Proverbs 8:18

The Bible says in Proverbs 8:18-21, “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.[19] My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.[20] I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:[21] That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” Even though wisdom is more important than riches, wisdom will lead to riches in many cases. That is because if you are wise enough to make the right decisions in your life, you will take proper care of your material possessions, and you will grow in the knowledge of the value of a dollar, and you will end up with more dollars than you had before. But even if you do not end up with more money, if you have wisdom you will end up with all the things in life that are more important than money: such as happiness, love, family, purpose, fulfillment.

The Bible says in Proverbs 8:22-31, “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.[23] I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.[24] When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.[25] Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:[26] While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.[27] When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:[28] When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:[29] When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:[30] Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;[31] Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.” These verses are talking about the importance of wisdom from the standpoint of the age of the earth. No one knows when the earth was created, we only know that it is very old indeed. The Bible makes it very clear that God created the earth. It says in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” But the Bible never tells us how old the earth is. These verses in Proverbs imply that the earth is very, very old. The point is that before God created the earth or anything on the earth, God created wisdom. God created the fact that there is wisdom and there is the lack of wisdom. It is a very old principle, you know, that you need wisdom. Therefore, seek wisdom because you need it very badly. It is a foundational principle that you need wisdom for life on this earth. Wisdom comes from God.

The Bible says in Proverbs 8:32-36, “Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.[33] Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.[34] Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.[35] For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.[36] But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” If you find wisdom, you will be blessed, you will find life, and “obtain favour of the LORD.” But as these verses in Proverbs have said over and over, you must seek wisdom from God in order to find it. That is why it says in verse 34, “watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.” Notice that it says “watching daily.” That means continually. Day in and day out for the rest of your life you look to God and say, “Please give me wisdom to understand my way, and to know what I should do.” If you do not do this, you will be harming your own soul, and you will be on a path that leads to death.

The Bible says in Proverbs 9:1-6, “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:[2] She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.[3] She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,[4] Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,[5] Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.[6] Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.” Once again we are given examples of how practical wisdom results in success and accomplishment. And once again there is an invitation to whoever needs wisdom (the simple) to come and learn. That is why we sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His teachings. That is why we pray to God and ask Him to give us wisdom. We need what only God can give to us.

The Bible says in Proverbs 9:7-9, “He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.[8] Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.[9] Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” Some people do not want to receive wisdom, neither practical wisdom nor godly wisdom. That is the teaching of the parable of the sower that Jesus gave. You sow the Word, but it might not fall on good ground. The ground that it falls upon is the person that hears it. Do not waste your time with those who do not want the truth. The truth is for those who want it, but God wants the truth to be hidden from those who do not want it. That is why Jesus taught with parables. Jesus said in Mark 4:11-12, “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:[12] That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”

Proverbs 9:9 says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” You might be wise, but you are not wise enough. You might have learned some things, but you need to learn more. You might think you know the Word of God, but there is much more that you need to learn about it, and you need the daily feeding upon it. If you are wise, then you realize that you need to learn more. The main reason to attend church services is to hear the Word of God. Let us hope you can find a place that teaches the Word of God.

The Bible says in Proverbs 9:10-11, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.[11] For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.” The first part of verse ten was stated back in Proverbs 1:7 that says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” You need to understand how to live life on this earth. That understanding is called wisdom. It refers to what should you do in each situation that comes your way. You should fear doing wrong because there is a Judge who sees all and knows all. There will be negative consequences to sin because God is in charge. If you want to have a longer life, then live a holier life.

The Bible says in Proverbs 9:12, “If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.” God wants you to learn to be comfortable in your own skin. He wants you to do right just for the sake of doing right, no matter what other people know. You might have great wisdom, but no one knows it. God knows. That is all that matters. But whether you are wise or foolish, you will experience the consequences of who you are.

One more time the Bible makes a clear warning about immorality. The Bible says in Proverbs 9:13-18, “A foolish woman is clamourous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.[14] For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,[15] To call passengers who go right on their ways:[16] Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,[17] Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.[18] But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” The emphasis in verse 18 is how foolish is the woman who is immoral, and how foolish is the man who goes with an immoral woman. The Bible is fair. It is wrong for either a man or a woman to be involved in immorality. Both are warned, instructed, and advised.

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:1, “The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” One of the Ten Commandments deals with the parent-child relationship and the responsibility is given to the child and not the parent in regards to obedience. What is one of the consequences when a child does go astray? Such a child is called “a foolish son.” Wherever that child goes, he or she takes the family name and the reputation of the parents with him or her. If you have loving parents, no one will ever love you as much as they do, except for God, and the possible exception of your spouse. And so guess who suffers when a child goes astray? God’s heart aches because He sent His own Son so that every son and daughter could get on the straight and narrow way. But the parents also suffer. Many a grieving mother has taken her tears with her to the grave because the result of bringing a child into the world was that the child went away from God and became “foolish.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:2-3, “Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.[3] The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.” There is a tremendous emptiness and purposelessness to not serving God. There are rich people who do not serve God, and therefore their lives are wasted and of no value. But the Lord makes great promises to believers. He promises to supply our needs. We do not rely on money, we rely on the Lord. Of course, the Lord gives us wisdom to understand the value of a dollar, and the need to work to earn our way. Jesus promised in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:4-5, “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.[5] He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” Just in these verses and the last couple of verses the main Biblical principles about material possessions are stated. We saw the spiritual side of material things where God promises to take care of those who follow Jesus. No matter how dark it gets, God is always there with His plan in motion. The Bible also emphasizes the practical side to having your needs met. It is called work. Work is spiritual because it comes from God. Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work.” It also says in the New Testament, “They that do not work, do not eat.” It also says in Proverbs 6:6, “Go to the ant thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” Once God has given you an opportunity to abound, you might want to realize an important truth about life that includes the gaining of material possessions: life has its ups and downs. If you have an abundance coming in, it may not last forever. Save while you can because the day may come when you will need what you have saved. That is part of what is being referred to in Proverbs 10:5 when it says, “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son.” It is a willingness to do the work when it needs to be done, and the result is that material things can be stored up for later use.

The Bible is a great book: filled with spiritual and practical wisdom. Turn to Jesus while you have time and learn to benefit from the book.

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