Wisdom is Power
Proverbs 8:12-36
September 14-15, 2024
Proverbs is a book of wisdom. It is the kind of wisdom that is meant to be applied, meant to be lived. It is wisdom that touches on the whole of life, every topic, every aspect of life. It speaks of finances, relationships, work, work ethic, marriage, decisions, attitudes, justice, on and on, every aspect, the whole of life, but the wisdom of proverbs is also meant not only to be applied in the finances or the marriage or whatever but it's also meant to transform you, to transform your heart and your character. In other words, God's wisdom is more than just a set of nuggets of truth.
You could memorize nuggets of truth on flashcards and yet never be transformed by them. I remember when I was in Bible college I was all into flashcards. We had to memorize so much in such a short amount of time. Oh my, we had stacks. I had stacks of flashcards. I was the master of flashcards. I was a flashcard whisperer. Literally, I'd be in line whispering these flashcards, but here's the thing. Yes, it helped me get good grades, but God's wisdom is meant to go much deeper than good grades. God's wisdom is meant to give you a good heart, a good character, and a transformed soul.
See, learning something by rote will not transform you unless it is written on your heart and then lived in the life. That's when it will transform you, written as a tablet on your heart and then lived in the life. Leader, for example, in the history of Israel, God speaks against Israel, particularly the leaders of Israel, because they learned and taught religion traditions by rote. They memorize religious tradition, but their hearts were not transformed by it. In fact it says, the very time that they were memorizing religious tradition by rote they were harboring all manner of evil in their hearts, and God says, no, you turn this thing around.
This is Isaiah 29:13-16. Then the Lord said, "Because this people they draw near with their words." Yes, they draw near with their words, and they honor me, yes, with lip service, but they removed their heart far from me, and notice this phrase, and their reverence for me consists of tradition learned by rote. Therefore, the wisdom of the wise men will perish. The discernment of their discerning men will be concealed, interesting phrase. That the reverence for me consists of. Tradition learned by rote, which brings really an interesting question.
Well, what does reverence consist of? What does your, what does my reverence for God consist of? Well, God reveals His heart and His character through his wisdom so that when you store up the wisdom of God like a treasure, that good treasure in your heart then will be seen in how you live your life. The words that proceed from your lips. Can you imagine if the words that you spoke were informed by the wisdom of God? Well, it would change what we say. It surely would. If the words that came from our lips were informed by the wisdom of God I tell you what, it would be gloriously transforming our words.
It ought to be lived in the life. It ought to change the way we speak. It ought to transform how we treat people around us. In fact, Jesus said, "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good." It's like Proverbs 4:23, "Watch over your heart with all diligence," watch over your heart, "for from it flow the springs of life." Here's the thing, the more you live by that good treasure the more that you are transformed by it so that not only do you have wisdom, you become wise. See the difference?
There's a great difference between having wisdom and becoming wise. You can have wisdom by memorizing flashcards, but when you choose to walk according to that wisdom, when you choose to live that wisdom out in the everyday life then you're transformed by it. That wisdom will transform you. See, here's the thing. There are many decision points in life. How many decisions do we make in life? Thousands upon thousands and thousands. At every decision point, you have to decide what to do, which way to turn, what to say, how to move, and when you see God's wisdom at each of those turning points in life, and then choose to move by that wisdom, you are decision by decision, point by point being transformed, you are becoming wise.
Wisdom is transforming you, and there are many aspects of that to illustrate. For example, a young pastor, fresh out of seminary, received his first assignment to minister in a small rural town. When he arrived he was wanting to get acquainted with the town and the people. So he's walking about the town, getting acquainted, and one day he noticed an old woman and notice that she was a very embittered woman. He could tell right away. She was bittered and he was intrigued, wanting to know her story.
He began to ask if he could know her story, and someone said, well, it's a sad story. When she was young she was engaged to be married and her fiancé ran off with her best friend, but she couldn't let go. She just could not let go. Now here she is all these years later, an old, bitter woman. The pastor realized this is a life lesson because he understood what had happened. She understandably was hurt, devastated by what happened. Now, it's understandable, but then she chose to hold onto it, continued to choose to not forgive, and then she chose not to forgive, and then she chose not to forgive.
She's just going to hold on to this, and then she chose not to forgive, and then she chose not to forgive until she didn't have to choose it anymore. She just became it. She just became bittered woman. She was transformed by the unforgiveness. Now, similarly, one day, the disciple Peter asked Jesus, he said, "Lord, how many times, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Now, as I mentioned, I think that Peter thought that Jesus was going to commend him because the culture of the day was three strikes and you're out.
