Proverbs 8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Our minds are capable of taking in many different things. The world has nothing good to offer us, and yet most people are stuck on taking in what the world offers. The baseball season is on now as is the football season and the hockey season will soon be starting. The new school year will soon be starting as well. These things are all distractions from that which is important. Public education is a poison to be avoided. A good home-schooling program is essential.
True churches do not take a break. They run all their services all year long. The devil never takes a break and God’s people should not do so either. God commands us to receive his instruction. It is a choice we need to make. We need to reject the noise of the world, and choose the voice of the Lord.
God’s instruction is worth more than silver. His knowledge is worth more than gold. The priority of the true child of God should not be material gain. The priority of the true child of God should be spiritual growth. Those who prioritize material gain will sacrifice spiritual truth and growth.
Verse 11 tells us that wisdom is better than rubies. I read of a grandfather who took his grandchildren to a popular U.S. tourist site. He went with the intent of looking for treasure. About a half hour after they started their search, he found a fairly large diamond. His find got into the news and the authorities were baffled with how he made that find. The U.S. has been settled for over two hundred years. How did that diamond lay there for that length of time without someone seeing it earlier?
That diamond is likely worth a fair dollar. I do not know if that man is saved or not. He would be wise to teach his grandchildren the importance of knowing the Lord. That diamond will not even make any difference to God. If he does not know the Lord, he is still going to hell.
God went on to tell us that all the things we can desire cannot be compared to God’s wisdom. There are many people who have done amazing things. Elon Musk is a wealthy man. He seems to be a fairly intelligent man as well. He knows how to hire the right people that can take his ideas and develop them into products that work and make him money. He is a fool in his moral life. He has a number of children with different women. He has been married several times. He does not know the Lord, and does not seem to have any interest in knowing him. He has his own theories, but they are worthless. It is quite amazing that such an intelligent man can be such a fool. There are many others like him. There are others who are jealous of him and wish they could get a hold of some of his money. They claim it is not right that he should have so much money. Jealousy is not a good thing. Rather than waste time envying him, the wise person wants to know the true God and know how to help others to know Him as well.
Prudence is the result of wisdom. The Hebrew word translated as “prudence” speaks of discretion. God has talked much of the strange woman thus far. The man who chases after her lacks discretion. God’s knowledge will lead to witty inventions. There are some very smart people who have invented interesting things. How did they come up with those ideas.
We know the Chinese like to steal intellectual information and then duplicate it in a cheaper way and then try to undercut the markets. Canada is foolish in trying to get closer to the Chinese and further away from the Americans. That is the result of a rejection of God. Too many Canadians lack prudence and knowledge. They support the foolishness of our current governments. It is sad to see people being so gullible. The rich, like our P.M., are laughing as they sucker people into believing their lies. They are making money off the gullible.
In verse 13 we see a key to receiving God’s wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. You cannot walk in the fear of the LORD and love evil. A sodomite does not know the fear of the LORD. An adulterer does not know the fear of the LORD. The strange woman does not know the fear of the LORD.
The fear of the LORD will cause the recipient to hate arrogance, the evil way, and the froward mouth. Notice again, it is not a matter of hating the person. It is a matter of hating the evil deeds of people. That is why a true child of God cannot support the governments of this country. That is why they will not attend a N.E. religious club. A true child of God desires truth. They are not content with lies. They do not want to waste their time with fiction and lies. Those who are saved do not like to sit and listen to lies. They do not like lies for themselves, but they also hate the fact that others are being lied to.
It is true that people need to choose for themselves. Sadly, most people have a great lack of discernment. Lost people are blinded by the lies of the devil. They find comfort in sitting and listening to liars. Topical preaching is a good way to lead people down the “garden path”. If you are not saved and spending time in God’s Word every day, you do not know the truth. Lost man will know the need of being saved. God gives man a basic understanding of Himself. God gives every man a conscience. The problem is that secular man has developed many distractions to interfere with the work of the Holy Spirit as He seeks to convince the lost of their need of salvation. It is a dangerous thing to suppress the truth.
Be careful what you tolerate. It is important to be saved. Be sure you are feeding on God’s Word every day. Spend quality time with Him. Meditate on His Word daily. You will be blessed in doing so.
Pastor Bartel