Reach Out

(Pro 8:34 NAS77) "Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.

The Living Bible phrases this in an interesting way.  For doorposts it says, “waits for me outside my home!”  

As an introvert I am generally willing to let people come to me.  I can handle social contact when it confronts me but I would rather sit in my Lazy Boy with a good book.  As much as I try to get myself to reach out I find it very hard to pick up the telephone.  In my daily social activities it is just a blip of my personality.

In relation to God we need to overcome this.  While it is true that God reaches out to us and sent His Son to die for us there is still an aspect of growing that requires us to seek His face, or as it says here, His doorpost.

So?  I know it gets monotonous but this needs to be a daily priority.  Notice the word “daily”.  That is not just filler.  

The Entrance

Proverbs 8:35 (KJV) For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

The thing being found here is wisdom.  You could interpret this to mean that wisdom will allow you to experience the best of life.  It would bring completeness and make you sensitive to the good things.  That is certainly part of it.

I think the inference goes a bit deeper.  The result of wisdom is a love that reflects the “favor” of the Lord.  I am looking at that as the blessing of being born again and attaining the assurance of eternal life.  I think this infers that genuine wisdom will lead us toward the Lord.  False wisdom will help us win game shows.

So?  Go for the gold.  Embrace the foundations that God has laid out for us.  

Much Needed

Proverbs 8:7 (KJV) For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

I rotate my starting point in Proverbs to try to give a fresh insight each month.  Today I started on this verse and the word “truth” immediately jumped out at me.  How often have you been in conversation and commented on how hard it is to find out the truth when it comes to the news and what is going on in our world?  I would say almost daily.

But this is more personal than that.  This is talking about our contribution to the flow of information.  This is about what comes out of our mouth.  One of the characteristics of true followers of the One who called Himself “the Way, the Truth and the Life” is that we are committed to truth.  It should be reflected in everything we do and say.

So?  You can’t purify the internet but you can make your environment a place where people can feel like what they hear is not spin but an anchor.  

Priority

Proverbs 8:17 (KJV) I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

I first read this in the NASB which says to “seek diligently”.  I found myself again wondering how that relates to “early” in the KJV.  The general idea is that when you get up and get started, that is when you seek God, not when the day is over or when you’re in the middle of trouble.  It brings to mind a New Testament scripture,

(Mat 6:33 KJV)  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

I think this is about priorities.  It tells us what our priorities should be in planning our day.  It’s not saying that you can’t find God if you wait until the crisis, or until you’re tired, or in the midst of chaos, but it is pointing out that the best way to know who God is, and what that means for your life, is to seek Him first.

So?  Start your day with a good spiritual breakfast.  Think in terms of tangents and vectors.  A small variation at the beginning of a line can make a massive difference when it arrives on target.

Today’s Investment

Proverbs 8:20-21 (KJV) 20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: 21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

If you are old enough to have anyone who could or should look up to you then this is a direction for your life.  You are to lead.  You may not think you lead but somewhere there is someone who is watching you, someone who is wondering why you do what you do and thinking of imitating you.  For those with children that is pretty clear.  For those who either never had children or whose children are out of the home, there are other people looking at you.  It may be children at church.  It may be young married couples.  There are people watching.

And the direction you lead is in righteousness.  Just ignore those foolish people that say that we cannot live upright lives.  Read your Bible.  Make up your own mind.  If we can’t live righteous lives then what’s the point of all this instruction.?

So?  You are building an inheritance with those that love you.  Give them a strong foundation. 

Don’t Drop the Adjectives

Proverbs 8:17 (KJV) I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Or maybe it’s an adverb, it depends I guess on how you translate it.  When you look at the King James, you see how the word “seek” is modified by “early”.  That is legitimate.  I think I’ve written about getting up in the morning and making it your first priority of the day.  That’s a good way to interpret this.

