Proverbs 8 Commentary
Lady Wisdom
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KEY THOUGHT: Then I was beside Him as [g]a master craftsman; [Proverbs 8:30a NKJV]
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Proverbs 8 NKJV
The Excellence of Wisdom
8 Does not wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the [a]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 [b]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.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.
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 [c]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 [d]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 [e]fields,
Or the [f]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 [g]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.”
Footnotes
a. Proverbs 8:2 Lit. heights
b. Proverbs 8:5 naive
c. Proverbs 8:16 MT, Syr., Tg., Vg. righteousness; LXX, Bg., some mss. and editions earth
d. Proverbs 8:20 walk about on
e. Proverbs 8:26 outer places
f. Proverbs 8:26 Lit. beginning of the dust
g. Proverbs 8:30 A Jewish tradition one brought up
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 8 Commentary
The personification of abstract objects isn’t a new phenomenon. It could be a clever way of writing. Chapters 5 through 7 talk about the woman who is wickedness by herself. She seduces. She hunts. But she is also temptation of herself and by herself.
Chapter 8 is about another woman called wisdom. She is also on the hunt, calling people to herself. There is no seduction. It is all holiness, simple, and plain. No enticement.
Lady Wickedness is all about self-aggrandizement.
On the other hand, and with lady Wisdom, are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. Verse 18. Lady Wisdom’s fruit is better, better than fine gold. What lady Wisdom yields surpasses silver.
Clearly, the two women are different.
The world promises self-aggrandizement. Yes. It also promises gold and silver. That is also correct. These are lady Wickedness’ counterfeit products. They can only lead to pain and suffering. Her customers put themselves under the judgment of the Creator God.
The real product comes from lady Wisdom.
You cannot give what you don’t have. Lady Wickedness cannot give what she is not.
Part of humanity’s tragedy lies in the creation of abstract objects. We have put wisdom, intelligence, love, and things like joy on the table. Then individuals can select from these objects and keep them as pets or wear them like clothes, depending on your preferences. No. Joy or love cannot be independent of the individual.
So the personification of wisdom is just right. It makes us think of one who called himself Peace, Love, and Light. He is the firstborn of God’s creation. Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God. Jesus Christ, the very word of God. He speaks. Seek him. Find Him.
Look out for lady Wickedness. She entices. Her words are seductive. Any system or individual, group, or ideology that makes you feel enticed must be questioned seriously. Seek something beyond the promises of self-aggrandizement, gold, and silver.
The last verse is interesting. A choice between lady Wisdom and lady Wickedness isn’t like choosing between football teams. There is life with lady Wisdom. But there is death with lady Wickedness.
The creature the LORD blessed with brains can easily decide!
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