Proverbs 8:11-15

 

Prov 8:11 (KJB)

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

 

Here is something the world does not understand. The wisdom of God far exceeds the wealth of the world which here is represented by Rubies. Rubies are a very beautiful stone and quite expensive. Let us look at why the wealth of the world cannot compare with the wisdom of God. 1) The wealth of the world will get you in trouble because once you have attained wealth, you will want more and many sink low to get more. The Wisdom of God does not lead one astray and brings you into right relationship with God and gives you understanding of the snares of the world, wealth being a main one. 2) The wealth of the world diverts your focus to the things of the world. The wisdom of God focuses your attention on the things of God. 3) The wealth of the world causes you to seek only the things which this world has to offer. The wisdom of God causes you to seek God and all He has to offer. 4) The wealth of the world causes you to avoid salvation, finding salvation in your earthly things, which are temporal. The wisdom of God causes you to seek the Lord for salvation, which is eternal. 5) The wealth of the world will be left behind. The wisdom of God will go on for eternity. 6) The wisdom of the world: (Luke 12:20 KJV) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? The wisdom of God: (James 3:17 KJV) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

 

Prov 8:12 (KJB)

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

 

Prudence - Shrewdness and good judgment

Witty Inventions - Evil schemes or devices

 

Here is what wisdom is all about. First of all, true Godly wisdom gives the believer an ability to have good judgment in all situations. True wisdom is applicable to situations of hard times as well as good times. It is especially valuable in hard times. Secondly, true Godly wisdom has the ability to forewarn us about walking into potentially evil situations. We may not immediately see the big picture in all of its aspects but true wisdom has the ability to see and expose any evil on any level in any given situation. This would send a warning to the believer to steer clear of that situation.

 

Prov 8:13 (KJB)

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

 

Arrogancy - Swelling or highness

Way - Manner or road

Froward - The mouth of perversity

 

(Rom 3:18 KJV) There is no fear of God before their eyes. Romans 3:18 aptly describes the mindset of the unbeliever. Since the unbeliever is spiritually dead, they do not have any fear of God because they only exist within the physical realm and deal only in the visible. This is why unbelievers scratch and claw to get as much of this worlds goods as they can because it gives them a security, albeit a false security. When a person becomes saved, they have been made spiritually alive and the things of God now take precedence over the things of the world. The true believer will hate evil because they know if they partake in evil things, they will be subjected to the chastising hand of God. God lists four things that He hates. By the way as an aside, there are many Christians who have the mistaken belief that God does not hate but is only love. God hates the way of the unbeliever because it is a life of continuous sin. The word “hate” in this verse is in the Qal stem which means it is a verb of action. God is specifically stating that He hates these four things:

First, God hates pride because it was this sin that caused Satan to lead the rebellion in Heaven when he wanted to be like the Most High. (Isa 14:14 KJV) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

 

Secondly, God hates the person who is arrogant. Arrogance is a byproduct of pride when a person thinks they are something and looks down their nose at others. This unfortunately is seen in the Christian realm too when some preachers become famous, they think they are something to behold. (Gal 6:3 KJV) For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Everything the Christian has comes from the Lord and we deceive ourselves if we think that we are so good that we can be spiritually independent.

 

Thirdly, God hates the way of wickedness or the evil way. The way of the sinner is in total opposition to God. The sinner walks with Satan in agreement of methods and speech and it is these people who oppose the Christian and the Gospel message on earth. (Psa 5:5 KJV) The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

 

Fourthly, God hates the froward mouth. The froward mouth is a byproduct of the unsaved person. Their mouths will spew out insults and they will take the name of God in vain without any reservation. The froward mouth also speaks arrogantly against God and His existence. If you notice those in the evolution camp are always speaking against the existence of God and His creation. The mouth is the most dangerous weapon a person has because it has persuaded more people than the sword has. (Psa 17:9-10 KJV) From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about. {10} They are enclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

 

Prov 8:14 (KJB)

Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

 

Counsel - Advice or plan

Sound wisdom - Sound judgment or sound wisdom leading to practical success

Understanding - insight or act of understanding

Strength - To be strong or prevail

 

In the previous verse we saw four things which God hates and detests. In this verse, we see a contrast with four positive things of true Godly wisdom. First, true Godly wisdom offers real counsel. Fake counsel will get a person into trouble and will cause much heartache in the aggregate. True Godly counsel will never cause any heartaches because even if a person is in bad situation, it will be a healing counsel to the situation. True Godly counsel will always lead us in the right direction as it points us to God who has the ability to intervene and move us in the right direction. Secondly, Godly wisdom is sound wisdom. It causes a person to soberly assess the situation and if it is a bad situation, to help turn around the circumstances and lead them in a successful manner. Remember, success does not only mean wealth and getting things our way, it is being faithful unto God so God can work in our lives which always leads to success, even though God’s definition of success might be different than ours.

 

Thirdly, true Godly wisdom gives understanding. Wisdom gives us the ability to understand the way we are going or the situation we may be in or the road we may be contemplating. It causes us to understand by invoking our spiritual thought process. Once understanding takes place, we are sure to be on the right path. Fourthly, true Godly wisdom gives us strength. We can progress in our Christian walk in strength and know that we can prevail in any circumstance. This does not mean that we will always be victorious on earth but it means that each and every situation which is approached in the strength of true Godly wisdom will cause us to grow and become stronger in the Lord. (2 Chr 27:6 KJV) So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God. When we prepare our ways in the Lord, we, like King Jotham, will become mighty.

 

Prov 8:15 (KJB)

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

 

Justice - Righteousness

 

(Prov 29:2 KJV) When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. The people rejoice when the righteous are in authority because as they exercise true Godly wisdom, everyone from the leaders to the workers benefit. Their wisdom does not have a hidden agenda. Everything they decree is for the benefit of the people and for the good of the country. Let me bring this principle to light in our contemporary times. Ex-Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, (Christian) governed the State of Alaska righteously and the people all received a check from the government for $1200 plus there is no sales tax or income tax, so the people are in good shape. In my home state of New Jersey, we have the wicked bearing rule, Jon Corzine and previously Jim McGreevey and as a result of all the corruption, which the leaders will not deal with, have caused New Jersey to go over $30 billion in debt. Now these politicians see no way out except taxing the people out of existence. This is proof positive of this verse, that when the righteous rule the people rejoice and when the wicked rule, by satanic wisdom, the leaders see no way out. This is why Godly wisdom always prevails in favor of the people when elected leaders are walking with the Lord. True wisdom is a blessing of the Lord to all, even the unbelievers that live under the authority of the Godly leaders.

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