But as I was reading today in the NET and comparing it to the KJV, I noticed that the modern translation left out the modifier.  It just had “seek”.  Seeking wisdom is always a good thing, but the modifier is what makes it powerful.

    Proverbs 8:17 (NET) I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

A quick look over the other translations shows that they modify it different ways.  The NASB uses “diligently”.  Either way you look at it you need to take your seeking and find a way to make it more powerful.

So?  Sometimes the power of a statement is in the modifiers, rather than the basic statement itself.  Lean into those modifiers.  Listen to what they have to say.  Enjoy the full power of allowing wisdom to be a part of your life.  

The Attribute of Wisdom

Proverbs 8:22 (KJV) The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

One of the puzzles that keeps coming to my attention is the place of wisdom in creation.  If you read down through this chapter, you find that it seems wisdom is there at the beginning, and is a part of the creation process.  There is a tendency to personify wisdom.  That is a mistake because wisdom is not God.  Wisdom is not the fourth person of the trinity.  What I see happening here is that the attribute of God, wisdom, is involved in the creation process.

When I look at the universe around me, I think of the creativity of God.  I see it from my front porch in the oak trees, the wild flowers, even in the dandelions and weeds.  Creativity is an attribute in my mind.  I think I would add to that creativity takes place in the context of wisdom.  It’s not just a matter of seeing what kind of wild and crazy ideas you can come up with.  It is a matter of assembling all of this, in an attitude of wisdom.

So?  As we go through our day it’s not just a matter of seeing how creative we can be or what kind of bright ideas we can have.  It is a matter of us taking the wisdom of God which He offers to us and applying it to our unique situations.  Of course, we need to apply it to the every day situations that everyone faces, especially to the unique ones. 

Vice-Versa

Proverbs 8:13 (KJV) The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

We may not be able to see righteousness clearly.  It’s easy to fake.  Evil on the other hand is easier.  You can’t fake evil because in order to fake it, you pretty much have to become it.  So it is a one-way process.  We’ve seen this in recent political shenanigans, where one side is acting righteous, whether they are or not.  The other side is acting evil and there’s no question that that is what’s going on.

So?  What’s in your heart?  What has God made of you?  Let it shine. 

Biggest Sale Ever

Proverbs 8:34 (KJV) Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

One of the uses of paraphrases like the NLT is that the surprising way of putting things can catch your attention and make you think.  This verse got me today.

Proverbs 8:34 (NLT) Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home!

As I contemplated this verse and tried to think of situations where we would make a priority of standing and waiting, my mind went to Black Friday.

I must confess that I have never gone out early in the morning on Black Friday and searched for great deals.  There are no bargains that are worth me sacrificing my dignity and personal safety by standing in a mass of people who are willing to shove, push, step on you and many other unsocial behaviors in order to get the first TV off the pile.  I cannot identify with that.

However, it is an attitude that would be good for us if we could adopt it when it comes to learning the truth of God.  You might not need to stand in line and push and shove.  It might require simply getting up an hour early, find a quiet corner and opening your mind of God.

So?  I’m not looking for guilt trips.  I’m just suggesting that we often find what we’re really looking for.  Just as you always seem to have time for what you want to do but not time to do the chores your wife has for you.  You’ll have more chance of hearing God’s voice if you’re actively listening. 

Indicators

Proverbs 8:7 (KJV) For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

How do you know wisdom when it’s right in front of you?  There are several indications in this chapter and this verse has one of them.  This is a personification with wisdom, speaking and wisdom says, “my mouth….”

Notice that one of the elements of wisdom is truth.  That would seem to mean that people who do not tell the truth do not have wisdom.  That is a simple and obvious conclusion.  What may not be clear is that “wickedness” is not tied to wisdom.  And when wisdom speaks wickedness, it becomes an abomination, or not wisdom.

So?  You may not know everything.  Welcome to the human race.  But generally you know when something is true or you will find out soon whether it’s true, and you can know that if someone is pushing something that is not true, then they by definition are wicked.  Be on the side of righteousness.

