Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:
“To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
By me kings reign
and rulers issue decrees that are just;
by me princes govern,
and nobles—all who rule on earth.
I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.
“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.
“Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the Lord.
But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death.”
- Proverbs 8:1-36
“Proverbs 8:1-4 ” This universal Voice of God was by the ancient Hebrews often called Wisdom, and was said to be everywhere sounding and searching throughout the earth, seeking some response from the sons of men. The eighth chapter of Proverbs begins, ‘Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?’ The writer then pictures wisdom as a beautiful woman standing ‘in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths’ (8:2). She sounds her voice from every quarter so that no one may miss hearing it. ‘Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man’ (8:4). Then she pleads for the simple and the foolish to give ear to her words. It is spiritual responses for which this Wisdom of God is pleading, a response which she has always sought and is but rarely able to secure. The tragedy is that our eternal welfare depends upon our hearing and we have trained our ears not to hear.
“This universal Voice has ever sounded, and it has often troubled men even when they did not understand the source of their fears. Could it be that this Voice distilling like a living mist upon the hearts of men has been the undiscovered cause of the troubled conscience and the longing for immortality confessed by millions since the dawn of recorded history? We need not fear to face up to this. The speaking Voice is a fact. How men have reacted to it is for any observer to note.”
- A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
We hear the call of wisdom, and folly, in Proverbs 8-9. Which voice will we hear?
Wisdom has been portrayed as a woman, but also as an attribute of God.
That got me thinking about a treacherous bend in the Rhein River in Germany. The flow is directly toward a tall rock formation, turns to the left and then bends back around to the right. The rock formation that creates this horseshoe shaped bend in the river is called the “Lorelei.” It is said that the Lorelei was a siren who called weary sailors into the rocks.
The truth is that when there is wind in the valley, you can hear whistles and moans as the wind bends around the curves. At the same time, the water is treacherous with eddies all around these abrupt changes in waterflow direction. With no noise at all, the unwary sailor might crash the ship against the rocks, but then, legends gain strength with each sunken boat and each sailor’s tale at the local guest house.
But here, we have a good “siren” of sorts, telling people to stay true to God and do what is right.
Wisdom hates evil, pride, arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse language. Evil as a term could be described in part by the other terms. But if “evil” were the planning of bad behavior and the attitude of the heart, the evil behavior would then be the carrying out of those plans. Perverse language could be a variety of things: cursing, using God’s name in vain, falsehood, deceit, bragging, and trash talk.
Wisdom provides counsel, sound judgment, insight, and power. By wisdom, kings reign (that is if they are good kings reigning justly). Wisdom loves all who seek wisdom. Wisdom walks in righteousness and along the path of justice.
And wisdom was around prior to creation, with God every step of the way during creation. Basically, this is saying that as an attribute of God, wisdom and God are inseparable.
And finally, those who find wisdom, find life. Those that hate wisdom find death.
As the world changes definitions of words, they can pretend to find wisdom without God, but there is nothing there other than false hope.
And now let us sing.
The following song is sung by Alisa Turner, My Prayer for You.
“For anyone who’s prayed a thousand prayers
And still can’t find the answer anywhere
Fighting off the lie that no one cares
For anyone who’s out there losing hope
Feeling you’re forsaken and alone
Clinging to the last strands of your rope
May God give you eyes to see, He’s still greater
Courage to rise and believe He’s able
May God be your peace in the fire you’re walking through
This is my prayer now
This is my prayer for you
For all of those with tired and weary souls
But still have faith to ask for miracles
Choosing to believe He’s in control
May God give you eyes to see, He’s still greater
Courage to rise and believe He’s able
May God be your peace in the fire you’re walking through
This is my prayer now
This is my prayer
May your eyes be ever on the Lord, your helper
May you find your refuge in the Lord, your shelter
May you find Him closer than a brother all your days
All of your days!
And may your eyes be ever on the Lord, your helper
May you find your refuge in the Lord, your shelter
May you find Him closer than a brother all your days
All of your days!
May God give you eyes to see, He’s still greater
Courage to rise and believe He’s able
May God be your peace in the fire you’re walking through
This is my prayer now
This is my prayer for you!
For you!”
- Micael Farren and Jessica Campbell, My Prayer for You
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom. We can so easily hear the calls that are not wisdom. Lord. We want justice at times, mercy at times. But to act justly and live prudently, we need to hear the ‘siren’s’ call for justice and wisdom. And ignore the glitz and glamour of the things of this world. Help us to keep our eyes on You and follow the true course as we navigate the rough waters of this world. And help us reflect Your love in our attitude, our behavior, and our speech.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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