In John it tells how there is life in the Word. As we said before; Word, Wisdom, and God are not possible to separate.
John 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
Mark 16:16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
Since wisdom is the source of life, anyone hating wisdom, so as to spurn it, is acting as if he loves death.
The walk of a Christian is one day at a time. Our commitment to the Lord is for a lifetime, but we must live it one day at a time. God’s instructions for living are found in the Bible. It is impossible to live pleasing lives in Him without knowing what His Word (Bible) says. Our prayer each day should be, “Lord, help me live pleasing to you today”.
The blessed of the Lord are the ones who walk in His ways. God promises great blessing throughout the Bible to all who keep His commandments. There is a curse spoken against those who continuously walk in sin. Those filled with the wisdom of God are wise unto their own salvation. Those who refuse God and His wisdom are children of the evil one.
The walk of a Christian is one day at a time. Our commitment to the Lord is for a lifetime, but we must live it one day at a time. God’s instructions for living are found in the Bible. It is impossible to live pleasing lives in Him without knowing what His Word (Bible) says. Our prayer each day should be, “Lord, help me live pleasing to you today”.
The blessed of the Lord are the ones who walk in His ways. God promises great blessing throughout the Bible to all who keep His commandments. There is a curse spoken against those who continuously walk in sin. Those filled with the wisdom of God are wise unto their own salvation. Those who refuse God and His wisdom are children of the evil one.
The walk of a Christian is one day at a time. Our commitment to the Lord is for a lifetime, but we must live it one day at a time. God’s instructions for living are found in the Bible. It is impossible to live pleasing lives in Him without knowing what His Word (Bible) says. Our prayer each day should be, “Lord, help me live pleasing to you today”.
UNDER GODS COMMAND
Proverbs 8:33 Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it
Here is some of the best advice you will ever hear or read! These nine words teach profound wisdom. Your character, your reputation, your present situation in life, and your future expectations are dependent on how well you have kept, or will keep, this simple proverb. The defining trait of a wise man is his ability to follow this basic three-part rule.
Solomon used an extended personification of wisdom at this point in Proverbs (Pr 8:1 – 9:12). Lady Wisdom addressed children in her kind appeal for them to be wise and obtain her great blessings (Pr 8:32). The advice is so short, so simple, and so basic that most will ignore it. They think there cannot be wisdom in so few words. They are wrong!
Lady Wisdom first said, “Hear instruction.” First for all learning is the ability and choice to listen to another person. Arriving in this world totally ignorant, the only knowledge you will acquire must be from others. Not many like to be told they know nothing and must learn how to think and act. But wise men crave this process (Pr 1:5; 9:9; 12:1).
Wise children appreciate and enjoy listening to their parents, for they consider and remember that their parents know far more than they know (Job 32:6-7). Wise parents listen to their parents, for they know yet more! And wise saints will crave the house of God, where they can hear God’s word opened and explained for the profit of their souls.
Paul commended hearers in Berea for their nobility in hearing his preaching with a ready mind (Acts 17:11). Yet the Bible clearly describes different levels of hearing. Herod Antipater heard John the Baptist gladly, but he also cut off his head (Mark 6:16-28). Jesus told His hearers to take heed how they heard in order to bear fruit (Luke 8:18).
Lady Wisdom then added, “And be wise.” How do you respond to what you hear from parents, pastors, and teachers? Do you reject your own thoughts to accept and apply what you hear? She required true wisdom, which learns from others (Pr 6:6; 19:20; Ps 2:10; 94:8). Arrogant wisdom that rejects instruction is foolish and dangerous (Pr 3:7; 26:5,12).
Then she said, “And refuse it not.” A bristling response to correction, instruction, or warning proves a foolish heart. Reject such reactions, and listen submissively. Do not turn away from a teacher, even if he says things you dislike. Paul taught, “Despise not prophesyings,” meaning for his hearers to love, seek, and accept preaching (I Thes 5:20).
Do you love teachers, rejecting your ideas, and accepting instruction? It is the measure of your wisdom; it tells your future peace and prosperity (Pr 1:20-33; 8:34-36; 10:17; 29:1).
