32 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. (Prov
8:32-36)
THE
BLESSINGS THAT WISDOM BRINGS
I am fairly certain that the nature of Wisdom, so far expostulated in this
Book, has not escaped the loving understanding of the Reader. It is a kind of
Wisdom, the depths of which, only the truly devout Christian disciple can
fathom. It places us in a sure relationship with a great virtue of God – that
of wisdom in all things. Though Wisdom entails sacrifice for its own sake, joy
always follows in its wake. Remember the summer labors of the ants to collect
and store food for the winter? They labored hard during summer, but their
cupboards were full of provisions when the winter gales blew over their earthen
homes. What of the happy-go-lucky grasshopper who chose fun and pleasure over
work during the best months of summer? He began with a false joy, and ended in
misery and want in the coldest months. The employment of Wisdom in all that we
undertake will often dictate a delay of rest until the time is right; then, we
shall enjoy that kind of bliss and rest in our latter days that could not have
been possible had we not employed Wisdom.
Our present days of health and heartiness should be marked by an adherence to
the ways of Wisdom. It is not wise to wait until the morning of departure to
pack your bags for a long voyage. (An occasion on which I have often failed to
observe Wisdom) While life remains and seed time and harvest continue, we must
labor to build our spiritual homes on the Rock of Christ and Wisdom. A great
American writer, Mr. Henry van Dyke, once said: "What you possess in
the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else, but
what you are will be yours forever." I read of the death
of a renowned man of wealth who passed away as one lost in his sins. A neighbor
asked his brother, "Well George, what did William leave behind?" The
response was, "He left it ALL!" I hope no Reader of
this devotion will leave it ALL behind. I hope he will carry with him before
God those riches of love and kindness, honesty and service befitting a prince
or princess of the High King. 32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O
ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. The ways of
Wisdom are the ways of God, for Wisdom is His Handmaiden.
The sense of hearing, next to sight, is our most valuable possession. There is
an old adage that says, "Seeing is believing." But this falls short
of the clear counsel of Holy Writ. Hearing can reveal many mysteries that sight
would fail to do. 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their
sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
(Romans 10:17-18) The preaching of the Gospel has gone around the world,
yet, how many have truly believed. It is likely that many in underdeveloped
countries have professed faith, not out of true belief, but out of want for the
food that the missionary offers. Hearing is not the END of faith, but the
beginning. Wisdom sounds the clarion throughout the beloved land: 33 Hear
instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Hearing the
instruction and efficacious Gospel is a beginning step, but the next step must
also be taken – "…be wise, and refuse it not!"
In order to hear, we must place our ears in an opportune place to acquire the hearing
….. perhaps a remote country church or a public street corner where some good
saint has the courage to preach the Gospel. Secondly, we must employ the Wisdom
necessary to understand. Simply hearing, without meditation and reflection,
will not suffice. Once we have heard and understood, we must follow through
with the faith that hearing imparted to us.
We must be in love with Wisdom as a young person with his or her sweetheart. We
must hang on every word, every gesture, and every step. 34 Blessed
is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of
my doors. Did you get the full depth of this verse, Sunday-only
Bible scholars? We are not simply blessed at the hearing of Wisdom's soft and
loving voice, but by taking the counsel to heart, by DAILY watching at her
gates and door posts (daily Bread from the Holy Bible).
Do you see that Wisdom is also love? Waste not, want not! Love toward God and
our fellows survives death and leads to life eternal. 35 Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is
written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:35-39) Now you have heard the true counsel of Wisdom, do you accept
and believe it? As the Proverb tells us: 35 For whoso
findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.
Wisdom teaches us to obey God's Commandments – not simply as a duty, but as a
benefit to us also. All disobedience goes against the Creative Wisdom of God.
He created men to have personal property that is safe. To steal from others
makes private property uncertain in society. God created one man for one woman.
Any other arrangement such as adultery, fornication, or perversions of
homosexuality defy God's creative model. So we gain favor of the Lord in wise
obedience.
Doesn't this last verse of chapter 8 bear out the truth of the preceding verse?
36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they
that hate me love death. Here is profound truth that summarizes the
wisdom taught in this chapter. Do you believe that all of those who press for
euthanasia and abortion are true Christians? Absolutely not! Those who hate God
hate life also. They are pawns of Satan who, falling from his first estate,
cannot rest until he believes that he can destroy the man that God placed in
the Garden. Another means of accomplishing his goal is by means of stifling the
fountain of life through promotion of homosexual unions. Destroy the
family, and you will have destroyed the man that God has made.