I think Peter was thinking that Jesus was going to say, oh, Peter, I always knew you were the great one. Seven times. Oh, that's amazing. Jesus said, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but I say to you up to 70 times seven." That is 490 times. Now, did Jesus expect Peter to keep account of how many times he forgave? You would need an app for that, The Unforgiveness App, so that you can keep track like, oh, go. You've done it again. Oh, you know what? You know what? That's 412 times I've forgiven you. No, that's not the idea. The idea is that you would forgive because God's word says that God's heart is to forgive, and so you choose it, and then you choose to forgive again, and then you choose to forgive again, and then you choose it again, and then you choose to forgive again, that's five, and then you choose to forgive again, and then you choose to forgive again. That's seven.
We're going to be here a while, and then you choose to forgive again, and then you choose to forgive again, until you have forgiven so much that you don't have to choose it anymore. You have become forgiving. It's who you are. The forgiving has transformed you. The same issue with wisdom. When you choose to walk by that wisdom, when you choose to let God's wisdom inform the words that you speak, and when you choose that wisdom at every decision point in life, it will transform you into a person who is wise. Wisdom is not just something to choose. It is something to become. That's what Proverbs 8 is all about. It reveals that transforming power of God's wisdom. Counsel is mine, sound wisdom is mine, understanding is mine says wisdom, and power is mine. Wisdom is power. That's what we're going to see when we read these verses. Let's read it when in Proverbs 8, we begin verse 12. As I mentioned, we'll look at the other verses around this at the Wednesday verse by verse service.
Proverbs 8:12, "I, wisdom." Now, wisdom is presented here personified as if wisdom is speaking to you. "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence. I find the knowledge and discretion for the fear of the Lord is to hate evil." Now again, the the fear of the Lord is better translated the revering of the Lord, the honoring of the Lord in your soul, a better word. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate. Now this is a very important and good verse. Wait, what a perspective. It's like wisdom is speaking. "Pride in arrogance, can't stand it. The evil way, I detest it. The perverted mouth, the mouth that speaks perverted things, I can't stand it. I detest it," says wisdom.
"Because counsel is mine. Sound wisdom is mine. I am understanding and power is mine. By me king's reign. By me rulers decree justice. By me prince's rule and nobles and all who judge rightly." Verse 17 is amazing, "For I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me will find me. Riches and honor are with me. Enduring wealth and righteousness are with me. My fruit is better than gold. Yes, even purest gold. My yield is better than the choices of silver. For I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice to endow those who love me with wealth, that I may fill their treasuries. The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his way before his works of old."
He's speaking now of the grandeur and the power and the glory, the greatness of wisdom, "From everlasting, I was established. From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth, when there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no springs, abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth. While he had not yet made the earth and the fields nor the first dust of the earth, when he established the heavens, I was there. When he inscribed a circle in the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when the springs of the deep became fixed, when he set for the sea's boundary so that the water shall not transgress his command. When he marked out the foundations of the earth, that I was beside him. I was the master workman, and I was daily his delight. Rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having my delight in the sons of men."
I. Wisdom will Keep You from Falling
Then glorious grand conclusion. Having said all of that, that the greatness of wisdom, He then says in verse 32, "Now therefore, sons or daughters, listen to me. For blessed are they who keep my ways, heed instruction, and be wise and do not neglect it. For blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorpost, for he who finds me, finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. He who sins against me only injures himself. All those who hate me, apparently love death." Now, these are great words, amazing words of deep wisdom, much to be applied to our lives. I'd like to start with this. Wisdom would keep you from falling. Now, there are several great themes that run through the book of Proverbs. One of those that we've seen even in these verses here, is that the wisdom of God is of more profit than silver. That the gain from wisdom is greater than the gain that comes from gold. A wonderful truth.
There's another great theme that is also running through the Proverbs, and that is that wisdom will keep you from falling. Now, he shows you the contrast also, that wisdom will build your house. Wisdom will strengthen the pillars of your life. Notice Proverbs 9:1, "Wisdom has built your house and she has hued out her seven pillars." Seven pillars is the strength of the construction of the thing. On the portico are great pillars, strong, strong constructed house. His point is wisdom builds, builds, always building, but those who falter, those who fall, destroy it all in a moment. What takes years to build can be destroyed at one foolish moment. How quickly can something be destroyed? In a moment, that which takes years to build.
