Tawa Baptist

Origin Story

Scripture: Proverbs 8:22-31

Video Link: https://youtu.be/87rpvMSs4HM

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Wisdom’s origin
  • Wisdom’s function
  • Wisdom’s delight
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning, everyone.

Today we continue our series in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. Proverbs contains the ABC’s of wisdom. The wisdom of Proverbs is not academic or abstract. It is down to earth and practical.

Over the past few weeks, we have been dipping into the opening chapters of Proverbs in which a parent is impressing upon their children the importance of choosing wisdom when making life decisions.

There are essentially two aspects to wisdom: character and competence. Character has to do with integrity and righteousness, while competence has to do with skill and the ability to do things well.

If we think of wisdom as a tree, then character represents the roots and competence the branches. Wisdom is about maintaining strong roots of good character and healthy branches of competence that bear good fruit.    

A couple of weeks ago we began looking at Proverbs 8, which personifies wisdom as a woman, Lady Wisdom. This morning our message focuses on the second half of Proverbs 8 which explores wisdom’s origin, function and delight. From verse 22 we read…

22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; 23 I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. 24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; 25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 26 before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. 27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. 30 Then I was the craftsmanat his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in humankind.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

As I mentioned before, these verses point out wisdom’s origin, wisdom’s function and wisdom’s delight. Where does wisdom come from? It comes from God. What is wisdom’s function? To create order. And what does Lady Wisdom delight in? She delights in creation, especially humankind. Let’s begin then with wisdom’s origin. 

Wisdom’s origin:

The movie, Batman Begins, tells the origin story of Batman. As a child, Bruce Wayne witnessed his parents being violently killed and this sowed seeds in shaping his future as a vigilante hero.

Wolverine had a similar origin story. His powers were realised when he witnessed his father being killed.

Spiderman’s ‘origin story’ involved Peter Parker being bitten by a radioactive spider. And the latest Guardians of the Galaxy movie explores the origin story of Rocket. Origin stories are popular in the comic book world.  

In Proverbs 8, Lady Wisdom tells us her origin story, how she came to be. Unlike these comic book heroes, wisdom did not have a traumatic childhood or get her super powers by accident. Wisdom had a wonderful upbringing and she was born with her powers. 

In verse 22 Lady Wisdom says of herself: “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works before his deeds of old;”

This tells us that wisdom comes from God and wisdom comes first, before time began and before the stars and the earth were formed. Because wisdom comes from God and because wisdom comes before creation, wisdom possesses a unique authority. 

Now, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, these verses are not suggesting that wisdom is an actual person. This is poetry and not to be taken literally. Lady Wisdom is a personification of God’s wisdom or God’s way of doing things. Wisdom is an aspect of God’s character or personality if you like.

In Job 38, the Lord God (Yahweh) says to Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand…”

Job could not possibly answer the Lord’s question. Wisdom could answer this question though because wisdom was there with God when the Lord was creating the universe.

Returning to Proverbs 8, the point is, the Lord did not make anything without wisdom. Wisdom is woven into the very fabric of the universe. This means there is design and purpose in the world. Some randomness, yes. Quite a lot of mystery and wonder but also discernable patterns. Everything is connected.

Given that wisdom comes from God, we need to look to God for wisdom. To imagine we could live without God is to turn our back on wisdom. Because God used wisdom in making the universe, it follows that we should use wisdom too. Wisdom is essential to our survival. We cannot live without it.

You might ask, ‘What difference does it make that wisdom comes from God?’

Well, it means that all true wisdom is God’s wisdom. There is no wisdom apart from God.

The Bible is a special book for Christians. It is sacred and carries more weight than other books because we believe the Bible to be inspired by God and therefore full of wisdom. That being said, without the wisdom of good character and competent interpretation, our reading of the Bible can do more harm than good.  

The Bible is not the only source of wisdom available to us though. The physical world in which we live is also a source of wisdom. A few weeks ago we heard how the humble ant teaches us skills for life. We can learn from studying creation because God made the universe with wisdom.

This is where science is helpful. Some people pit faith and science against each other, as if they were enemies. But faith and science are pursuing the same goal; the goal being truth. Of course, just as faith can be misapplied, so too science can be misapplied to harmful effect. Science needs the wisdom of good character and competence.   

Wisdom has the ultimate origin story. Wisdom comes from God and before creation. God made wisdom a priority and so should we.

Wisdom’s function: 

What about wisdom’s function? What purpose does wisdom serve? Put simply, wisdom creates order and order supports life. Said another way, wisdom’s function is to make the world functional and to make our lives functional.

