Come Thou Wisdom from On High

Proverbs 8

Main Idea: You must be in a relationship with Wisdom in order to be wise in daily life.

1. Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Tells You the Truth about Reality (8:1-11).
2. Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Produces Right Living in His Followers (8:12-16).
3. Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Rewards His Followers (8:17-21).
4. Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Brings His Followers into Harmony with God, Others, and the World (8:22-31).
5. Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Gives Abundant and Eternal Life (8:32-36).

One of the things I ask couples in premarital counseling is, “Why do you want to marry this person?” Too often the groom-to-be will give me spiritualized answers that they think a pastor will want to hear. “She has a great quiet time and prayer life.” “She’s just so sweet and godly.” After listening to this for several minutes, I will stop the young man and ask, “So, are you attracted to her? Because you haven’t mentioned that.” This lets the young man know he can let his spiritualized guard down, so he answers, “Well of course, I think she’s gorgeous!” This is an important question to answer: Why do you want to marry her, or why did you marry your wife? What qualities attracted you to her?

This is the question that Solomon wants to answer for his son in Proverbs 8. Solomon has told us repeatedly that wisdom is not a set of ideas; Wisdom is a person. Solomon has repeatedly tried to get his son to marry Wisdom. Here in Proverbs 8 he makes another push by telling him why he should marry her. He details all of her amazing qualities (Kidner, Wisdom of Proverbs, 22–24).^[13]

We find out in this chapter that Wisdom does not just stand for Solomon’s wisdom; it stands for God’s Wisdom. In the fullness of time, Paul reveals to us that Jesus is the Wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24,30). So, through the Spirit, Proverbs 8 is exhorting us to be in a personal relationship with Jesus because of all his amazing attributes. You cannot be wise or have skill at life without this relationship. Choose Jesus over anything or anyone else because he will make you wise now and forever. As you read the entirety of Proverbs 8, ask yourself the question: Who in the world can this be describing?

Now, why should you marry this Wisdom?

Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Tells You the Truth about Reality

Proverbs 8:1-11

Woman Wisdom is a personification of Solomon’s wise teaching. She is presented as a female because the Hebrew word for “wisdom” is a feminine noun, and the audience of Solomon’s teaching is a young man. But this passage reveals more to us than the previous passages have. Wisdom is not just a personification of Solomon’s wisdom; Wisdom is also a personification of God’s Wisdom that he used to create the universe. Let’s see how this text describes God’s Wisdom.

Wisdom cries out in the public places where there are tons of people because she wants everyone to hear. Wisdom is competing against rivals (i.e., the immoral woman of Proverbs 5–7 and the Woman Folly in Proverbs 9) for the people’s attention. Her activity is in broad daylight instead of at nightfall (7:9). Wisdom stands at the public crossroads (8:2) where a decision must be made (Fox, Proverbs 1–9, 265).^[14]Whom will you follow? Folly (cf. 9:13-18)? Wisdom? She wants everyone’s attention and allegiance. She calls out to all of humanity, especially the inexperienced and the fools. She will teach them common sense (8:5). She can make them wise—that’s why they should listen. You should listen to Wisdom—Jesus—because he can make you wise.

Listen to her because she speaks the truth and tells you the way the world really works (8:6-9). She tells you what is “right”—the difference between good and evil. Not only morality, but she tells you the order of the world, and she does not twist or pervert that order. That is what her teaching in the rest of the book is about. Hard work is better than laziness or get-rich-quick schemes. While it may seem like indulging pleasure will gladden you, it will actually sadden you (cf. 21:17). Wisdom tells it like it really is, whereas Folly twists things. Folly tells you what you want to hear but not what you need to hear. Take the short cut, indulge pleasure, hoard your possessions, hold a grudge, and more.

Wisdom distinguishes between wickedness and righteousness too. She does not distort the truth like Folly. You see, the fool may sincerely believe what he says is true, but he cannot see how he misrepresents truth and reality because what he says is not true. One example of this is calling “good” something that God says is sin. Proverbs 24:24 talks about the one who says to the guilty, “You are innocent.” Justifying sin or saying it is not sin is distortion of reality. Wisdom will not do that. She calls sin what it is. She will help you understand this, and she will produce this kind of truthful speech in you. You can avoid lies, gossip, and slander if you will follow Wisdom (i.e., Jesus).