You got to lay a foundation. You want to build something, you want to build a construction or whatever, you got to lay the foundation. You got to get the engineering. You got to get the architectural plans, and you lay a foundation, and then you pour your footings, and then you start to lay down your posts and your beams, and then you get your boards and you got to get the squared corners just right. You want everything to be leveled and everything set in its right order, and stick by stick and brick by brick, day by day. You build a little, build a little, until one day you have something that took years to build. Then in one foolish moment, it's all smashed. If you take all the wisdom, wisdom will keep you from falling into the trap of the enemy. It will keep you from destroying your life in one senseless moment. That's why it's such a great value. See, one of the great aspects of wisdom that I have been emphasizing over and over is that wisdom predicts the outcome. Wisdom can see, it predicts.
Wisdom can see with open eyes that reaping that will come from that which you sow. Hey, if I sow this, I will reap that. I want to reap that, so I will sow this. This is wisdom. Those who fall into a trap, walk into it blindly because they lack the wisdom to see. They just walk into it blindly. "It's a trap. It's a trap. Can't you see it's a trap?" They cannot see. They just walk into like, "It's a trap. It's a trap. Can't you see it's a trap?" Here's a great proverb, Proverb 1:17-18. It's a little bit actually humorous, but it's a great verse. I love this one, "Indeed it is useless to spread a net in the eyes of any bird." See, this is how they would catch birds in those days. They would spread a net and try to capture the bird in the net. He's saying, "Hey, you don't set the net out right in front of the bird because even a bird can see what you're doing." It's like if the bird could talk, the bird would be like, "You realize I can see you, right? You realize I can see there's a net there." He says, "Even a bird can see that there's a net there, but a sinner cannot." Sinners ambush their own life. They just walk right into it blindly. It's a trap, it's a trap. That's why he gives this perspective, notice honor God and you will despise evil. Verse 13, "The fear of the Lord is to despise evil. Pride and arrogance, the evil way perverted mouth I hate." Now this is such a very important verse. See again the word fear here better translated the revering of-- the honoring of the Lord God out of the beautiful soul that delights in the Almighty. This is the foundation of wisdom, God's wisdom.
A. Honor God and you will despise evil
Out of that soul that's right with God, out of that soul that honors God, you have a perspective. The fear of the Lord is to despise evil. Pride, arrogance, evil says I can't stand pride in arrogance. The evil way I detest that, perverted mouth I can't stand it. The men, the woman who abides in God's wisdom says, me too. Pride, arrogance, I don't abide with it either. The evil way, I detest it. Perverted mouth, no. I have no regard for the perverted mouth says the one who has God's wisdom, because you've seen you have eyes to see.
See when God has done a work of revival, personal, glorious, revival. That which is beautiful in your soul opens your eyes to the ugliness of sin and evil. Sin and evil is ugly. Anybody agree? The nature of it is ugly. It's all in how you see. It's all in the perspective of how you see. Sin blinds the eyes of the heart, but God's glory and God's presence opens the eyes, and you see what you did not see before. You understand what you did not understand before.
Notice for example what Paul wrote the great prayer written in Ephesians 1:17-18 one of the great prayers of Paul. He says, "I pray that the Father of glory." Now there you go. I love that phrase, the Father of glory. He's emphasizing glory. I tell you if we only understood glory you would be amazed at glory. I pray that the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation. What is revelation? Is the revealing of that which is hidden. I pray that the Father of glory would give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation. May you can see what is hidden to most people's eyes.
Most people cannot see what those who walk in the presence of the Almighty can see. You see what you did not see before. You understand what you didn't understand before. Is it possible that a person can be changed? Is it possible that a person can be transformed? Is that possible? Yes, it's very possible. How? How is a person transformed? Because they see what they did not see. I didn't see that before, because they understand what they did not understand.
Now I see, now I understand. I didn't see that before. God is opening your eyes. He says I pray that the eyes of your heart may open so that you will know the hope of his calling and hear the riches of his glory. Here we are again, the riches. Oh if you can only see the richness of his glory, of his inheritance in the state, and the surpassing greatness of his power toward those who believe, it would transform you. Because then you could see the ugliness of sin.
Most people are blind, but now you can see. What are the most my favorite illustrations to make this point? I've used it before but it's so great to use this illustration to make this point. It's like a person who is colorblind. They see all their life in grays and whatnot. Then for their birthday, so the family gets all together and gives them these glasses, EnChroma glasses that allows a person who's colorblind to see in color. They have the birthday party and, oh, here's your birthday gift, and it's about the size of a shoebox.