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 8:24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
Once upon a time there was no water – no oceans, seas, lakes, or pools. It was before God created the heaven and the earth (Gen 1:1-2). No man has ever seen such a universe, and the only record we have of it is the written revelation of God in the Bible. But even when there was no water, before God created the heaven and earth, wisdom already existed.
This proverb is part of Solomon’s personification of wisdom as a woman. The personal, feminine pronouns throughout the eighth chapter of Proverbs reference Lady Wisdom, as Solomon describes wisdom in lofty and beautiful terms. She offers herself to men (Pr 8:1-11), lists her rewards to men (Pr 8:12-21), describes her origin with God before any creation (Pr 8:22-31), and closes with a further appeal and invitation to men (Pr 8:32-36).
The LORD Jehovah created all water (Gen 1:1-8). The Word of God often presents Him as the Creator of the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that in them is (Ex 20:11; Ps 146:6; Jonah 1:9; Acts 4:24; 14:15; Rev 10:6; 14:7). He is the Ruler of the seas and uses them to accomplish His holy purposes (Ps 77:19; Is 43:16; Amos 5:8; 9:6; Jonah 1:4).
Do you feel pressure on your ears at the deep end of a swimming pool – 10 feet from the surface? Have you tried scuba diving and felt the pressure at 100 feet? The submarines of World War II could not survive 500 feet. Modern nuclear submarines are not made to operate below 1500 feet. Yet the Mariana Trench in the Pacific is 35,800 feet deep. A mile deeper than Mount Everest is high! The LORD is His name (Amos 5:8; 9:6).
Consider the Asian tsunami of 2004. An undersea earthquake of magnitude 9.0 in the Indian Ocean sent a sea surge 1-2 feet high racing in all directions at 600 mph. When it reached shore it slowed to about 35 mph, but it grew in height to as much as 50 feet. A wall of water! It killed as far away as Port Elizabeth in South Africa, 5000 miles from the epicenter. Over 225,000 lost their lives, and 2,000,000 were made homeless.
The seas are considered as primitive and ancient as anything on earth. Even evolutionists hallucinate about primordial slime coming together in the dark depths eons ago to make butterflies, elephants, hummingbirds, and their baboon ancestors. They are blinded fools! While the seas are old, they are only 6,000 years old based on the Bible’s chronology.
What is the lesson? Though men consider the seas to be very old, there was something earlier. Before there was water, there was wisdom. Before the dark seas existed, the creator God possessed wisdom. If wisdom – the ability of right judgment – is more ancient than the seas and fountains of the earth, you should seek it with all your might. Go to God’s word and His teachers and learn the only true wisdom to direct your life.
Under Gods Command
2 Corinthians 5:11-12 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
To “fear the Lord” does not mean that believers become paralyzed. On the contrary, knowing God’s perfection and that he will judge everyone’s actions (5:10) should spur Christians to good deeds, to what pleases our God. The fear of the Lord also frees believers from all of life’s anxieties and worries. Knowing that God is “for us” (Romans 8:31) can keep believers unafraid of earthly powers—people, governments, or the forces of nature (Proverbs 3:25-26). God takes care of his own. The fear of God gives us uncommon courage in the face of life’s troubles.
Those who “take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart” are the false preachers (see 2:17) who were concerned only about getting ahead in this world. They were preaching the gospel for money and popularity, while Paul and his companions were preaching out of concern for eternity.
Lets Bring it Home: You can identify false preachers by finding out what really motivates them. If they are more concerned about themselves than about Christ, avoid them and their message.
UNDER GODS COMMAND
Proverbs 8:36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.
Do it my way, or die! This is the ultimatum of Lady Wisdom! She freely offered you wisdom, which is more precious than anything on earth (Pr 8:1-11). She listed fabulous blessings that follow it (Pr 8:12-21), and she described wisdom’s existence with God and role in creation (Pr 8:22-31). If you refuse her, you are choosing a slow and painful death for yourself (Pr 1:24-33). She has no mercy for those rejecting her (Pr 8:33; 9:12; 29:1).
Proverbs chapter 8 is a lengthy personification of wisdom as a woman. It is a beautiful and powerful figure of speech, but it hides the ferocious severity of this woman, if you spurn her. Calamities will surely come in your life, if you reject wisdom, and she will laugh and mock at your pain and trouble (Pr 1:26-27). She will ignore your cries, when you are drowning in anguish, distress, and fear, while your soul and life are destroyed.