Last Monday was a beautiful day so I mowed the lawns. I love the instant satisfaction you get from a freshly mown lawn. It distracts me from all the weeds in the garden.

Anyway, as I was mowing, the engine cut out for no apparent reason. A half mown lawn is not satisfying at all. I thought about it for a moment and deduced it was either a problem with the fuel supply or the spark plug. Sure enough, the spark plug was too dirty to fire. So I cleaned it and had the mower running again in no time.

My knowledge (or wisdom) about lawnmower engines enabled me to fix the mower and make it functional again. The function (or purpose) of wisdom is to make things work well.

From verse 27 of Proverbs 8, Lady Wisdom says of herself…

27 I was there when he [God] set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

This is a poetic description of God creating the universe. It is not a literal or scientific description of creation. The poetry here is saying that God uses wisdom to bring order to the chaos and make life functional. 

Notice the two basic things wisdom does to create order. Firstly, wisdom sorts things. Wisdom puts the elements in their proper place. The clouds go above; the foundations go below. The sea goes here and the land goes there.

Wisdom sorts things. A bit like when you are doing the washing. You keep the colours separate from the whites.      

Or to return to the anecdote about my lawnmower; the engine stopped functioning because dirt and grease got into the spark plug where it didn’t belong. Once I had removed the dirt and grease from the spark plug, the engine worked fine again.  

The second basic thing wisdom does to create order is to set boundaries.

God marks out the horizon. He gives the sea its boundary so the waters don’t overstep and he marks out the foundations. Sort of like when you are building a house; before you pour the concrete slab you measure out the footings and put in the boxing to hold the cement. Wisdom sets boundaries.

The Law of Moses is God given wisdom designed to create order in society and prevent chaos. The ten commandments set out clear boundaries to enable society to function well. Don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, don’t murder and so on are all necessary boundaries to prevent injustice and harm.

Sometimes this world gets a bit chaotic and we struggle to function well. What’s happening in the Middle East and Eastern Europe at the moment is what you get when boundaries are transgressed. It’s a tangled mess that can only be sorted by the wisdom of God.

We do not have the answers and so we pray, ‘Your kingdom come, Lord, your will be done’, in the hope that God will bring order to a disordered world.

When our personal lives are in chaos, wisdom says, ‘Stop. Think. Sort out in your mind what is in your power to control and what is not. What is your problem to deal with and what is someone else’s problem? Don’t waste time and energy on what you cannot control. Give yourself to that which you can control. Establish some boundaries in your life.’       

How functional is your life at the moment? Wisdom creates order by sorting things and setting boundaries. Are there things in your life which are out of place and need to be sorted? Do you have healthy boundaries? 

Establishing healthy boundaries might mean working less overtime so you have more time and energy for your family. It might mean drinking less so you have more control over your choices. It might mean telling someone, ‘No. Stop it. I don’t like this.’ It might mean being less of a people pleaser and honouring your own values. You will know the boundaries you need.

Wisdom finds its origin in God and before creation. Wisdom’s function (or purpose) is to create order and make life functional. And what does Lady Wisdom delight in? She delights in creation.

Wisdom’s delight:

If you are a baker, you will delight in making a cake that tastes delicious and looks yummy.

If you are a carpenter, you will delight in crafting a perfect dovetail joint or putting up a wall that is straight.

If you are a teacher, you will delight in seeing your students learn to read or do maths or play an instrument or gain understanding.

If you are an accountant, you will delight in reconciling the accounts and saving money.

If you are a parent, you will delight in seeing your children grow up to make good choices.

If you are a lawyer, you will delight in fair processes and seeing justice done. 

If you are a chess player, you will delight in out manoeuvring your opponent. 

If you are a gardener, you will delight is seeing your plants thrive and bear quality fruit.

What is it that you delight in? 

Wisdom delights in God’s creation and especially in humankind, for we are made in God’s image. From verse 30 of Proverbs 8, Lady Wisdom says…

Then I was the craftsmanat his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in humankind.

This is a poetic way of saying, wisdom is a source of joy for joy breaks out whenever and wherever the creator’s wisdom is exercised.

As Christine Yoder puts it: ‘Far from being burdensome or tedious, learning is a joy-filled, love inspiring, playful relationship with knowledge and God.’ [1]

It’s interesting that wisdom describes herself as a ‘craftsman’ by God’s side at creation. Jesus was a craftsman, a carpenter.

The writers of the New Testament make a connection between Jesus and wisdom. In John’s gospel, for example, we read of Jesus that he is the Word of God who was with God in the beginning and through whom all things were made.  

The original Greek noun translated as ‘Word’ is logos. Jesus is the logos of God, as in the logic or reasoning of God. When we look to Jesus we see God’s wisdom, we see how God thinks.

