Proverbs 8
In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is personified as a lady whom everyone needs to get to know and to whom we should all listen. In chapter eight, she promises that only truth will come from her lips and that her words will contain no wickedness, only righteousness. Her sayings are noble and right. My, how desperately we all need wisdom these days!
Wisdom puts forward as her credentials (thus good reason for us to listen to her) that she was in the beginning with the Lord “Before His works of old” (v 22), and that “From everlasting I was established” (v 23). She maintains she “was beside Him, as a master workman” (v 30). This is a clear declaration by God that not only was His creation accomplished through wise design, but also that there was a certain correctness to it. In other words, if God had tried to do things any other way (within the parameters which He had set) there would have been serious deficiencies if not an utter failure in creation. Wisdom was absolutely necessary for the creation to flow together and function in a beautifully synchronized manner.
But wisdom claims that not only was she necessary in the Lord’s forming the heavens and the earth, but also she is needed for a person to live their life in the right way on earth. She claims there is a right way and a wrong way to live one’s life (vv 35-36). She is seen standing beside the city gates ( v 3) which says that we need her to guide us in our daily comings and goings. She stands “Where the paths meet.” These would represent the path of wisdom and therefore life, and the path of foolishness leading to death. Kings and rulers need her to “judge rightly” (v 16). She promises blessings to those who keep her ways (v 32).
Yet, despite wisdom’s warnings of certain trouble if we don’t listen to her and her promises of even riches and honor if we do, so few people actually seek her out. We let our feelings guide us, “listen to our hearts,” and follow the ways of the world. No wonder we find ourselves in such big messes! Better we find wisdom for she is more precious than silver, gold and all desirable things (vv 10-11).
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