The Ambassador Group

The Book of Proverbs

1. Proverbs: The Call of Wisdom

0. Proverbs: Introduction to the Book of Proverbs

2. Proverbs: From Ears to Feet

3. Proverbs: A Matter of Life and Death

4. Proverbs: Divine Wisdom

5. Proverbs: The Blessings of the Righteous

6. Proverbs: What You See Is Not What You Get

7. Proverbs: Dealing With Fights

8. Proverbs: Words of Wisdom

9. Proverbs: Words of Truth

10. Proverbs: Behind the Mask

11. Proverbs: Living By Faith

12. Proverbs: The Humility of the Wise

13. Proverbs: Women and Wine

Welcome to Words of the Wise, an introduction to the Book of Proverbs, by Dr.

Edited for audio by the Ambassador Group.

The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his way, before his works of old." Proverbs 8 verse 22, NKJV.

At this stage in Proverbs, wisdom reappears, and it's clear that wisdom is truth—the truth as it exists in God, the source and foundation of all truth.

This accent on the absolute character of truth contrasts with some contemporary thinking, especially in the West, in which truth is seen as relative, contingent, cultural, with 1 person's truth different from someone else's.

My truth should be the same as yours, simply because truth is universal.

It does not belong to anyone in particular, but to all humanity, whether or not all humanity recognizes it.

Interestingly enough, Pilate's famous question to Jesus, what is truth, came in response to Jesus' statement, everyone who is of truth hears my voice.

Truth, absolute truth, exists, and it even speaks to us.

What matters for us is whether or not we will listen to and obey what it is saying.

What does Proverbs 8 verse 1 through 21 tell us about the value of wisdom?

Doth not wisdom cry, and understanding put forth her voice?

She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths, she crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors, Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man.

O ye simple, understand wisdom, and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

Hear, for I will speak of excellent things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

For my mouth shall speak truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness.

There is nothing for word, or perverse in them.

They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.

For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogancy in the evil way, and the forward mouth do I hate.

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice, By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me.

Riches and honor are with me, yea, durable riches and righteousness.

My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver.

I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment, that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures." According to Proverbs 8, 1-21, what is the value of wisdom?

Wisdom offers personal instruction and knowledge.

Wisdom is confident that it is more valuable than rubies.

Wisdom offers free counseling, understanding, and strength.

Wisdom can be experienced, regardless of age, if it is respected, valued, and treasured.

Wisdom is so important that it must reach everyone.

God created all human life, and Christ died for each 1 of us.

So wisdom—the knowledge of God and the salvation He offers—is for every human being.

Look at the words used to describe wisdom's vocal presence.

However 1 understands these metaphors, what is clear is that wisdom is to be communicated.

It is to be heard by all who will listen.

After all, as we saw in our previous exploration, what wisdom says is a matter of life and death.

8 times wisdom talks about the truthfulness of her words.

The description of wisdom here, interestingly enough, parallels the portrayal of the Lord in Deuteronomy 32 verse 4.

A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He." This parallel, of course, should not be surprising, because God is the Creator of all things, and His is the foundation of all truth, as John 1 verses 1, 2, 3 says, "...in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God.

All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." In reading Proverbs 8 verses 10 and 11, The question is, what do these verses say about wisdom?

Proverbs 8 verses 10 and 11 say, Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold.

For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." So many people have lived, and still live, in ignorance, in folly, and in darkness.

Many live with no hope at all, or with false hopes.

What makes this sad state of affairs even sadder is that wisdom and truth are so wonderful, filled with hope and promise for a better life now and the surety of eternal life in a new heaven and a new earth, all thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus.

All the wealth in the world means nothing in contrast to the knowledge of God.

That is what the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 2, verses 11 to 13, say, Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness and folly, for what can the man do that cometh after the king, even that which hath been already done?

Then I saw that wisdom exceleth folly, as far as light exceleth darkness." Continuing on to the New Testament book of Matthew, ponder how well your life reflects the crucial truth of chapter 16, verse 26.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Wisdom and Creation In your mind, how is wisdom related to creation?

Proverbs 8 verses 22-31 say, The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, wherever the earth was.

When there were no depths, I was brought forth.

When there were no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth, while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

When he prepared the heavens, I was there.

When he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when He established the clouds above, when He straightened the fountains of the deep, when He gave to the sea His decree that the water should not pass His commandment, when He appointed the foundations of the earth.

Then I was by Him, as 1 brought up with Him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and my delights were with the sons of men." So how can the question, how is wisdom related to creation, be answered?

Did you hear when mentioned 8 times or the other time-related terms such as in the beginning, from the beginning, before, while, and then?

In these texts, wisdom is mysteriously related to the Lord as the Creator.

This poem shares many common words with the creation account in Genesis chapter 1 and 2, and even reflects its literary structure, organized around the 3 basic elements of heaven, water, and earth.

The intention of this parallel is to emphasize the primary credential of wisdom.

If God himself used wisdom to create, if wisdom is the oldest tool, older than the universe itself, and so fundamental to its existence, we should all the more use wisdom in everything we do in life.

There is also a strong emphasis on the divine origin of wisdom.

The first word of the poem is the Lord, Yahweh, who is said to have begotten wisdom.

The Hebrew word, kana, translated as possessed, by the New King James Version has the connotation of begetting, rather than creating.

That is the way the word kanna is used in Deuteronomy 32 verse 6, in the New King James Version, which says, Do you thus deal with the Lord, O foolish and unwise people?

And in Genesis 4 verse 1, also says, in the New King James Version, Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have acquired a man from the Lord." The next word is the technical word that is associated with the Genesis creation, rashith, the word for beginning in Hebrew, which is found in the first verse of Genesis.

In the beginning, Reshith, God created the heaven and the earth.

Yet the word beginning, in Proverbs 8, 22, is used somewhat differently than it is in Genesis 1.

Series

The Book of Proverbs

4. Proverbs: Divine Wisdom

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

The Book of Proverbs

10. Proverbs: Behind the Mask

27m

The Book of Proverbs

5. Proverbs: The Blessings of the Righteous

34m

Proverbs

Divine Wisdom

58m

1-Defending the Faith

Jesus and Science

1h 16m

The Book of Proverbs

12. Proverbs: The Humility of the Wise

29m

A Beginning With No End

Hello, I Am God

48m

We Have Not Followed Cunning Devised Fables

42m

The Great Controversy Theme

1h 25m

A Living Sacrifice

High Time to Wake Up

52m

A New Trajectory

57m

The Book of Job

11. The Book of Job: Out of the Whirlwind

50m

The Book of Job

01. The Book of Job: The End

32m

Sound Doctrine