He opens it and it looks like sunglasses. He's like, oh, well, thank you. You gave me sunglasses, how nice as if I couldn't buy them myself, but thank you. No, no. Put them on. Yes, I will do that later. No, no, we insist, put them on. Of course, they know the balloons, and reds, and blues, and bright reds, and yellows, and they're all dressed in colors? He says, okay, okay. He takes them and is like, is this the way you see? Yes, this is the way we see. Is this life? This is the way it is? Yes, this is the way it is. This is life. I had no idea. Then, of course, the tears.
Then they go outside, oh, look at the sky, and look at the trees and flowers, I had no idea. What a great illustration. God opened your eyes. I had no idea. God's beauty, God the glory. I had no idea. Many people don't think in such ways. David did. David said, ne thing I have asked of the Lord and that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty. That's one thing I want. One thing I ask above all things that I could behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his temple. David knew it.
See when you see the beauty of God's glory and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty, you are amazed, but then you see the contrast, and then you can see the ugliness of sin. That's the point of the treasure of wisdom. Those who honor God, those who revere God despise evil. You despise evil because now you can see what it does, that it hurts people that God loves. That it destroys people. That's why wisdom despises it. God loves these people. This evil thing is destroying them, it hurts people, and now you can see it too.
It hurts people, people whom God loves. It only destroys. It's like Romans 6:21. What a great verse this is? What benefit did you gain from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. Notice by the way that perspective, the outcome of those things, wisdom sees the outcome. Wisdom can predict the outcome. What benefit did you gain? When you revere in honor of God, you can see that the outcome of sin is ugly. That if there is no gain only loss that comes from those things of which you're now ashamed, the outcome is death.
See that verse looks back, doesn't it? It looks backward. What benefit did you gain? Well, looking back now, I can see it did not gain. I gained nothing. I'm ashamed actually. The outcome I didn't gain anything, it was death. It didn't end well at all. You see, you're looking back. Wisdom can look forward. This is the power of wisdom. This is the treasure of wisdom. It can look forward. I know because God's wisdom has informed me that this thing that I'm about to consider, this thing that I'm pondering, what is this going to do? What is the outcome of this? If I do this thing that I'm pondering, there is no gain, there is no benefit, only loss, only death, and only shame.
I don't want loss, I don't want death, I don't want shame. I'm not doing this thing because I want glory. I want that which God desires in my life, that's what I want. I want that which God will do in my life. I can see now when I look forward, the outcome that I want is God's glory. Those things that used to bring me shame, I want nothing to do with because I can see where they go, I can see there's no gain in them at all. I want glory. Amen. Can we give God praise? I want glory. Amen. Amen.
That's why He then says, "Make wisdom your intimate friend." Now, this is a key. This is how wisdom will keep you from falling. We read this last Wednesday, Proverbs 7:1-5, "My son, my daughter, keep my words, treasure my commandments within you. Keep my commandments and live, keep my teaching as the apple of your eye. Notice, bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, you are my sister. Call understanding your intimate friend." What a great perspective. Make wisdom your friend, your intimate friend.
B. Make wisdom your intimate friend
Then it says, "That they may keep you from the seductress, from the foreigner who flats with her words." This is the key. If you make wisdom your intimate friend, in other words, a friend who will help you, wisdom your intimate friend will keep you from falling into the trap that so many have fallen into. Here is a scheme of the enemy. Let me give you a scheme of the enemy, an insight into a scheme. What does the word insight means? That you can see in insight into a scheme. If you know the scheme, then you can thwart it and it's this. If he can keep you trapped in the flesh, if he can keep you in the bondage of sin, even secret sins, he will have kept you from being effective.
One of the schemes, one of the strategies of the enemy is to keep you from being effective, to keep you from being powerful, to keep you from having purpose, to sideline you. You're not in the fight anymore because he has drained you of all spiritual power, and you have been reduced to a loaf of bread. You have fallen into his trap. There's a spiritual nature to the warfare. Notice what the enemy would say, why don't you sit in the corner and have fun with that thing that I pleasured you with while I have my way with your family? Right away you say, oh, no. Don't you touch my family.
That's the scheme of the enemy. Go sit in the corner, be sidelined, be ineffective. I'll reduce you to a loaf of bread. Don't worry, I'll handle it. You sit in the corner, be pleasured by that thing while I have my way with your family. Right away, any lion starts to arise. Don't you touch my family. You start to arise in power, you begin to arise, you desire that God will strengthen you in the inner man, you desire that you would become a lion under the great lion who would become effective and make a difference in this world.
