Proverbs 8:1-36

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Let’s take our Bibles together and turn to the passage just read, Proverbs 8:1-36. When I was seventeen years old, I went to a college fair in Austin, Texas, and it was there that I first heard about LeTourneau University, which would eventually become the first college I attended. And as I was looking at some other schools and telling them about my interest in engineering, they pointed me towards LeTourneau. They had a booth there in this college fair. And at first, I was like, “LeTourneau, what a crazy name for a school.” But then I noticed the representative for LeTourneau. And let’s just say the woman at the LeTourneau table was not unattractive. So, I moseyed on over to her and tried to act mature like a college student, “Hi, my name is Tony, tell me about LeTourneau.” And so, she told me about the school. 

And I was totally smitten by this woman. I don’t remember what she said the rest of that first meeting, but by the end of our conversation LeTourneau had just moved to the top of my list of potential schools. And over the next few months, this representative kept calling me. And I thought we had a thing going on between us. I thought she was into me. And so, I made up my mind to go to LeTourneau. And everything was in place for me and this woman to live happily ever after.

So, when I got to school and met up with her, imagine my shock when she told me that she was engaged, and she introduced me to her fiancé. And it got me thinking at that point, was this all just an elaborate ruse to get me to go to this school, a way to boost enrollment maybe? I hate to besmirch LeTourneau’s stellar reputation, but maybe that was their enrollment strategy? 

Here’s what I do know. Some things in this life are a massive letdown. Some things are not as good as advertised: 1) The workout videos and exercise equipment, 2) The dream-vacation destination that doesn’t pan out, 3) the latest cure-all pill from the pharmaceutical company. The end result is not always what you expected. 

Other things in this life are downright deceptive. They promise you fast, easy, glorious results, but they deliver something horrid: 1) The diet pills that screw with your metabolism and your emotions, 2) The credit cards that give you instant wealth and purchasing power but leave you with a mountain of suffocating debt afterwards. 3) The evening of exquisite, passionate, adulterous lovemaking that leaves you empty, broken, and guilt-ridden afterwards. 

We saw the pitfalls of sexual sin last week in Proverbs 7—the poison that goes down smooth and then turns your stomach afterwards. There’s got to be a better way. There’s got to be something more authentic and more genuine in this world, which promises what it can deliver and then delivers it. There is. It’s called wisdom. 

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Here’s what Solomon says about “wisdom” in verse 1.

1 Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? 

2 On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; 

Notice the “her” and the “she” in these verses. This is wisdom personified once again as a “lady.” We’ve seen this before in Proverbs 1 (cf. verses 20–33). And we’ll see it next week in Chapter 9 where Lady Wisdom is contrasted with Lady Folly. Chapter 8 sets the stage for that epic showdown between wisdom and folly. 

But I also see chapter 8 as a contrast to the adulterous woman in chapter 7. The seductive adulteress, if you remember, was lurking in the shadows and hunting down the naïve simpleton. That woman was a killer and throngs of dead men were strewn out on her lawn. Remember the last verse from chapter 7: “Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death” (7:27). It was all aloes and myrrh and seduction at the beginning, but in the end, it was death. 

That woman, the adulteress, is a foil for Lady Wisdom. Lady Wisdom (as we’ll see in our passage today) supplies life not death. She doesn’t lurk in the shadows; she raises her voice at the city gates. She takes her stand at the crossroads of the city in plain sight. She offers herself freely and wholesomely to the person who listens. 

Now let’s be clear, Lady Wisdom doesn’t have the same sinful appeal as the adulteress. She might even be a little abrasive at first. And as we saw already in chapter 1, she’s got a bit of a temper if you reject her. She’s like Galadriel in Lord of the Rings. 

In verse 4 she calls men simpletons and fools. That was me at age seventeen heading off to college. I was the “simple one” (the פֶּתִי). And Lady Wisdom’s not afraid to call ‘em like she sees ‘em.

She says something like this in the book of Proverbs: “Hey you, simpleton! Fear God and don’t do stupid. Be disciplined. Be righteous. Quit fooling around with sin! Instead seek knowledge and seek understanding.” She might be abrasive at first, yet in the end she gives life, whereas the seductress brings death.   

Here’s the first point from our text. What we’re going to see in this passage today is five attributes of Lady Wisdom. She is 1) guileless, 2) ennobling, 3) enriching, 4) renowned, and 5) a blessing to those who listen to her. Each of those statements is a stark contrast to the adulteress of Proverbs 7. 

