about wisdom.
8. According to verse 17, how can you gain wisdom? Use Proverbs 2:4-5 and James 1:5 to help you.
9. Do verses 18-21 imply that if we have wisdom we will be rich? What is the implication in these verses? For more clarity, read Matthew 6:25-33.  What things do we need to concern ourselves with, instead of material things.

Well, sisters, you have made it through today's study.  Take a deep breath!  There is so much to learn and gain from what we have read.  Our next study will be the APPLICATION time, and you better hang on to your hats!  I'm so excited to share this with you!

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

Wisdom (Part 1): Week 3, Day 1

Welcome to week 3 of our study on wisdom!  Over the next three weeks we are going to look closely at Proverbs 8 and 9.  There is so much to take in and so much to learn from these two chapters.  As we are spending our time learning about wisdom, these chapters give us so much that we can take away and use in our lives.  Don't get overwhelmed as you read through this text.  Trust our method of inductive Bible study (observe, interpret, apply).  Go slow, take your time, and listen to the Lord speak through His Word.  Start with prayer, and ask the Lord for the wisdom to understand the things that we are going to read about.

Today we are going to read Proverbs 8:1-21 and OBSERVE what the text has to say.  Read through this section slowly.

Does not wisdom call,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 On top of the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 Beside the gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 “O naive ones, understand prudence;
And, O fools, understand wisdom.
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 “I 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.
19 “My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than choicest silver.
20 “I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Now, re-read these verses, and use the following markings to help you observe:

• Mark wisdom and all pronouns with a blue cloud colored yellow (In verse 1 only, mark understanding the same as wisdom. This will be further explained in our INTERPRETATION study.)
• Mark understanding and knowledge and all pronouns by coloring it green (In verse 1 only, mark understanding the same as wisdom. This will be further explained in our INTERPRETATION study.)
• Mark truth with a blue box colored red
• Mark righteousness with a blue box
• Mark wickedness, abomination, evil and all pronouns by coloring it brown
• Mark love with a red heart
• Mark hate with a black heart
• Mark all references to what wisdom says by underlining them (this is in verses 6-9)

Go back and re-read the text again.  In your notebook, write down your take-away from today's study.  At our next time together, we are going to INTERPRET this passage of Scripture.

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