A Study in Proverbs Chapters 08-09

In our analogy, Proverbs is the story of a young person maturing in his faith. The young man is ready to go to college. The school of Wisdom and the school of fools bid for his application.

In chapters 8 & 9, Solomon writes two great poems.

The poem in chapter 8 is written like a speech. The speaker is the woman called Wisdom. In this case, she represents the Bride of Christ.  She has a message everyone should listen to, the message of salvation.

The final great poem is chapter 9. This poem contrasts the woman called Wisdom, against another woman, called ‘The Foolish Woman’. Both women invite the simple people to a meal. If you accept the right invitation, then you will live. If you accept the other invitation, then you will die.

Chapter 8

Verses 1-3 – Christ  (Wisdom) woos us through His Holy Spirit. He, in effect, cries out to us, urgently making us aware of our need for Him.

Verses 4-7 – No matter who you are, Jew or Gentile, God’s message is for you. He is not a respecter of persons.

Verses 8-9 – Whenever we think we know more than God, we need to realize that He is right and we are wrong. If we are in Him, we know that.

Verses 10-11 – “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give to you.” What Peter had was the message of salvation. The lesson of salvation is more precious than gold or rare stones.

Verses 12-21 – Wisdom (Christ) is all knowing. He is always right. He loves us. He bestows on us the gift of salvation that will last forever. His work (the finished work at the cross of Calvary) will last forever.

Verses 22-31 – Christ was there when the world was created. He is the eternal I AM. He was there at the covenants God made (referenced here by the rainbow of the Noahaic Covenant. Christ was the one who did all of this. This is a precursor to John 1:1ff.

Verses 32-36 – Keep Christ’s commands (the New Covenant commands of proper love for God, neighbor and self), and you will be content in your soul. When you find Wisdom (Christ) you find life. If you don’t love Christ, you love death and that will be the payment for your sin.

Chapter 9:1-12

Verses 1-3 – God’s house is beyond our imaginations. He has built a place there for you.

Verses 4-6 –  God’s invitation is to those who are not so arrogant that they think they have no need for Him. He invites anyone to partake of the banquet of salvation.

Verses 7-9 – The world will not easily accept God’s gift, and if they don’t want it, there is no reason to “hound” them about it. Present the gospel to a person willing to hear it, and he will love you for it and will become wiser with age.

Verse 10 – We began by learning that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Now we learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. When we come to Christ, the first thing we must recognize is the greatness and sovereignty of God. We must recognize that sin separates us from Him and that if we want His eternal life we must place our trust in His Wisdom. His Wisdom is Christ.

Once we come to Christ, we must grow in Him, just as the young man in Proverbs is growing. Wisdom (Christ) cares for us. He offers a real reward: Eternal Life in Him.