That is what God wants you to do with Godly wisdom and Godly men and women who will arise in that wisdom. Amen. Can we give God praise and glory? Amen. See, if you make wisdom your intimate friend, that friend will help you. That friend will guide you. That friend will watch over you and will speak into your heart. Notice Proverbs 6:22, "When you walk about, they will guide you. When you sleep, they'll watch over you. When you'll awake, they'll talk to you." Wisdom, the wisdom of God will inform your heart.
Isaiah 30:20-21, "Your eyes will behold your teacher and your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in this way," when you turn to the right or to the left that intimate friend will speak." Let me give you insight into this thing. Let me show you this thing. Now you can see what others cannot see. You have wisdom and now you'll arise and now you'll be strengthened. Such is the power of wisdom. Then it says, "Love wisdom and wisdom will love you."
II. Love Wisdom and Wisdom will Love You
Notice Verse 18, "I love those who love me and those who diligently seek me will find me. Riches and honor are with me. Enduring wealth and righteousness are with me." See in other words, if you love wisdom, wisdom will love you back by endowing you with the gain of wisdom. It will come back to you. You love wisdom, wisdom will love you and will endow unto you the gain of wisdom. It comes back to you. Now, there are many people who hear those verses and they latch onto a certain part. Did you say something about riches? Did you say something about wealth? I'm into that part. Yes, talk about that part. Talk about that part.
In fact, it says later, "I endow those who love me with wealth that I may fill their treasuries." Yes, talk about that. I'm sure you can imagine how this verse could be misunderstood and misapplied. See, there are those who seek wealth and riches above all things. It is their greatest desire. Why? Well, because they think that wealth and riches will make them happy. May I say, they miss the point? In fact, may I even say you could not have missed a point more, you missed the point entirely. See, what he's speaking of is the one who reveres God, the one who honors God first and foremost. The one in whom God has done a work, a glorious work of revival.
See, the true wealth of a person is not measured by his possessions or the value of his financial accounts. The true wealth of a man is measured by his spiritual stature and the spiritual riches contained in his character. The true wealth is measured by that. The spiritual riches contained in his character, and I can prove it to you. If you desired to leave a posterity to your children, that which would benefit them most in life, what would you leave as a posterity to your children?
You want to benefit them most, which would benefit them more, Godly wisdom and character or heaps of gold and silver? Gold and silver without Godly wisdom and character will destroy your children. But Godly wisdom will give them a foundation that will reap benefits for the rest of their lives. Anybody agree with me? Can we give God praise? It's a glorious important point. This verse is about the man who loves wisdom of God, who honors and reveres God in his soul first and foremost, for the one whose soul is filled with God's wisdom and God's glory and delights in God's presence in his life, is already spiritually wealthy.
God's wisdom is a great treasure and God's wisdom is of greater treasure than any earthly treasure could ever be. God's wisdom is of greater treasure than any earthly treasure could ever be. By God's wisdom, the one who is Godly in wisdom, has the right understanding of the things of the earth. The one who has Godly wisdom knows that the things of the earth are not enough to satisfy the deepest longings of the soul. Proverbs 62:10, we read it before when we were in the Psalms. If riches do increase, well, don't set your heart on him.
A. There is power in wisdom
Now, this is wisdom, this is deep wisdom. If it just happens, however, it happens, that riches increase, be careful. Do not set your heart upon them, but love and revere God first and foremost, for the treasures of wisdom are greater than any treasures that this world contains. This is what he says, look there's power and wisdom. Notice verses 14 and 15, "Counsel is mine, son. Wisdom is mine. I am understanding, and power is mine. By me kings reign, by me rulers decree justice. See wisdom will give you, wisdom will give you godly counsel and son wisdom and understanding and then he says and power."
Wisdom is power. It will increase your spiritual strength. It is power. "Now sin will reduce you," it says, "to a loaf of bread. Drain you of all spiritual power." Sin will reduce and reduce and reduce. The power is mine, says wisdom, and those who abide in my wisdom will arise in that power. Power comes from God's wisdom. If you conduct the affairs of your life with the wisdom of God, wisdom will guide your heart. You will have peace in your soul.
