PROVERBS
8:1-36 – Hoping for ‘good luck’, some people expect good
things to happen to them – all the time! God says, ‘Seek wisdom. Be
ready for the hard times’. Wisdom comes from God. He speaks to us with
words of wisdom (2:6; 6-8). Wisdom is not only for ‘kings and rulers,
princes and nobles’. It is for everyone who loves the Lord (15-17).
Wisdom calls us to choose good rather than evil, life rather than death
(13,35-36; Hebrews 5:14; Deuteronomy 30:19). The way of wisdom is the
way of happiness (32-34). Our path may not be paved with gold. Wisdom
is better than ‘silver, gold and jewels’ (10-11). Christ is our
Wisdom. Receiving Him, we receive wisdom. Growing in Him, we grow in
wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:6). As you rejoice in Christ, remember:
‘He who wins souls is wise’ (11:30). Don’t keep Wisdom to yourself.
Share Christ with others.
9:1-18 – There is, in verse 5, a Gospel invitation: ‘Come,
eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed’. We eat bread. We
drink wine. We remember our Saviour (Matthew 26: 26-29). ‘The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (10). ‘This sounds so
old-fashioned’ – so the world tells us. ‘The fear of the Lord’ – This is
something we must not forget. If we do not fear the Lord, we will
forget Him. If we forget Him, we are fools. What is foolishness? Is it a
lack of education? No! – It is a lack of obedience. When we do not
‘honour’ God, we are ‘without sense’. ‘Claiming to be wise’, we show
that we are ‘fools’. If we are wise, we will keep ‘going straight on the
way’, looking always to Jesus Christ who is the true and living Way. He
leads us from ‘the depths of hell’ to the heights of heaven (13-18;
Romans 1:21-22; John 14:2,6).
10:1-22 – What a difference there is between the ‘wise’ and
the ‘foolish’. It is the difference between ‘righteousness’ and
‘wickedness’ (1-2). Throughout life, there are choices to be made. We
may choose wisely, being led by the Lord ‘in the paths of righteousness
for His Name’s sake’. We may choose foolishly, going ‘astray’, refusing
to ‘call upon the Lord’ (Psalms 23:3-4; 14:2-4). We must be very careful
about the choices we make. There is a ‘way that leads to life’ and a
‘way that leads to destruction’ (16-17; Matthew 7:13-14). ‘Flee from the
wrath to come’. Choose Christ. Choose life. ‘He who believes in the Son
has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God rests upon him’ (Matthew 3:7; John 3:36).Choose Him
now. ‘Now is the day of salvation’ (2 Corinthians 6:2).
10:23-11:11 – ‘With his mouth the godless man would destroy
his neighbour’ (9) – This kind of thing is going on all the time! There
is no respect for the ‘neighbour’. An easy target, he is treated with
contempt. He is slandered without mercy. It is not without reason that
God’s Word says to us, ‘The tongue is a fire… With it we bless the Lord
and Father, and with it we curse men… My brethren, this ought not to be
so’ (James 3:6-10). God knows what we are like. We ‘destroy’ people with
‘the tongue’. It is character assassination. What drastic effects this
kind of thing can have: ‘a city… is overthrown by the mouth of the
wicked’! Can the blessing return again? God’s Word is clear – ‘By the
blessing of the upright a city is exalted’ – , but we must learn to
speak and live as ‘the upright’ and not as ‘the wicked’ (11).
11:12-31 – ‘He who wins souls is wise’ (30). ‘He who sows
righteousness reaps a sure reward’ (18). Righteousness is not purely a
private matter. God’s Word tells us that ‘those who turn many to
righteousness shall shine like stars for ever and ever’ (Daniel 12:3).
Winning others for Jesus Christ is not easy. To those who commit
themselves to this great work, God gives His precious promise: ‘He who
goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him’ (Psalm 126:6). In this work, we must
remember: It is not what we do that makes the real difference. It is the Lord
working through us. Never forget: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labour in vain’ (Psalm 127:1). Always remember: When our
work is done ‘in the Lord’, it is never ‘in vain’ (1 Corinthians 15:58).
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