She is not unjustly cruel; fools are wickedly profane! If an offer of wisdom is rejected, then the brute beast that despised it deserves to suffer. There is nothing unjust here. Since wisdom is the principal matter of life and eternity, rejecting it is arrogant suicide. Those that sin against wisdom by choosing their own ideas are wronging their own souls. Those that hate wisdom and scorn her correction and instruction must love a painful death.
Wisdom is the only way to live a happy, prosperous, safe, and successful life. If you rebel against it, you must love the dysfunctional lives that torture the souls of most today. Dysfunction is epidemic; divorce, drugs, debt, disobedient children, disease, depression, and drunkenness are rampant. Lady Wisdom offers the cure. If you reject her, you wrong your own soul. If you scorn her, you must love death, for that is where you are headed.
Neither God, nor wisdom, nor the Bible is a take-it-or-leave-it matter. There is no option for agreeing to disagree with the God of heaven (Eccl 12:13-14; John 4:24). There is no option to accept parts of the Bible and reject others (Ps 119:128; I Tim 6:3-5). Mankind has two branches – the small minority following the strait and narrow way to life, and the large majority following the wide and broad way to destruction (Matt 7:13-14).
The great and dreadful God of heaven is infinitely sovereign over your life. You are nothing. He is the Potter; you are the clay (Is 45:9-10; Rom 9:20-21). He does according to His will in heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; no one can resist or question Him (Dan 4:35). He has made all things for Himself (Pr 16:4; Rev 4:11). He created you with an eternal soul that you cannot turn off – without even asking you. He did not ask you for approval for even one circumstance of your life. Humble yourself before Him!
He revealed Himself in creation, so that all men are without excuse for not worshipping and thanking Him (Ps 19:1-6; Acts 14:17; Rom 1:18-20). Because man thinks himself wise, He hardens their hearts and blinds their minds to defile themselves with sodomy and other abominable and inconvenient sins (Rom 1:21-32). Do you know the God of the Bible (Is 45:5-7; Acts 17:23)? He changes not, and He never will (Heb 12:28-29; 13:8).
The world has entered its final stages of existence. The perilous times of the last days have brought an effeminate and compromising brand of Christianity (II Tim 3:1-7). These carnal and worldly Christians despise Bible preaching – they much prefer fables and entertainment, especially if they can wear cutoffs and flip-flops and sip Starbucks coffee while skimming 10-15 different Bible versions on a big screen (II Tim 4:3-4).
These modern frauds despise the words of the living God. They want to hear smooth things, just like the truth rejecters before them (Is 30:8-11). They want Jesus rap, Christian rock, and heavenly funk rather than sound doctrine. They want purpose driven drivel and seeker sensitive sap rather than, “Thus saith the Lord.” Lady Wisdom says, “But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.”
How did the Lord Jesus Christ state the same sentiments to the Jews that killed Him, “For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:43-44). And He fulfilled it perfectly – to the letter – in 70AD with the Roman armies under Titus.
Reader, what will you do? The God of heaven has revealed Himself to you in creation. Lady Wisdom has spoken to you from the book of Proverbs. The Bible is the only source of righteousness, truth, and wisdom in the world, and its primary message is the supreme authority of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. What is His message for those who reject Him? If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. Let him be cursed at the coming of Jesus Christ (I Cor 16:22). Seek Him today.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 8:9 To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge
Some say, “The Bible is too difficult!” Others say, “The Bible contradicts itself!” Many conclude, “Anything can be taught from the Bible. It is impossible to know the truth for sure.” The devil laughs with evil satisfaction at such absurd remarks. But Lady Wisdom teaches that the words of wisdom are plain and right – to those with understanding and knowledge! If you have a problem with the Bible, you have the problem, not the Bible!
Solomon used personification in the eighth chapter of Proverbs. The feminine pronouns refer to Lady Wisdom, a woman representing wisdom in Solomon’s appeal for men to reject ignorance and folly and embrace understanding and knowledge. The proverb at hand is part of her introduction, as she claims to speak excellent and right things (Pr 8:6), truth (Pr 8:7), and righteous words that are not at all contradictory or corrupt (Pr 8:8).