The perceptive person knows that Wisdom’s words are right and that they will help him or her to navigate through this life, so they submit to her (8:9). Following Wisdom’s instruction is better than riches because Wisdom is vastly superior to worldly wealth (vv. 10-11). Nothing you desire can compare with Wisdom. Wisdom is the pearl of great price. This is what Proverbs teaches. Money can be a good thing if it is not given first place in your life. After all, Jesus says you cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). Wisdom will not tolerate rivals. So seek Wisdom first, and all these things will be added to you! Make a faith decision to get Wisdom—Jesus—and be satisfied in him above all else.

Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Produces Right Living in His Followers

Proverbs 8:12-16

Wisdom has associates that she will share with you: shrewdness, knowledge, and discretion. If you want these qualities, you have to know Wisdom. If you want these qualities, you have to go to Jesus. The ability to make right decisions, the ability to carefully consider a situation without making a snap judgment, and the ability to read people are available through a relationship with Jesus. Wisdom teaches you how to navigate life in a way that avoids your ruining things.

Wisdom here first shows you who to associate with, and then she tells you whom to avoid. The fear of Yahweh, which is the beginning of wisdom, is to hate evil (v. 13). She hates pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted speech (we saw that earlier in the text). She despises those who won’t humble themselves under authority and counsel. She will keep you off the wicked path if you embrace her. She will produce counsel, sound wisdom, insight, and strength in her followers (v. 14). Strength reveals that wisdom is not simply the ability to discern the right decision, but it’s also the wherewithal to carry it out.

Wisdom is the means by which kings reign and decree justice. Wisdom is needed to rule and establish the kingdom. Wisdom is how a king will order his kingdom. Solomon recognized this so he asked for wisdom in 1 Kings 3. Wisdom is the skill to rule. This is promised of the coming Messiah in Isaiah 11. He will reorder the entire creation through wisdom. Jesus is the fulfillment. He is the Messiah who patterns his kingdom after wisdom (see the Sermon on the Mount in Matt 5–7). Those of us who follow Christ will also rule with him, so we need the wisdom of this book. We are in an internship for eternity right now.

Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Rewards His Followers

Proverbs 8:17-21

Wisdom says, “I love those who love me, and those who search for me find me” (v. 17; cf. Matt 7:7). So commit to the wisdom of Proverbs and commit to the Wisdom of Proverbs—the word and the Word (cf. John 1). In order for you to live out the word, you must first be in a personal relationship with Jesus.

Getting Wisdom is most important, but there are blessings that will be added to you if you do. The rewards of wisdom are lasting riches, a good name, and righteousness (v. 18). This is not teaching a prosperity gospel because, as Proverbs has already shown us, the rewards may not come immediately in a fallen world. But there will be eternal blessings for getting Wisdom—Jesus. Wisdom says that what she produces in you—wisdom and righteousness—is better than money. It is better than money because she will lead you down the right path (i.e., obedience to the law), which means a greater reward later. She will reward you with an inheritance if you love her, and she will fill your treasuries (v. 21). Again, these kinds of physical rewards may come now, especially the rewards of a good reputation and walking in righteousness, but they will surely come in the new creation.

Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Brings His Followers into Harmony with God, Others, and the World

Proverbs 8:22-31

This section is rich and complicated. We see a heightening of Wisdom’s description. Wisdom is presented here not just as Solomon’s wisdom but rather as Yahweh’s Wisdom. Wisdom is the only begotten child of God (v. 22). We see that this description of Wisdom can no longer be seen just as a poetic device. The description is too lofty, and it is too much like Jesus. After all, Revelation 3:14 calls Jesus “the originator of God’s creation” (Nestle, Novum Testamentum Graece, 788).^[15]This doesn’t mean that Jesus was created; it means that he is supreme over the creation.