And so, the first thing we see in this chapter is that…

1) Wisdom is guileless (8:1-5)

The adulteress in Proverbs 7 was deceitful and malevolent. She was full of guile. Lady Wisdom, on the other hand, is guileless. She is honest and transparent and authentic in her attempts to help young, naïve men. 

Ray Ortlund says in his Proverbs’ commentary, “There is nothing hidden or tricky or manipulative in the Bible. God has never said anything he had to be ashamed of or take back.” That’s true of Lady Wisdom. That’s true of God and his Word.

And not only is Lady Wisdom guileless, she’s also accessible. She isn’t skulking in the shadows. She’s going around town, calling out to whoever will listen to her. She doesn’t discriminate against young or old, rich or poor, married or unmarried. You don’t have to have a PhD in order to assimilate wisdom. You don’t have to climb some mountaintop to find a guru spouting enigmatic statements that no one understands. No, wisdom is looking for you. Wisdom is available; she’s accessible. She’s not a reluctant or reclusive teacher. 

Look at verse 2 again.

2 On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; 

3 beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: 

This is where the hubbub of the city takes place. Lady Wisdom is accessible. But she’s also authentic. Look at verse 4 with me.

4 “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. 

5 O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.

There are no smoke and mirrors with Lady Wisdom. There is no bait-and-switch like there was with the femme fatale in Proverbs 7. The adulteress promised unparalleled, sexual bliss. But in the end, she left her victim empty and defeated. Lady Wisdom offers something better, something more difficult, with no treachery, and ultimately, she delivers. 

The end of verse 3 incorporates the Hebrew word אָדָם, which if you remember is derived from the word for dirt. Lady Wisdom cries out to all of us “little clumps of dirt.” She doesn’t discriminate against us. She is not haughty or aloof. She’s accessible. She’s self-deprecating in that way.

But she does say in verse 5.

5 O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.

Prudence is the Hebrew עָרְמָה. It can be translated “discernment” or “shrewdness” or even “cunning.” The word for sense here is the word לֵב, which typically means “heart.” Wisdom is candidly calling out to people who lack prudence, sense, and wisdom to come see her. There is no deceit or false motives with her. But she is brutally honest here. 

5 O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.

Some might be insulted by this. “Call me a fool will ya! Well, I’m outta here!” Some might balk at the idea that they might not be as wise as they think they are. And because of their pride they reject wisdom. They reject the prudence and the sense that God gives. Others are teachable and know their need for wisdom and they pay attention to Lady Wisdom’s call.

I’ll just tell you right now, all of us in this room need to be honest about our own propensity for simple-mindedness and folly. Even the wisest of men and women can display great folly on this side of heaven. And we should never think, “I’m good. I’ve arrived. This passage is for someone else. That fool over there or that simpleton over there. Not me.” An attitude like that doesn’t evince wisdom, it’s the epitome of folly. 

Proverbs 9:9 says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” But Proverbs 1:7 says, “fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 

In this regard, I really appreciate our elders. I’ve seen this demonstrated in our elders’ meetings on Monday nights. When we pray during those meetings, none of us pray, “O Lord, we have such great exceptional wisdom, just give us a little more.” No. We pray, and we pray often, “O Lord, we are so inadequate. We desperately need your wisdom.” We pray James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” 

And praise God, God is not reticent to impart his wisdom to us. In fact, according to Proverbs 8, wisdom has been looking for us, if we are willing to heed her counsel. 

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So, wisdom is guileless. But also, write this down as #2. 

2) Wisdom is Ennobling (8:6-11)

Ennoble means to “make noble” or to “elevate” in degree, excellence, or respect. It’s the opposite of ignoble. The seductress of Chapter 7 is an ignoble woman who will lead you to an ignoble end. The womanizer who seduces young ladies is an ignoble scoundrel who will lead you to an ignoble end. Lady Wisdom instead will bless you. She will help you to imitate and assimilate Christ’s character. She may have to tear you down in order to build you up again. But her endgame is to make you noble, an instrument of God that reflects his holiness.

6 Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, 

7 for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 

Notice her commitment to truth not flattery. She is committed to truth even hard truth not your personal comfort. She abominates wickedness. And when she sees wickedness in your life, she’ll point it out.