Literary Devices

Proverbs 8:22 (KJV) The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

One of the challenges in reading scripture is to discern whether you should be reading literally or figuratively.  Here we see one of the tools of literature called “personification.”  Personification is where you have an inanimate object taking on the characteristics of a person.  In this case, we have a body of knowledge, called wisdom, which is pretending to be aware and interacting with us.

The point being made in this verse, and actually through the passage, is that this body of knowledge called wisdom was created by God for the universe that we live in.  Wisdom is an application of the attributes of God, who is eternal, to the physical world, which is not.

The significance of this is that God’s principles are designed to work in the world we live in.  Are they eternal?  Yes, in the sense that God is eternal, and they reflect His character.

So?  We learn about God.  We learn about the universe.  The two will work together because one was designed by the other in the light of who He is.  That means that science should be consistent with the universe that God made.  We run into problems when the scientists reject that God and the principles He established.  We see that in things like nuclear weapons and GMO.  One of the questions that science refuses to answer is, “Just because we can, does that mean we should?”  Wisdom answers that.  Science is clueless. 

Surprise

Proverbs 8:1 (KJV) Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

I am finding that reading this translation of the Septuagint is enjoyable.  I don’t know if it is the translator or the text, but it is a refreshing way of expressing things I’ve read many times.  Take this verse for instance.  Here is how the Septuagint expresses it,

Proverbs 8:1 (BES) Thou shalt proclaim wisdom, that understanding may be obedient to thee.

The other translations, which I assume are based on the Masoretic text, are similar and have wisdom crying out.  That’s good.  I can get inspiration from that.  But this translation of the Septuagint has understanding being obedient to wisdom.  It is a dependent status.

So?  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you as long as you understand that the Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion, and will not conflict with what scripture as a whole says.  Enjoy. 

Fools hope

Proverbs 8:5 (KJV) O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

As I read this chapter, I noticed that it seem to offer a bit of hope for people that are branded as fools.  Many places in Proverbs it seems to imply that fools cannot learn.  This seems to imply that it is more a case of will not learn, rather than cannot learn.  That means that there is a bit of hope for people classified as fools.

I don’t know that I think of myself as a fool.  I would almost assume that you usually don’t consider yourself a fool.  If there is hope for a fool, then there’s hope for us.

So?  Never give in to despair or frustration.  If the problem is lack of understanding, or inability, to understand, God can reach you.  Usually it’s just a momentary lapse or lack of maturity.  The Holy Spirit continues to work on us. 

Disgusting

(Pro 8:7 KJV)  For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

Sometimes a different translation gives you a slightly different view of things.  This month, as I have said, I am reading in Moffatt’s translation.  The word “abomination” (8441) is very common in the Old Testament.  It tries to give us an insight for how evil God feels certain things are.  Moffatt uses the word “loath” instead of abomination.  I like that.

The idea of loathing something comes up with an attitude of disgust that I think we miss with abomination.  Abomination seems to be a higher concept than we would deal with regularly.  It is out of touch with our every day lives.  Loathing is something we can understand.  We can apply it to people we know.  We can apply it to things like liver and onions.  There are many disgusting things that we can tie to it.  We are to loath evil.

So? It’s pretty simple.  If it’s disgusting turn away. 

Worldwide

(Pro 8:16 KJV)  By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

Is there a body of knowledge which we call wisdom that is available through the entire earth, even to those who don’t know the God of the Bible?  This verse would seem to imply that.  This talks about judges of the Earth.  Now, princes and nobles might just refer to Israel, but when you say all the judges of the Earth, you go beyond those borders.

Is wisdom cross-cultural?  Is it something that God has placed in the hearts of all men?

So? There a certain principles that seem to be universal.  That should be something that makes us get along better with those who disagree with us on specifics. 