This is not to say that Jesus is exactly the same as Lady Wisdom. Lady Wisdom is a personification whereas Jesus is an actual human person, the Son of God. Nevertheless, Jesus embodies the wisdom of God.   

The apostle Paul picks up on this point in his letter to the Corinthians where he writes: but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Jesus, the master craftsman, the one who embodies God’s wisdom, delights in establishing God’s order, God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus came to restore and redeem creation, to make all things new.

There’s a lovely little moment, in Luke 10, where we see Jesus himself delighting in God’s handiwork. From verse 21 we read…

21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Wisdom comes from God. Wisdom makes life better. Wisdom is a source of joy and delight. Wisdom is embodied in Christ and wisdom is communicated by the Holy Spirit. Get the Spirit of Jesus and you get access to God’s wisdom and joy.

Conclusion:

There will be times in life when we don’t feel particularly wise. Times when things are not going so well and we feel a bit lost. Times when we simply don’t know which way is up or what the best course of action is.

At those times we may feel foolish, like the wisdom we desperately want is out of reach. If we find ourselves in that situation, then hearing a sermon about how we should be wise might make us feel worse. Be gentle with yourself and have some faith in God.   

When I look back over my life so far, I don’t think, “Gee, I’m wise. Man, I’ve made some smart moves”. No. I think to myself, “Gee, I’ve made some dumb decisions and man, I’m slow to learn. But wow, how wise is God to work my choices for good.”   

Wisdom does not consist in having all the answers. Wisdom begins with looking to God, who is the origin of wisdom. And wisdom continues as we trust Jesus to be our wisdom.

Let us pray…

Loving God, we pray for your Spirit of wisdom to shape our character and make us skillful in doing your will. May we delight in you and you in us. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is your origin story? What role has wisdom played in your life? Why do we need wisdom? 
  • What difference does it make that wisdom comes from God? How do you understand the relationship between faith and science? What can we learn from faith? What can we learn from science / creation?
  • What function / purpose does wisdom serve?
  • How functional (or chaotic) is your life at the moment? Wisdom creates order by sorting things and setting boundaries. Are there things in your life which are out of place and need to be sorted? Do you have healthy boundaries?  What needs to change?
  • What do you delight in? Why do you delight in this? How might you make time for delighting in God?  
  • What does it mean to trust Jesus to be our wisdom? How might we do this?

[1] Christine Yoder’s commentary on Proverbs, page 103.

Tawa Baptist

Lady Wisdom

Scripture: Proverbs 8:1-21

Video Link: https://youtu.be/FUjMQQUKeHU

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Wisdom is near
  • Wisdom is righteous
  • Wisdom is valuable
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

‘The sun smiled down on us’

‘The story jumped off the page’

‘The light danced on the surface of the water’

‘The cake called my name’

‘Time marches on’.

These are all examples of personification.

Personification is when writers attribute human characteristics to something non-human. Smiling is a human characteristic. The sun doesn’t really smile. But we know that a smiling sun is a metaphor, a poetic way of saying, it was a warm sunny day but not too hot (like last Thursday).

Likewise, cake can’t literally speak but we know that when someone says, ‘the cake called my name’, what they really mean is the cake looked very appetizing and they couldn’t resist eating it.  

Today we continue our series in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. Proverbs offers practical wisdom for living. It gives handy life hacks for people starting out in the world.

Last week we heard about not taking responsibility for what is not yours so you can take responsibility for what is yours. This week our focus is Proverbs chapter 8. Proverbs 8 is a poem which personifies wisdom as a woman. We might call her Lady Wisdom.

The plan is to unpack the first 21 verses of Proverbs 8 today and look at the rest in a couple of weeks’ time. From verse 1 we read…

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? 2 At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; 3 beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud:

4 “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all humankind. 5 You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it. 6 Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. 7 My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. 8 All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. 9 To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge. 10 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. 13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech. 14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. 15 By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just; 16 by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth. 17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. 18 With me are riches and honour, enduring wealth and prosperity. 19 My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, 21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses the writer of Proverbs personifies wisdom as a woman. Lady Wisdom is near, Lady Wisdom is righteous and Lady Wisdom is valuable.

Let me retell for you an old Jewish folk story called The Treasure… 

Wisdom is near:

Once there was a man named Isaac who lived in a small fishing village on the edge of the kingdom. Isaac was poor. One night Isaac had a dream and in his dream a voice told him to go to the capital city and under the bridge to the palace he would find hidden treasure.

