Proverbs 8
Proverbs 8:1-11:
Does not wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
Does not wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
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Proverbs 8:12:
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion. |
God is a creator, and we are made in His image, so we have creativity on the inside of us too. God has an idea, a plan and a strategy that we can find and use to get to our wealthy place. We do not have to copy anybody because God has uniquely equipped each of us with a plan, a vision and a witty idea.
Oftentimes, God will give us witty ideas, but we do not have the faith to take action. James 2:20 (KJV) tells us that faith without works is dead. For us to manifest all that God has planned for us, we must put our ideas into action. They say graveyards are the wealthiest places on earth because they are full of people with witty inventions and great ideas that were never put into practice. Take your idea off the shelf and take it to the market! It just might be the next big sensation. |
Proverbs 8:12:
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
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Proverbs 8:13:
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. |
There will always be racism because it is a product of pride. My pride will seek out something or someone to criticize and discriminate against to make myself appear better in my own eyes. I point my finger at others and their falsely implied faults to avert any attention to my egregious faults. The Bible calls pride the greatest sin (Psalm 19:13). Self-pride is all about me and must always be defended. “I hate pride and bragging, evil ways and lies.” Proverbs 8:13. There are over 60 verses condemning pride and none condoning it.
Skin color is an easy attribute to use when discriminating against people. It’s worse for Black people because we’re taught that black hats are for bad people and white hats for good people, giving us a negative connotation on the color. These colors have nothing in common and are at opposite ends of the color spectrum. When we apply them to race we insinuate we don’t have anything in common. Our colors are not black and white, probably more like brown and beige, well within the same color range. If I put a white puppy and a black puppy in front of people there would be no discrimination, but if they were children there would be. How crazy and inhumane is that! “Pride will ruin people.” Proverbs 29:23. -Nancy Dollard |
Pride was the first sin committed by Satan when he began to exalt himself above God; this sin is the foundation of every sin man can commit. God hates pride (Proverbs 8:13; 6:16-17). It is the door to all contention. It is based on selfishness – me, my and I. It was the sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:5). Pride exalts “self” and works the same way in mankind as it did in Satan. If it goes unchecked, pride will usurp God’s position and place self in control of our lives. Tempting people with pride is one of the highest forms of demonic activity. Yielding to it can lead to a liberal mindset contrary to Godly principles. For Proverbs 3:5-6 states that we are to trust in the Lord completely and not depend on our own understanding, but in all our ways we should acknowledge God and then He will direct our paths. Pride works to satisfy selfish motivations that always direct a person away from God. The opposite of pride is humility. To overcome pride, first, we must recognize (1 John 1:9) that pride exists in us, then repent of it, and finally, by faith receive humility in its place. --Pastor Bill Freeman Covenant Life Church
What does "the fear of the LORD" entail? Another proverb, Proverbs 9:10, helps us to understand: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." While Proverbs 8:13 defines what the fear of the Lord is, Proverbs 9:10 shows what it produces. Understanding the effect of the fear of the Lord will help us to understand the cause.
This verse uses a Hebraism in which the two clauses are written in parallel. The "fear of the LORD" in the first clause is linked to "knowledge of the Holy One" in the second, while the "beginning of wisdom" corresponds to "understanding." Most translations hide the fact that the Hebrew word rendered as "Holy One" is actually plural. It refers to both holy, divine Beings—the Father and the Son. We can more fully grasp this in conjunction with John 17:3, where Jesus says that knowing the Father and the Son—having personal, intimate knowledge of the Holy Ones—is eternal life. -The Berean
This verse uses a Hebraism in which the two clauses are written in parallel. The "fear of the LORD" in the first clause is linked to "knowledge of the Holy One" in the second, while the "beginning of wisdom" corresponds to "understanding." Most translations hide the fact that the Hebrew word rendered as "Holy One" is actually plural. It refers to both holy, divine Beings—the Father and the Son. We can more fully grasp this in conjunction with John 17:3, where Jesus says that knowing the Father and the Son—having personal, intimate knowledge of the Holy Ones—is eternal life. -The Berean
Fear of God is a constant theme: “The fear of the LORDis to hate evil” (Prov 8: 13a). “The fear of the LORD is to prolong days / But the years of the wicked will be shortened” (Prov 10: 27). “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, / But fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov 1: 7). “The fear of the LORD leads to life / And he who has it will abide in satisfaction” (Prov 19: 23a). “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence / And his children will have a place of refuge” (Prov 14: 26). In another vein, at least one proverb deals with fear and trouble as related things: “Do not be afraid of sudden terror, / Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes / For the LORD will be your confidence, / And will keep your foot from being caught” (Prov 3: 25-26). -Sigrid Fowler
Usually a person with a strongman of rejection will compare himself to others and be very critical of others and even of himself. This critical spirit leads to self-doubt, unworthiness, envy, and jealousy. Furthermore, many fears may bombard the mind of a person with the strongman of rejection. He may even doubt his relationship with God. People with rejection have difficulty forgiving people who have hurt them, thereby giving an opening or legal ground for more tormenting spirits to enter into them (Matthew 18:32-35). When we see the symptoms or outward manifestations of these spirits, we need to apply 2 Chronicles 7:14 and humble ourselves before God in prayer, seeking God’s revelation of what spirits are ruling our lives. Then we need to repent and ask God to forgive us for giving place to these spirits, to deliver us from their bondage, and to heal us. Healing replaces the evil spirit with God’s opposite. Instead of rejection, God offers acceptance. We must receive it. God’s replacement for pride is humility; for unbelief, faith; for lust, God’s will or desire; and for rebellion, surrender to God. As we repent, God will hear us, forgive us, and heal us. It is His desire for us to be whole in spirit, soul, and body (1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 3 John 2). --Pastor Bill Freeman Covenant Life Church
Proverbs 8:14-36:
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, I have strength.
15 By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of the earth.
17 I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.
22“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,
Or the primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And my delight was with the sons of men.
32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, I have strength.
15 By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of the earth.
17 I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.
22“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,
Or the primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And my delight was with the sons of men.
32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”