8 All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. 

Can that be said about you, Christian? Are there twisted or crooked things in your speech that you need to confess before the Lord: slander, gossip, foul language, coarse-joking, rebellion, dishonesty, etc.? 

9 They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.

In other words, “the person of understanding doesn’t mind my truth-speak. He or she receives it. They relish it. They thrive on it. They say, “Bring the truth. Bring it on! Let me have it.”

I get frustrated in settings where people just mutually console one another with their sinfulness. “Did you sin this week?” “Yeah, I did. How about you?” “Yep, me too.” “Well too bad. We’ll try again next week!” That’s not wisdom! That’s not ennobling; that’s enabling. Lady Wisdom doesn’t do that. She utters truth, even hard truth. The goal is ennoblement not enablement.

 10 Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,

11 for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. 

I wonder now as I hold this source of wisdom in my hand. This Bible is probably 20 or 30 ounces. What if Christians had the option to exchange this book for gold? Would they do it? If it were solid gold, gold that could be traded in for $2,000/oz., would they trade it in? Yet Solomon tells us that the wisdom revealed in this book is more valuable than gold, silver, and jewels. Nothing you desire compares with her.

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Speaking of gold, write this down as #3. 

3) Wisdom is Enriching (8:12-21)

Look at verse 12 with me.

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.

Lady Wisdom’s best friends include prudence, knowledge, and discretion. Imagine Lady Wisdom as the most likeable girl at school. Everyone wants to get to know her. Everyone loves her and wants to be around her. And Lady Wisdom’s cohort includes Lady Prudence, Lady Knowledge, and Lady Discretion. 

My sister was like that in my high school. Everyone loved her. And she had two friends that were always with her—Jenny and Jennifer. They took classes together. They went to church together. To be around one of them was to be around all of them. To befriend one of them was to befriend all of them.

Same with Lady Wisdom. You befriend her, then you befriend prudence, knowledge, and discretion also. And that’s a good thing. They all will bless your life. They will enrich your life. 

Look at verse 13.

 13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. 

Now remember the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. There’s no wisdom without the fear of the Lord! Solomon doesn’t want us to forget that conceptual link that he established in chapter 1. And to make sure that we don’t forget it, he sprinkles reminders throughout the book of Proverbs that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. You can’t divorce those two concepts.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I [this is Lady Wisdom speaking] hate. 

14 I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength 

Here are some additional friends of Lady Wisdom: counsel, sound wisdom, insight, strength. They are part of her entourage.

15 By me [says Lady Wisdom] kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; 

16 by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly 

17 I love those who love me 

Lady Wisdom says, “The simple who love me become wise, and the wise who love me get wiser.” Notice here the love/hate dichotomy. Lady Wisdom says, “I hate pride, arrogance, and perverted speech,” but “I love those who love me.”

and those who seek me diligently find me 

Once again, she’s accessible; she’s not remote or aloof. She is not playing coy or lurking in the shadows. She’s available to the seeker.

18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. 

Lady Wisdom enriches us. Now this is completely different from the adulteress in Proverbs 7. Lady Wisdom enriches, but the adulteress impoverishes. The adulteress promises the riches of sexual delight, but it doesn’t satisfy.

In Proverbs 5 the wayward woman seduces a man with her lips that drip honey and with her speech that is smoother than oil. But in the end, she takes everything from him. Proverbs 5:8–10: “Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner.”

Lady Wisdom enriches, but the adulteress impoverishes. She says:

19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. 

20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, 

21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.

In other words, “Wisdom is enriching; Wisdom is a treasure-trove to those who quest for her.” This comparison between money (gold, silver, treasures) and wisdom is an important one, I think, because very few things take hold of our heart as powerfully as money. Sex is another powerful force in this world, and Solomon has discussed already the need for wisdom over sex, stupid sex anyway. But also, he talks about another powerful force in our lives: money. 

When Sanja and I are in Croatia we take a lot of trips with Alastair and his cousins to the ice cream parlor. Ice cream in Croatia is something else! And I remember when Alastair and his cousins were really young, we gave them some money, some Croatian kunas, to pay for their ice cream. And it didn’t take long for those boys to discover money equals ice cream. It even started to wield a certain power over them. 

One day, I left some Croatian coins on the counter of our room. And I walked in on the boys looking at it, mesmerized. They looked like Gollum holding up his ring. And so, we had a little chat about money, father to son. 

