Wisdom Offers Her Service to All

Proverbs 8:1–11
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)

We try to hide our lack of wisdom. Like the man who bought a yacht. His wife was nervous because he had no experience sailing. But he knew he could handle it and so for weeks he practiced in the harbor before taking it out to sea. Finally, he talked his nervous wife into going on … More

Wisdom

In chapter seven we read how the adulteress went out in the streets to seduce the young man. Now we see how wisdom, like a virtuous woman, is seen crying in the streets offering services to all who will receive them:

Where she cries - in “high places” and at the gates (vv. 1-3).
To whom she cries - to “the sons of men,"to people in general (vv. 4-5).
What she cries - that which is “excellent,” “right” and “true” (vv. 6-9).
Why she cries - because what she has to offer is far more valuable than silver, gold or rubies (vv. 10-11).

Wisdom speaks openly in the high places and gates. Wisdom does not speak with a seductive voice under the cover of darkness; she stands in the higher parts of the city and goes to every place where people in numbers are apt to be found. She works at the intersections and before the large gates of the city. She is not willing that any should perish. ( II Pet 3:9). She pleads with the simple and the fool to direct their hearts. From the mouth of wisdom proceeds only those things that are right and true. The speech of wisdom is contrasted with the speech of the adulterous woman in verse 8. The words of wisdom are to those who practice hearing them of greater value than silver, gold, or jewels.

Application

Even though wisdom is available to every person many turn it down. That is why it is important for me to have a plan for gaining wisdom and discipline myself to follow that plan.

Proverbs 8:1-11 (English Standard Version)

Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (Space required at line 39, column 24) in /var/www/html/familytimes/includes/magpie6-1/rss_fetch.inc on line 230

Warning: array_slice() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /var/www/html/familytimes/includes/rss/esvLookup.php on line 15

View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »