Living Wisdom
“Wisdom calls aloud outside (in the street); she raises her voice in
the open squares. She cries out in the chief (top of the walls; Vg. the
head of multitudes) concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city
she speaks her words: ‘How long, you simple (naive) ones, will you love simplicity (naiveté)? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate
knowledge, turn at my rebuke; surely I will pour my SPIRIT on you; I
will make my words known to you. But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
and will be secure (at ease), without
fear of evil.’ “Does not wisdom cry out, and
understanding lift up her voice? She takes her stand on the top of the high
hill (lit. heights), beside the way,
where the paths meet. She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, at
the entrance of the doors: ‘To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to
the sons of men. O you simple (naive)
ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart. Listen,
for I will speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my
lips will come right things; for my mouth will
speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the
words of my mouth are with
righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all
plain to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. Receive my
instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for
wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may
desire cannot be compared with her. I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find
out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride
and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine,
and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers
decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth
(MT, Syr., Tg., Vg., righteousness;
LXX, Bg., some mss. and editions earth).
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me. Riches
and honor are with me, enduring riches and righteousness. My
fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and my revenue
than choice silver. I traverse (walk
about on) the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice, that
I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their
treasuries. The Lord possessed
me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I have been
established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an
earth. When there were no depths I was brought
forth, when there were no fountains abounding with
water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought
forth; while as yet He had not made the earth or the fields (outer places), or the primal dust (Lit. beginning of the dust) of the world. When
He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on
the face of the deep, when He established the clouds above, when He
strengthened the fountains of the deep, when He assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out
the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him as a
master craftsman (a Jewish tradition one
brought up); and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always
before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with
the sons of men. Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for
blessed are those who keep
my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed
is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts
of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from
the Lord; but he who sins
against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.’ Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven
pillars; she has slaughtered her meat, she has mixed her wine, she has also
furnished (arranged) her table. She
has sent out her maidens, she cries out from the highest places of the city,
‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’ As for him who lacks understanding,
she says to him, ‘Come eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake
foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding. The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the HOLY ONE is
understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will
be added to you.’” (Proverbs 1:20-23, 33; 8:1-36; 9:1-6, 10-11) Study Job 28.
This is not a doctrine of the
church but a reality of the Kingdom of GOD. We know little if anything about Angels and the
Spirits of GOD, what we need to stop doing is making doctrine about
them, thank our Heavenly Father for them and seek GOD about how we
should interact with them. Like, what Proverbs is about, that GOD’s wisdom is a
living SPIRIT and we need to be seeking it, learning from it, and
living in the knowledge and understanding we receive from it. This coupled with
the gift of discerning of Spirits from the SPIRIT of GOD (The HOLY SPIRIT) will enable us to obey and fulfill the purpose and
call of GOD for our life.
I believe that the seven SPIRITS of GOD are the HOLY SPIRIT, the
biggest problem for believers is to be able to know, love and serve GOD without
understanding Him. We are always trying to understand what, who, why and how GOD is; GOD is one yet
triune, JESUS CHRIST is the Son of GOD and the Son of Man and the Living WORD, HOLY SPIRIT dwells in
every believer and moves throughout the whole earth. The Creator of everything
is our Heavenly Father, all creation exists within Him and He dwells within all
creation. GOD knows everything, sees everything, hears everything
and judges everything. GOD has dozens of names that we know Him by that try to
describe Him for us. STOP! GOD tells us that we cannot understand Him, “For My
thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your
thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 But He tells us that we can know Him, that we are His
righteousness in CHRIST JESUS, that we are to be Holy as He is HOLY, that we are
to be conformed to the image of CHRIST and have the Mind of CHRIST (2 Peter 1:1-4; Colossians
1; Philippians 2:1-18, 3:8-11). How is this accomplished? By faith (trust) and
obedience, that’s it!
Wisdom is one of the seven SPIRITs of the LORD; Isaiah
11:1-2, “There shall come forth a Rod (Shoot)
from the stem (stock or trunk) of
Jesse, and a Branch shall grow (be
fruitful) out of his roots. The SPIRIT of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the SPIRIT of wisdom
and understanding, the SPIRIT of counsel and might, the SPIRIT of
knowledge and the fear of the LORD.” “John, to the seven churches which are in Asia; ‘Grace
to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the
seven SPIRITs who are before His throne, and from JESUS CHRIST,…’ And to
the angel (or messenger) of the
church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven SPIRITs of GOD and the seven
stars…’And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices (NU, M
voices, and thunderings). Seven LAMPS of fire were burning before the throne, which
are the seven SPIRITs of GOD (M omits the).
And I looked, and behold in the midst of
the Throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders,
stood a LAMB as though it had been slain (NU. M I
saw in the midst…a LAMB standing),
having seven HORNS and seven EYES, which are the seven SPIRITs of GOD sent out into
all the earth.” Revelation 1:4-5a, 3:1, 4:5, 5:6.
Proverbs 2:10, “When Wisdom
enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul…,” For wisdom to
enter our heart it must be living because our heart and soul is our very living
eternal being. Just as we are a Spiritual being and The HOLY SPIRIT sent by the
Father lives in and through us as we yield our life to Him, so the SPIRIT of Wisdom
will enliven us with Her knowledge and understanding as we seek Her and yield
to Her instruction. In Matthew 11:19 JESUS says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and
they say, ‘Look a glutton and a winebibber (wine
drinker), a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But Wisdom is justified
by her children* (NU works).”
*KJV = “…Wisdom is justified
by her children.”, NIV = “…Wisdom is proved right by her actions.”, New Living
Translation = “…Wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it.”, NAS = “…Wisdom
is vindicated by her deeds.”1
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