An excerpt from Chris’ book, Guided by Wisdom – Finding Wisdom for Life in God’s Word
Proverbs 8:35–36
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.
Romans 6:23
Proverbs 8 in the New King James Version is titled the “Excellence of Wisdom.” When we talk about wisdom in this context, we are not talking about reading books, getting smart, and earning good grades in school. Wisdom in this context means respect for God. Hating wisdom is saying we aren’t buying in to respecting God, our Creator. This is how we commit wrong against our own souls and are destined for death, because separating ourselves from God is the definition of sin, and sin leads to death.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
We find life through God and His Word, by believing in His Son, Jesus, and by accepting His free gifts of unconditional love, salvation, and eternal life with Him.
Denying God is saying we do not want or need the salvation Jesus provided for us through His death and resurrection, which means we turn down His offer to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life.
Proverbs 28:5
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the Lord understand all.
When we seek wisdom through our understanding of God and the study of His Word, we are given the keys, or the potential, to understanding all things. When we seek God, receive the Holy Spirit, and submit to His guidance, understanding can come through revelation. There will be times when we just know something is good, or when something is not right.
Proverbs 28 tells us an evil man can’t even understand justice. This man doesn’t know what it is to be fair or why it is reasonable to be punished for wrongdoing. What he does understand is how to come out on top and not lose, no matter the cost or sacrifice required of other people. If evil men can’t understand justice, then they cannot understand truth. Being void of truth and justice is not a foundation we want to build our success on. In the context of wisdom, success looks a lot different from the usual descriptions the world gives us.
Proverbs 24:3–4
3 Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
4 By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
It is by wisdom, the fear of God, that our house will be built and filled with riches. And what kind of riches are they? They are found in the heart, and they are precious and pleasant. The riches of an evil man come with strife, distrust, and threats attached to them. It is God who fills our hearts with what’s important; the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22–23).