The Excellence of Wisdom - Proverbs 8:11-23, 9:10-12

by David Woods

My most memorable encounter with the wisdom of Proverbs was in Sunday School class as a teenager. My family lived in El Monte (a suburb of Los Angelos). A few days before, the jury verdict on Rodney King had come back as "guilty."

Mayhem erupted in certain areas of Los Angelos. Where we lived was far enough away that we never saw the violence in our area.

However, the local grocery store (where I worked) was on edge and extra security was procured. Most remarkably, the sky was dark and smelled of smoke.

One Sunday Jim Fiala taught our class from Proverbs 1:10-19:

My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse"-- my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. (ESV)

Jim pointed out how that scripture was being fulfilled right before our very eyes. Many of those involved in the rioting were taking advantage of the unpopular jury verdict in order to justify ill-gotten gain.

Many, if any, of the rioters had no real reason to be rioting, except that they thought it was their lucky day to get rich without consequences.

The amazing thing was that most were breaking and entering and stealing things in full view of television cameras. It was quite simple for the police then to arrest those guilty of theft.

As those involved in the rioting found out, "Crime doesn't pay." As wisdom foretold, "[Unjust gain] takes away the life of its possessors."

As we read our scripture text, I would like you to underline the different promises of wisdom found in these verses. Then we will list those promises on the board.

Read Scripture:

List: the promises of wisdom in Proverbs 8:1-11 (Note: The following list may not be exhaustive.)

The main idea I would like to get across in our time together today is this:

Big Idea: Life done God's way works.

Discussion: What are some of the benefits you have experienced from living for God?

Discussion: What problems do you imagine you would be experiencing today if you had continued your sinful way of life instead of following Christ?

Discussion: What would you suggest are some of the drawbacks of living for Christ, if any?

Discussion: So, looking back on what you have lost and gained, would you say that following Christ is worth it? Why or why not?

In the first lesson of this quarter I proposed the thesis that wisdom is living life from God's perspective. Last week, I proposed that wisdom gives us a second chance to experience God's life-plan. You see, when we approach life with wisdom - living life God's way - life just simply works.

With this understanding in place, I would like us to consider how we might encourage ourselves in living life God's way.

Read Proverbs 8:13

According to the post-modern mindset, hatred of anything is suspect. Tolerance should be our most desired virtue.

Discussion: If the wise person - the godly person - is to hate evil, what does that mean for us practically?

Discussion: How much evil and what kind of evil is okay for the person who desires to be wise to listen to, to watch, and to read about?

Read Proverbs 8:14

Discussion: Is the counsel and sound wisdom of this verse referring to the mental sifting and sorting process of our mind or to something else?
(I like the verse comments, which points to the Holy Spirit as well as God's Word and the counsel of godly people.)

Discussion: How does wisdom give us strength?

Read Proverbs 8:17

Discussion: What does it mean to be Wisdom's lover?

Discussion: Does the statement "those who seek me early shall find me" proscribe that true godly people will have morning devotions? What does it mean to seek wisdom "early"?
(I think the principle has less to do with the time of day than to the quickness one turns to God for wisdom and help not only in times of trouble but in every situation of life.)

For several months now I have been reading one chapter of Proverbs a day, the numbered chapter corresponding to the month's day. One verse especially caught my attention today, Proverbs 18:15: "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." (ESV)

Note how an "intelligent heart" is equated to the wise person. Why is this? I would suggest it is because life done God's way works. Life done God's way is the most intelligent plan for life. So I encourage you to seek God so that you may live your life God's way.

"The mission of the Church of God (Holiness) is to exalt Christ, equip the Church, and evangelize the world."

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