Wisdom existed before the creation and is superior to the creation. Wisdom knows the created order because Wisdom was there, and Wisdom seems to have assisted in creating (vv. 22-30; cf. John 1; Col 1) (Goldsworthy, Tree of Life, 79–81). Before humanity was created from the dust, Wisdom was there. The mention of the “first soil” (v. 26) reveals the fragility of humanity. If humanity lives contrary to the wise design of the creation, we will return to our prior state (i.e., from dust to dust) (Garrett, Proverbs, 109). Wisdom knows the order of things and can share that order with humanity because Wisdom assisted Yahweh in creating the world. Wisdom builds the creation. Wisdom also built the tabernacle (Exod 31) and the temple (1 Kgs 7), which are patterned after creation. The wise Messiah will rebuild the cosmos (Isa 11). Wisdom builds her house in Proverbs 9, as we will see. Jesus created the world in the beginning, Jesus upholds the world now (Heb 1), and Jesus will make all things new at the end. So one must know him in order to perceive and live according to the pattern of the world. Because he made the world, he knows how it works.

Wisdom says in effect, “I delighted in God, his world, and humanity.” Wisdom is the mediator in the relationships of all three: (1) between man and God, (2) between man and man, and (3) between man and the world. Wisdom orders these three relationships as it was in Eden. So you must know Wisdom—Jesus—in order to live in harmony with God, with other people, and with the world around you.

There is a design in the way that the world works, and this order can be observed by anyone who is looking (e.g., at the ant in Prov 6). If you try to live against the grain of this order, it will injure you. Adultery will cause you to lose much of what you have. The famous golfer Tiger Woods can attest to this. Unchecked greed will lead to much debt. The American government can attest to this. Laziness will lead to inability to hold down a job and failure to provide for your family. There is a way that the world works. You see, it is not just that sin is wrong, although it is. Sin is also destructive.

Our big problem is that even if we can observe how things work, we so often fail to apply the knowledge we gain. We need Jesus. He is the one who can give us harmony with God, which will lead to harmony in our relationships and safe passage through daily life in the world around us. That leads to the final reason to marry Wisdom.

Marry Wisdom Because Jesus Gives Abundant and Eternal Life

Proverbs 8:32-36

Wisdom finishes her sermon by saying, “Listen to me; those who keep my ways are happy” (v. 32). Following Wisdom is the path to blessing; neglecting Wisdom is the path to death (v. 36). Searching for and finding Wisdom is the path to life and a right relationship with God by grace (v. 35). This means that following after Wisdom—Jesus—is the path to a good life now and an eternal life later. And following after Folly will injure you now and cause you to perish later.

Who can speak like this? Who can say, if you find me, you will receive life and the grace of God? And who can say, if you fail to find me, you will die? Only Jesus could say these things. Jesus is saying you must choose. He’s saying, choosing me or not choosing me is the difference between life and death. That’s a massive claim, but then again Jesus is the Wisdom of God.

Conclusion

The old Christmas carol “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” says of Jesus,

O come Thou Wisdom from on high,

And order all things, far and nigh;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And cause us in her ways to go. (Henry Sloane Coffin)

Christianity has confessed for a long time in song what Proverbs 8 has taught us. The Wisdom of God, who ordered the cosmos and can teach us the right path, took on flesh in Bethlehem ( John 1:14). If you want to be wise in daily life—if you want to know how the world works—then you must be in a relationship with him. If you’re not walking in wisdom, it reveals an issue with Jesus in your life. Confess that to him, turn from it, and let him reorder your life like he orders the universe.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Is it surprising that Solomon wants his son and us to be attracted to and to marry Wisdom? What does this point reemphasize about Wisdom’s nature?
2. What is the significance of Wisdom crying out at the crossroads? What do both she and Folly challenge us to do?
3. The rest of Proverbs consists of Wisdom’s teaching. How does she instruct us? What does she teach us?
4. Being in relationship with Wisdom is a package deal. Who are some of her “associates” she will bring with her?
5. Wisdom also teaches what to avoid. What are some things that Wisdom hates?
6. Solomon teaches that Wisdom rewards those who are in relationship with her. How are these rewards better than riches?
7. How does Proverbs 8:22-31 elevate Wisdom’s description beyond just a poetic device? Who does this section reveal Wisdom to be?
8. Because Wisdom assisted Yahweh in creating the world, what does she have to share now with humanity?
9. How is Wisdom the mediator between God, humanity, and the world?
10. Proverbs 8:35-36 says that Wisdom is the path to God, and neglecting Wisdom is the path to death. What New Testament passage does this recall? Who can speak like this?