Wisdom knows how God moves and you can move your life according to it. Wisdom knows how God moves. You must know how God moves in the circumstance of life. Wisdom believes that God will see you through the troubles and the trials and the difficulties of life. Everyone is going to have troubles and trials and difficulties. Even the one who honors the Lord, even the one who greatly delights in God's word, even the one who has godly wisdom and character abiding in his soul will have troubles but it says in the Psalms that the one who reveres God, the one in whose soul God has done this beautiful work of glory, it says this one, he does not fear bad news.
Why does he not fear bad news? Because he has a foundation on which he stands. He's got a rock on which he stands and he knows it. Because he knows how God moves. The one with God's wisdom has faith to believe that God will be with him in the midst of the troubles and the trials and the difficulties of life and that the valley of trouble is the door of hope.
In other words, the valley of trouble is the very doorway by which God will pour favor on your life. He's not afraid of bad news because he's got a rock to stand on and he knows that the valley of trouble is the doorway of hope. He knows how God moves. He's not afraid. He's strong. Power is mine. Faith is wise. Those who are wise have great faith because they know by that wisdom how God moves and they want to stand on that rock. They want to live on that rock.
B. He who finds wisdom finds life
That's why he says the grand finale of it all, he who finds wisdom finds life. Notice verses 32 to 35. Now therefore, after a grand, glorious revealing of wisdom's grandeur and power, he says, "Now therefore, O sons, O daughters, listen, listen to me. For blessed are they who keep my ways. Heed instruction." It means listen, take hold, be teachable, seek it, desire it. Heed instruction, be wise, don't neglect it. For blessed is the man who listens to me." Wisdom, your intimate friend, will speak, will inform you in every decision point you're about to make. "Blessed is the man who listens to me." That's why it's such great treasure.
How many, show of hands, how many people would say, you know what, there were things I did in my life. When I knew God said, don't do it, and I did it, and I regretted it. Show of hands. Many hands. This is wisdom. Blessed is the man who listens to me. I'll speak, I'll inform that decision with the wisdom of God, the heart of God in it.
Watch daily at my gates. Wait at the door. For he who finds me, finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. Ecclesiastes 7:12, "The excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it." Exactly so. This is because wisdom knows where life comes from. He who finds me finds life. Wisdom knows where life comes from. There are so many people that have no life. They're empty. They're searching, they're lost. They have no meaning, they have no purpose.
Where do you find it? What is this missing thing? Why is my life so empty? They don't know but he who finds the wisdom of God has found what he is searching for and his soul is satisfied, and he is at rest, and he is at peace. For he who finds wisdom, finds life, and obtains the favor of the Lord. Right. Because wisdom knows that God blesses his wisdom.
Wisdom knows. God will bless his wisdom. When you walk by that wisdom, God will bless it. Those who walk in that wisdom will abide in the shadow of the Almighty and there in the nearness of God, the hand of God's favor will reside. and rest upon the one who will walk in the greatness of that wisdom. That wisdom will make you great in the kingdom of God. He speaks of the power that comes.
Search for her. I love those who love me, says wisdom. Those who diligently seek me will find me. Do you want wisdom? Deep wisdom? God's wisdom? The wisdom that will transform you? The wisdom that will inform you so that you can see and know? Do you want wisdom like this? You don't have to go far. You don't have to go on a long journey. you don't have to climb any mountains. That wisdom, the depth of that wisdom, is as near as your desiring. It is as near as you're seeking. For those who seek me will find it. It's not hard. I give it to you freely. Come, you who have no money. Come. I give without cost. I give freely to all who want, all who seek. I give you all. It's not far. It's very near. I want wisdom like that. I want to be transformed with wisdom like that.
Father, we love you, honor you, thank you for the glorious grandeur of Your word. How you reveal to us the greatness of such wisdom. God, you say that you love those who love wisdom and that those who seek diligently will find. Oh God, that is our prayer. That is our desire. We want more. We want that wisdom that will keep us from falling. That which will bring spiritual strength and power. That which will show us that our eyes can be opened to glory.
We want wisdom like that. Church, if that is your heart and that is your desire, would you just raise your hand as a way of saying to the Lord, That's me. I want that. I want that in my life. I'm asking God. I'm seeking for that in my life. Do that in me, Lord. Father, thank you for everyone who's raised their hand and said yes. You said I could seek. Here I am. Poor life, poor wisdom. I'm asking. God, thank you for everyone who's said yes. Raised their hand and saying yes. I desire. Pour forth, God. Here I am. I seek, and those who seek will find. Father, we give you honor and glory for it all in Jesus' name. Everyone said, can we give God praise? Can we give him honor?