When Isaac woke in the morning he dismissed the dream, thinking it strange. The next night though he had the dream again. A prudent man by nature, Isaac put the dream out of his mind and carried on with his day.

But when Isaac had the same dream a third time, he decided make the journey to the capital city to see if there was in fact any treasure under the bridge to the palace.

Isaac set out on foot, relying on the kindness of strangers when he could, until finally, after many days, he arrived in the capital city.

As he approached the palace, Isaac noticed there actually was a bridge as he had seen in his dream. But on drawing closer he met a guard.

‘What do you want?’, the guard asked in a surly manner. The man did not bother to ask Isaac’s name or where he came from. So Isaac told the guard how a voice had told him in a dream to go to the capital city where he would find treasure under the bridge to the palace. 

The guard laughed saying, ‘I too had a dream in which a voice told me to go to a small fishing village on the edge of the kingdom, where I would find treasure in the house of a man named Isaac, under his stove. Can you imagine if I had followed my dream?’

Isaac exercised his discretion, thanked the guard and made his way home, relying on the kindness of strangers when he could. After many days he arrived back in the small fishing village.

He lifted the tiles under his stove and found a box full of gold. The treasure he had been looking for had been there all along.

The gold in this story represents wisdom. Wisdom is the real treasure and wisdom is near.

In the opening verses of Proverbs 8 we read that Lady Wisdom is near; close at hand. The highest point along the way (in verse 2) is a place that cannot be missed. Where the paths meet is an intersection or a crossroads. A place of decision making and choosing what way you will take.

And the gate leading into the city (verse 3) is both the entrance of the city and also a place in ancient society where disputes were settled, like a court of law.

All of this is a poetic way of saying that wisdom is not hard to find. You can observe Lady Wisdom in ordinary everyday life. We learn wisdom through our own experience and by observing the people around us. We learn wisdom in community with others.

Lady Wisdom is not some mystical guru sitting on a mountain top in a distant land. She is not hard to reach. No one stands between you and wisdom. Lady Wisdom is right there in front of you, calling out from the street and market place, in broad daylight.

We notice (in verses 1 and 4) that Lady Wisdom raises her voice. It’s not that wisdom has to shout. More the sense that wisdom communicates with a distinctive quality and with substance. 

There are many voices competing for our attention but wisdom has the ring of truth to it. Wisdom makes sense even in the busy-ness and confusion of life. The key is to slow down and listen for wisdom; to pay attention and discern her voice.

We notice too that wisdom is accessible to all humankind. Wisdom isn’t just for old people or rich people or smart people. Wisdom is for the simple, that is for those who are a bit naïve.

Wisdom is also for the foolish. In other words, if you have made some unwise choices in the past then you need not feel condemned to a lifetime of poor choices. If you open your mind and listen to wisdom, you can learn from your mistakes and become wise.

Given that wisdom is available to the simple and the foolish, it naturally follows that wisdom is available to everyone. Wisdom is near and wisdom is righteous.

Wisdom is righteous:

The term ‘righteousness’ essentially means right relationship. To be righteous is to live in right relationship with God and our neighbour. To say it another way, righteousness is relational.

Righteousness does not have to do with the religious rituals we might perform. It’s not about how many times you pray each day or how much money you donate to charitable organisations. Fasting does not make you righteous and neither does living in a cave away from society.

Righteousness has little if anything to do with ascetic practices. Righteousness is all about the way you relate with the people around you and it’s about the way you get things done.

A right relationship is characterized by things like honesty, trust, mutual respect, fairness, justice and wellbeing. And so Lady Wisdom says of herself in verses 6-9…      

I have trustworthy things to say… I speak what is right… All my words are just and upright. (Wisdom’s words are fair and genuine; the real deal.)

More than just saying the right thing though, Lady Wisdom also does the right thing. In verse 20 she says: I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice. Lady Wisdom models what right relationship looks like by her example.

Here’s another way to look at righteousness. Aldous Huxley, the author of the book Brave New World, once said this: ‘But the nature of the universe is such that the ends never justify the means. On the contrary, the means always determine the end.’

The end is the goal or the desired outcome. While the means is the way you go about achieving the goal.

There is a worldly kind of wisdom, a cunning or shrewdness if you like, that is willing and able to sacrifice truth and trust, justice and uprightness in order to achieve a desired outcome.

For example, a medical student might cheat on their exam in order to pass. They may justify the means (cheating) by saying the end (passing) will enable them to help people in need. The problem is, they will probably end up doing more harm than good if they don’t know their stuff all that well. 

That is not the character of Lady Wisdom. True wisdom says, the end does not justify the means. Lady wisdom detests wickedness and crooked speech. She knows the means (how you achieve your goal) generally determines the end. You reap what you sow. 