A little understanding and knowledge, from fearing the Lord and trembling before His word, will open the Bible to you (Pr 1:7; 9:10; Ps 25:14; Is 66:2; Luke 8:18). The words become plain and right, when you study the Bible humbly by its rules of interpretation. If you approach it arrogantly or critically, it is designed to confuse and destroy you (Ezek 14:1-11; I Cor 1:19-20; 2:13-15; II Thess 2:9-12; II Tim 2:15; II Pet 3:16).
The Bible is plain and right, if you are born again (John 3:3; Rom 3:11), are enlightened by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:17-18), fear God (Pr 15:33), delight in the Lord (Neh 8:6-8; Ps 37:4), obey what you learn (John 7:17), pray for wisdom (Ps 119:18; Jas 1:5), work for it (2:1-9; 18:1; I Tim 4:13-15), will take correction (Pr 26:12; I Cor 3:18-19), have a godly motive (Ps 119:11; Luke 10:38-42), and use God-given teachers (Mal 2:7; Acts 8:30-31).
The Bible, God’s book of wisdom, reveals secrets of the universe that greatly affect human existence, but most men have no use for it. The Bible is closed to them (I Cor 2:6-15; II Cor 4:3-4). God reveals these things only to His children (Matt 11:25-27). They have no regard for intelligence, education, or the opinions of any or all men. They believe every word of God to be absolute truth, and they despise any other ideas (Ps 119:128).
Consider an example. Solomon wrote corporal punishment is the only way to rightly train children (Pr 13:24; 19:18; 20:30; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 26:3; 29:15). But PTA and PETA mothers, drunk with the drivel of Drs. Spock, Seuss, and Dobson, reject the Bible as a primitive manual for insensitive monsters that knew nothing about loving children. They say the Bible is impossible to understand, immorally cruel to children, or needs a gentler application for today’s society; but corporal punishment is plain and right to God’s saints.
Consider another example. Moses and Solomon wrote that capital punishment is the only way to treat murderers (Pr 28:17; Gen 9:6; Ex 21:12-14; Lev 24:17). But Mother Theresa, the ACLU, and others without consciences or justice, actually pity murderers more than their victims. Hard to believe? It is true. They write the Bible off as outdated laws for a violent society, but God’s saints know it has divine wisdom for civil authority. Capital punishment is as obvious to them as putting down a rabid dog after it eats an infant.
Consider another example. Moses recorded earth’s origin by writing, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen 1:1). But Charles Darwin and other hallucinating educators, in a profane plot to rid the world of a creator God and His rules for living, contrived an impossible pipedream that chaotic gases exploded to form the universe, primordial slime became reproducing salamanders, who chose to become monkeys, one of which was Charles’ mother. Believers and their children laugh at this false science, which no man has or can observe, define, or duplicate (I Tim 6:20-21).
Consider another example, “This is my body,” from I Corinthians 11:24. Catholics presumed Jesus taught cannibalism and meant the words literally, so they invented transubstantiation – the cracker turns into His body, blood, soul, and divinity – though the cracker is still present to human senses and any kind of analysis. Their Bible-rejecting religion idolizes this blasphemous caricature of the Lord’s Supper, forgetting that Jesus also said, “I am the door,” and, “I am the vine,” among numerous other metaphors!
Lutherans, knowing full well the bread still existed (because they could still touch it, taste it, smell it, and see it), invented consubstantiation – the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus coexist with the bread in their version of the Mass. Presbyterians, also superstitious sacramentalists coming from Rome, invented the notion that Jesus is really, truly, and spiritually in the bread, though not present in body, blood, soul, or divinity.
The children of God, with just a little understanding and knowledge, know that Jesus spoke metaphorically, just as you do when holding up a picture of your mother and saying, “This is my mother.” You only mean that the piece of Kodak paper represents your mother. Jesus gave a simple memorial supper to His true followers. There is no sacrifice offered again in any way, shape, or form. The Supper is only to remember Him by using bread and wine to represent and signify His torn body and shed blood. It is not a sacrament, and it does not involve the altering of any substance, at all, in any way.