Biblical Balance

(Pro 8:18 KJV)  Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

There is a balance in the Bible that is worth noting.  It is dangerous to cherry pick favorite verses without considering the context and the total message.  If you only considered this verse you would think that the message is “Wisdom will make you rich.”  Not in the way that most people mean that.  The key word here is “enduring” (6276).  You need to read the surrounding comments to get the drift.

It is the insights and the righteous living that comes from those insights that are the “riches” (6239) being promised.  Will that generate what the world thinks of as riches?  There is a good chance of that up to a point.  That point is the balance I am talking about.  There are too extremes.  One is great wealth with little wisdom.  The other is great wisdom and starving to death.  Neither one is the Biblical balance.  

So?  Seek God’s wisdom.  Apply it in your daily life.  Part of that wisdom is working hard and being a good steward.  It will give a combination that brings the really good things of life into your sphere and allows God to bless you. 

Difficult Birth

(Pro 8:24 KJV)  When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

In looking at the explanation of “brought forth” (2342a) it seemed like it was a real struggle.  Without getting into whether wisdom is eternal or not we have here a statement that is seems to have been a real difficult move for wisdom to be moved from the nature of God into the universe He created.

It struck me that it is sometimes just as difficult for Him to move that wisdom from the abstract to the concrete in our lives and minds.  Think of trying to stuff a pillow into a case that is a bit small.  Think of herding cats.  Think of imparting wisdom to us.

So?  I want to make it as easy as possible for God to teach me.  He is the power but I am the consent. 

Leave a Rock

(Pro 8:24 KJV)  When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

Who or what is Wisdom?  It is not clear.  Sometimes it seems to personify principles and laws of physics.  Other times it seems to point to Jesus.  We know that Jesus was involved in the creation.  We know He still holds it all together.  That is part of the awesome nature of God that blows my mind.  Every atom is maintained in its orbit by the decree of God.  As science finds ever smaller particles it remains true:  God is the divine Administrator of all creation.

So?  With that being true, why do people have trouble believing in the virgin birth?  Why are they not overcome with the miracle that the world is trying to drown with commercialism and material desires?  Focus on the miracle.  Declare the miracle.  Wish people a Merry Christmas.  If they say “Happy Holidays” look confused and ask them what holidays they mean.  As apologist Melissa Dougherty says, “Leave a rock in their shoe”. 

Redundancy

(Pro 8:1 KJV)  Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

As I read this passage today I thought, “I have read this before.”  And I had.  This idea of wisdom calling out to us is repeated throughout Proverbs.  Maybe someday I will count them up but today is not that day.  

That does not change the fact that wisdom calls out to us.  It is not just a one time thing.  It is not just available in certain churches on Sunday morning.  It is all around us.  When I walk in the morning I sometimes act like the drill sergeant who kept saying, “I can’t hear you.”  I say it to the trees and rocks who should be shouting out.  Seriously, we have all the specific information in the Bible and the literary references to it through our culture.  We have shelves full of books that try to expand and apply that wisdom.  We have multiple voices.  And yes, we have creation calling out to us.

So?  No one in modern society has an excuse.  The wisdom of God is calling out.  It is active.  It is trying to communicate.  Listen to the lessons that apply to you. 

Be a Joy

(Pro 8:31 KJV)  Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

In the past six months I had a discussion with someone about why God created, with the emphasis on creating man.  Here is one indicator.  He “delights” (8191) in mankind.  The Hebrew is actually a noun.  We are His delight, or some would say we were before sin entered the world.  Notice, however, that the word is plural.  I guess Adam and Eve would be plural but I think this refers to even the time after the Fall.

God “delights” in us.  One indication of this is the promise of Jesus that He would send the Holy Spirit to abide with us.  The picture is to tabernacle or camp out with us.  We are created in His image and there is something about us that generates very positive feedback for the Father.

So?  I want to do what I can to provide that delight to Him.  It is the least I can do.