And this is where the fear of the Lord comes in. In verse 13, Lady Wisdom says:   

To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech.

In one sense, to fear the Lord means being conscious that God sees all that we do and will one day hold us accountable. That being said, the fear of the Lord is not the same as the fear of punishment. If our relationship with God is based on the fear of punishment, then it is not a right relationship. It’s an abusive relationship and we will end up resenting God, rather than loving him.

No. Those who fear the Lord understand that God trusts them and they don’t want to abuse his trust nor take it for granted. To fear the Lord is to respect and reverence our relationship with God because God’s trust is precious to us.

Those who think the end justifies the means do not fear the Lord. They are arrogant. They think they can get away with it.

Perverse speech isn’t about swearing or using bad language so much as lying, not telling the truth, deceiving people with words. Falseness goes hand in hand with evil behaviour.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day thought the end justified the means. Their speech was perverse. They reasoned it was okay to falsely accuse Jesus and have him killed on the basis that it would preserve their power and position. But Jesus wasn’t interested in their power or position.

We are talking about Lady Wisdom. Wisdom is near and wisdom is righteous. Wisdom shows us how to live in right relationship with God and our neighbour. Righteousness, as a means and an end, is what gives wisdom her value.  

Wisdom is valuable:

From verse 10 we read…

10 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Verses 18 & 19 pick up the same theme, where Lady Wisdom says…

18 With me are riches and honour, enduring wealth and prosperity. 19 My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.

The point here is that wisdom is more valuable than silver and gold.

Verse 18 is referring to relational wealth and prosperity, more than financial prosperity. The Hebrew word translated into English as prosperity is literally righteousness.

These verses are saying that righteous wisdom will make you secure in your relationships; wisdom will enhance the quality of your relationships.

Of course, when you live in right relationship with others, when you treat others with respect and fairness, when you are honest and trustworthy in your dealings with others, over time, that tends to result in financial security as well. You reap what you sow. The means determines the end.   

In verse 12, Lady Wisdom expounds her value further saying…

12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.

Prudence is the ability to govern oneself by use of reason. Prudence is the capacity to exercise self-control or self-discipline. Those with prudence demonstrate skill and good judgement in the use of resources.

If you win Lotto but lack prudence you will probably lose your winnings before long. Financial wealth is wasted on those without prudence.

Lady wisdom possesses knowledge with discretion. That’s an interesting combination.

Knowledge concerns facts, accurate information and skill. Knowledge is a necessary component of wisdom.

Discretion is the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence. A discrete person knows when to keep their mouth shut.

Just because you know something, it doesn’t automatically follow that you should share it. Knowledge without discretion can destroy relationships. Wisdom keeps knowledge and discretion together.

In the story I told earlier, Isaac listened to the guard and gained knowledge of where to find the treasure. But Isaac also had the discretion to not tell the guard his name or where he came from.

From verse 14, Lady Wisdom continues speaking of her value…

14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. 15 By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;

Insight is the ability to see into a situation. Those with insight see beneath the surface to understand what’s really going on, what’s really driving someone’s behaviour. The wisdom of insight enables kings and rulers to make good decisions and exercise power in a righteous way so that all of society benefits.

King Solomon showed insight and good judgement when two women came to him with one baby, both claiming the baby to be their own. When Solomon ordered the child to be cut in two, the first woman was ambivalent while the second woman begged the king to preserve the child’s life and give him whole to the first woman. Solomon’s wise insight revealed who the true mother was. The woman who begged Solomon to save the child’s life.

Conclusion:

In verse 17, Lady Wisdom says…

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

Wisdom wants to have a right relationship with us, so we may have a right relationship with God and those around us.

We are reminded of the words of Jesus, who more than any other human being, embodies the wisdom of God. In Matthew 7, Jesus says…  

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

The treasure of wisdom is closer than you think. Grace and peace to you on the journey.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Where can we find wisdom? How might we open our mind to learn wisdom? Can you think of a time when you learned wisdom from your mistakes? What happened?
  • What is righteousness? How might we know when our relationships are righteous? 
  • Discuss / reflect on the quote by Aldous Huxley: ‘But the nature of the universe is such that the ends never justify the means. On the contrary, the means always determine the end.’ How does this fit with the righteous wisdom of Proverbs 8? 
  • What does it mean to fear the Lord (in the context of Proverbs 8)? How is fear of the Lord different from fear of punishment?
  • Why is wisdom more valuable than gold or silver? Why is it important to keep knowledge and discretion together?
  • What connections can you see between Proverbs 8:1-21 and the teaching of Jesus?