10“Take my instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
11“For wisdom is better than jewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.
12“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And I find knowledge and discretion.
13“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.
14“Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, power is mine.
15“By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16“By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
17“I love those who love me;
And those who diligently seek me will find me.
18“Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring wealth and righteousness.
19“My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than choicest silver.
In looking at this next section, I’m reminded how little I know of Scripture combined with how little I know of Him. Surrounded by a culture and a world who prizes getting more stuff only to often have the stuff consume you to the neglect of other people and other things. Looking at the first verse in this segment be “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price.” I have a picture from the apple orchard at Silvercreek my family and I went to this past weekend. Though each of us has our favorite, the fact remains, they’re all apples and all have a distinct purpose to the picker. Much like the church, we each have our own distinctive purpose in the unfolding of the plan of God. But we must be present to enjoy His use!
If I meditate even on that small verse, I immediately find that I do not treasure nor value the Scripture as I ought. If indeed I was given the choice between becoming independently wealthy or being given a steadfast promise that the Word of God would always be available, I’m not sure that at all times I would choose the Scriptures! Perhaps therein we can see our struggle unless we can see something of lesser value thrust in or visual field!
Carrying on in verse 10b I read “…And knowledge rather than choicest gold.” Now just as we had said before, knowledge is the awareness of wisdom and the context in which wisdom works. Thus, to be made aware of the wonders and greatness of God, then the knowledge of God should bring about worship of Him and an adoration for those who are His own. It is a clear and concise choice that must be made 1000 times over because our flesh and our world is literally hell-bent on choosing the temporary over the eternal. Why settle for a Twinkie when you have the eternal feast laying before you!
Next in verse 11 I find “For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.” Consider this, all desirable things leveed against every desire on earth cannot compare with wisdom. Whether you are an oil baron in the mid-west looking for oil in the hot Texas sun or a German automaker designing the next hit VW automobile, all this is commendable. But these vocations pail in the light of learning more of Who Jesus Christ is and how much He loves those for Whom He gave Himself to die.
In verse 12 we read of these virtues “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion.” Catch the meaning, the Lord dwells with prudence. The wisdom afforded in the Lord’s counsel will by its very action and activity cause your life to be known by prudence, knowledge and discretion. How often I have prayed for knowledge and discretion. All along not realizing that to live with prudence (עָרְמָ֑ה only used 3 times in Scripture) it follows that knowledge and discretion will be found. Ah the wisdom and fear of the Lord!
Next in verse 13 we have “13“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.” The fear of the Lord is one who because of the fear and respect of Him hates evil. Note it does not say hates the individual who is sinning but rather hates the evil that is being done. In that we are all sinners, we are all in need of the forgiveness and grace of God, and we are all hell-bound apart from Him, our only hope is to return to Him!
The in verse 14 we read, “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.” To be sure I would make some of my philosophy compatriots argue, but God Himself says “counsel is mine”, “sound wisdom (is mine)”, “I am understanding”, “power is mine.” In short, if you’re looking for virtue, look to Me! Before we revile at the notion, consider that the only perfect being in the universe just effectively said, “worship Me, for I am good.” So often in Hollywood we are met with personalities who initially we admire and ever so often come to revere. Yet this Scripture in verse 14 reminds us from Jehovah God’s own lips “I am understanding.” Elsewhere with Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
For verses 15-16 we have a “how-do” of how the rulers of earth at that time ruled. With the Babylonian, Chaldean, Sumatran, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and all other culture from then to now, the answer is the same, apart from God. Yet also in verses 15-16 we do have the blueprint of how they should rule “By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.” Notice, the text tells us that “all who judge rightly” which includes the pagan kings under that umbrella. This is not to say that they were righteous or God-fearing I my view. Instead it was a subtle way of stating for our day and age that regardless of the time or timbre of ethics, there is an ultimate Good, Jehovah God, and an ultimate bad, sin. Before parsing to see what side your decision will fall on, remember, you and your life must surrender to Jesus or else you are hell-bound and all decisions contained in your life are attempting to be used to run from God!
In verse 17 the author writes “I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.” Praise the Lord that His mercy endures to today. The author states that He loves those who love Him. Just as Jeremiah recorded “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart (Jer. 29:13).” Furthermore, Jesus says “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28).”
Approaching the close for today “18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness.” Consider the value of investing in something that lasts forever! Today a diamond is one of the most precious gifts you can give. But, this is worth more than the largest diamond in the world! God has wealth and value that we can attain in learning what it means to love Him more, love others more, and more importantly be loved by Him more! Not how to do more, act more, or discover more for Him. He knows all, sees all, is all. His desire is to be known by us for the purpose of being worshiped by us and loved by us just as He loves us!
The last verse for today “19 My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than choicest silver.” Now I have a picture of the apple selection from Silver Creek Orchard in Tyro, VA. My family and I over the past few years have frequented that spot for our apple selection. This year, although the “Granny Smith” has been our family favorite, I stumbled quite literally on a new favorite the winesap. The interesting flavor of the winesap is that although it initially gives the clear, crisp, tart flavor of a granny smith, it smooths out into a sweet crisp bite of a red delicious.
What in the world has that got to do with Scripture? As I see it, the Scripture, particularly Proverbs, at times has a serious bite! There can be portions and sections that strike you more that offer an inviting texture! But in the same bite, they healing balm of the Savior Who loves you can gently correct the hurt and temporary harm done to you! Just as the Israelites who took a portion of Samaria in 2 Chronicles 28 did “14So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the officers and all the assembly. 15Then the men who were designated by name arose, took the captives, and they clothed all their naked ones from the spoil; and they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and gave them drink, anointed them with oil, led all their feeble ones on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers; then they returned to Samaria.”
The Lord wants to save for Himself a people from every tribe an tongue. We are told in Revelation 5:9, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Therefore, just as we here in the United States and you from where-ever you are, worship the Lord in your context and from your side of the world. We shall worship the Lord in our context until He brings us all into His marvelous presence for eternity more. Blessings as you continue, blessings as you go!
Malformation wordpress blog 