The Appeal of Wisdom

Philadelphia Baptist Church

10/14/2007 Sun. p.m.

Proverbs 8:1–11; 32–36

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

Introduction: If you could have anything you wished for, what would it be? Most people won’t ask for wisdom. Scripture tells us that God appeared to King Solomon and said, “God said, Ask what I shall give thee.?” He could have asked for long life, a lot of money, or victory over his enemies (1 Kin. 3:5–13). Solomon instead asked for wisdom. Wisdom is the major theme of the Book of Proverbs. So let’s take a look at some truths about wisdom, personified as a woman who calls out to us:

1. She Tries to Get Our Attention (vv. 1–5). She is in contrast to the adultress in 7:8-12. Wisdom is not shy. She gets out in public places and cries out in a loud voice to get our attention. She stands on the hill by the road we travel, the intersections of our lives and cries out in a loud voice to get our attention. How does wisdom call to us today?

A. Wisdom Calls Through People. God puts people in our lives who know right from wrong, or they know the best from the good. The major voice of wisdom in Proverbs is godly parents, but it could be any number of people in our lives.

B. Wisdom Calls Through Conscience. The conscience operates at every gate and doorway of our lives. It speaks to us about entering or avoiding. Wisdom will say, “It’s okay, proceed.” Or, “Don’t do that. It’s the wrong gate.”

C. Wisdom Calls Through the Scriptures. The Bible will always guide our steps (Ps. 119:105). It will always tell us what is right and what is wrong. It will always tell us the path of character, integrity, and godly behavior.

D. Wisdom Calls Through the Holy Spirit. When we enter into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we receive the Spirit of God. When we don’t walk by the Spirit, however, we cannot hear His voice.

2. She Always Speaks the Truth (vv. 6–11). When wisdom calls, you can’t miss her and here is why: verses 6–8 tell us that wisdom is capable only of speaking noble things, right things, truth, and righteousness (the ways of God). She cannot speak wickedness, deception, or perversion. Wisdom will always lift up what is right and repudiate all that is wrong. We have a number of voices in the world that pose as wisdom. I want to identify some of these posers because they are loud voices in our culture.

A. The Wisdom of Man. We live in the age of enlightenment and we think we know the answer to the mysteries of the universe and the best way to live life. God says that His foolishness is wiser than the wisdom of man (1 Cor. 1:20, 25).

B. The Acceptability of Sin. In the Bible, the definition of perversion is “to turn away from what is normal.” That begs the question, “What is normal?” The answer, “God establishes what is normal.” To depart from what God says is right is to turn away from the normal. We are living in days when what is right is ridiculed and what is wrong is becoming accepted as normal.

C. Syncretism. Syncretism is trying to harmonize opposing beliefs or value systems into an acceptable way of life. In syncretism, Christian people adopt viewpoints, habits, and practices that oppose scriptural teaching. Many of us are formed more by secular and cultural forces than spiritual forces.

3. She Desperately Wants to Give Us Life’s Greatest Blessings (vv. 32–36). The most blessed people in the world are those who embrace wisdom. They listen to her and heed her instruction (v. 32). Wisdom is to guide every aspect of our lives. Don’t think you know better and ignore her. Wisdom’s agenda is to bless us. The only way she can bless us is if we watch and wait for her every day, agree with what she says, and do what she tells us to do (v. 34).

Conclusion: In the New Testament, the embodiment of wisdom is Jesus. He is called the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24). Everything said about wisdom in Proverbs is fulfilled in Christ. To come into a personal relationship with Jesus is to find life. To follow His teachings is to find wisdom. For those who do follow Jesus already, will you be among those who are willing to listen to and follow wisdom every day?