Reader, the Bible is the only true book on earth. It alone has the words of wisdom from heaven, which Solomon sought to tell you about through Lady Wisdom in this proverb. If you embrace her, she will bless you; if you reject her, you must love death (Pr 8:35-36). But this wonderful book can do you no good, unless you acquire the understanding and knowledge that opens its treasures. Humble yourself before the great God, repent of your pride and sins, and beg Him for wisdom. He will make the words plain and right to you.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
The more a person fears and respects God, the more he or she will hate evil. Love for God and love for sin cannot coexist. Harboring secrets sins means that you are tolerating evil within yourself. Make a clean break with sin and commit yourself completely to God.
Fear and hate are good! They are essential to success with God and men. Fearing God is hating sin. The fear of the LORD, a reverential desire to please Him, is measured by your hatred of the things He hates. Four sins are listed here for you to hate, if you really want to please God and be wise. Lady Wisdom also states her hatred for these four sins.
The fear of the LORD is the greatest duty and goal of life. Solomon made this inspired conclusion after testing every possible reason for living with extensive experiments (Eccl 5:7; 8:12; 12:13). It is the first and greatest pursuit of godly men. You cannot love God rightly until you fear Him, for loving Him is His commandment (Deut 6:1-5; 10:12).
No man fears God by nature (Ps 36:1; Rom 3:18). It is the gift of God in a regenerated heart, but it is your duty to stir it up and put it into practice. It is the great prerequisite for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (Pr 1:7; 9:10; Ps 111:10), and it brings the great blessings of God (Ps 112:1; 115:13; 128:1; 145:19; 147:11; Luke 1:50).
This effeminate and perverse generation condemns fear and hate. Yet they fear Bible preaching and truth, for it proves their guilt; and they hate those who preach and live it, for they would limit their wicked activities. But their opinions do not matter compared to the wisdom of the Creator God and His inspired Scriptures. Fear and hate are still good.
The fear of the LORD is a reverent desire to please God Jehovah, the Creator God of the Bible, which includes hating the things that He hates. The living and true God of the Bible hates sin (Pr 6:16-19; Jer 44:4; Zech 8:17), and His followers are to hate sin as well. Fear and hate are good. So hate evil with God (Ps 97:10; Amos 5:15; Rom 12:9)!
Lady Wisdom hates pride, which is exalted thinking about yourself, leading to an attitude of superiority and contempt for others. It is the inordinate self-esteem adored by this generation. God cast Satan out of heaven for pride (I Tim 3:6), and He will crush any man with a proud spirit, for you are nothing before Him and without Him (Ps 39:5; 62:9).
Lady Wisdom hates arrogance, which is aggressive pride in dealing with others. Pride is your attitude about yourself and others; arrogance is a haughty, condescending, conceited, and presumptuous treatment of others. It is the difference between being puffed up and vaunting yourself in Paul’s definition of love (I Cor 13:5; Rom 12:16).
Lady Wisdom hates an evil lifestyle, which is sinful living with wicked habits. You are to avoid ungodly men and their deeds (Ps 1:1; 5:4-5; 101:3-8; I John 2:16). You are to love God’s directions for each area of your life and hate every other idea (Ps 119:128; Jer 6:16). The blessed King Jesus was honored greatly for hating evil (Ps 45:7; Heb 1:9).
Lady Wisdom hates a froward mouth, which is perverse, obnoxious, and wicked speech. Your words should feed and help others (Pr 10:21; 15:4; 16:24). God hates a froward and lying tongue (Pr 4:24; 6:12,17; 10:31; 12:19; 21:6). Solomon dedicated many proverbs to sound speech, as it is a common area of sin (Pr 10:19; 12:18; 15:1-2,28; 17:27-28).
Reader, do you hate these four things? Are all four of them out of your life? You cannot and will not be wise, as long as you hold on to any of these specified sins. The true fear of the LORD will cause you to hate these things and tear every aspect of them out of your life (Ps 101:2-3). Do not claim to fear the LORD, if you hold on to even a single sin. To continue in your sins is to despise the LORD (Pr 14:2), and the holy God will punish you.
The great men and women in the earth are those who fear the LORD. They are His favorites, and they live happy and successful lives. He is their God, and He blesses them abundantly (Ps 25:12-15; 128:1-6). Jesus Christ feared God, and His prayers were heard, and He rules over the universe (Heb 5:7-9; 1:3,13). Follow His holy and perfect example.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
Under Gods command 