Money is a powerful force in our lives! And so, my prayer is this, “O Lord, may my son long for the riches of God’s Word the way that other men long for money! May I long for that too. Help us to value character, insight, understanding, righteousness, justice, prudence, knowledge, discretion, and the other communicable attributes of God as better than gold, better than money. O Lord, help us to consider wisdom’s yield as greater than that of silver.”   

Let me just say one more thing about this third point before we move on. One of the interpretive hurdles that we must cross when we study money and finances in the book of Proverbs is whether or not the enrichment that wisdom supplies (the “filling of the treasuries” in verse 21 and the “riches, honor, wealth, and righteousness” in verse 18) is a spiritual enrichment or material enrichment. Is there literal “wealth” that God supplies to those who seek wisdom or is that “wealth” figurative?

Derek Kidner puts the question this way “Are the benefits [of wisdom] material or immaterial?” He answers by saying, “Certainly both, but predominantly the latter.” In other words, the enrichment that wisdom brings, while possibly including financial enrichment, is predominantly spiritual. I think if we can frame wisdom’s benefits that way, we will guard ourselves from error. And to the extent that we do make money and use money, we should use it to serve the Lord. “Make your money serve Christ, or you will end up serving it without Christ.” C. S. Lewis said once, “Aim at Heaven, and you will get earth ‘thrown in’; aim at earth, and you will get neither.” 

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Fourthly,

4. Wisdom is Renowned (8:22-31)

Now the adulteress in Proverbs 7 is renowned too, but in a different way. She is more infamous than famous. But Lady Wisdom’s reputation is as old as time. Solomon tells us that she was both present and instrumental at the creation of the universe.

Speaking of wisdom’s renown, look at verse 22.

22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. 

The Hebrew word for “beginning” here is רֵאשִׁית. That’s actually the second word in the Bible! Genesis 1:1 reads, בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית‮ ‬ בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ. And what Lady Wisdom is saying here is that she was there at the רֵאשִׁית, at the “beginning.” She was created, even before the world was created!

23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 

24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 

The Hebrew word for “depths” here is תְּהוֹם. This word is related to the word תֹּהוּ from תֹּהוּ וָבֹ֔הוּ (“formless and void”) in Genesis 1:2. Again, Lady Wisdom is harking back to creation and saying that she predates all of the created world.

25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, 

26 before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. 

When you see that word “dust,” think human beings, who were formed from the dust [עָפָר] of the world (see Gen 2:7). The implication here is that Lady Wisdom is even older than humanity. She was there when humans were created. Why wouldn’t humans seek after her? 

27 When he established the heavens, I was there;when he drew a circle on the face of the deep 

Isn’t that interesting? 2,500 years before Ferdinand Magellan, the Bible described the world as a circle. How about that?

28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 

29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 

Who’s the “he” in those verses? Yahweh, right? Lady Wisdom was there with Yahweh in the beginning!

30 then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 

31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man. 

Now applicationally speaking this passage is pretty clear. What Solomon is saying here metaphorically and artistically is that wisdom is renowned. Wisdom is as old as time. Wisdom is famous, so seek her out and assimilate her into your life. 

The question, though, that Christians have debated for centuries is who exactly is Lady Wisdom? What exactly does Lady Wisdom represent? Is she a deified goddess at the right hand of God the Father? Is she a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ? Or is this just an extended metaphor, a personification of God’s wisdom cloaked in analogy?

Some, especially in the feminist camp of Christian theology, view Lady Wisdom as a literal, deified goddess. They refer to her as “sophia.” Sophia is the Greek word for “wisdom,” and so what some think is that we have here a goddess that is subordinated to God the Father. But nevertheless, she is powerful and like God the Father, worthy of our adoration. Let me just go on record as saying that your pastor does not ascribe to that theory. 

Others have identified Lady Wisdom, and this passage in particular, as a description of Christ. The cosmic references and the close connection to the Father bears striking resemblance to some NT passages that speak of Christ. They would cite passages like Colossians 1:15-17 for instance: “[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Or they might cite a passage like 1 Corinthians 1:30, “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God.” Or they may even cite Jesus’s own words about himself in Matthew 11:19 where Jesus says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” So, is “Lady Wisdom” in Proverbs 8, Jesus? Here’s my answer to that question. No, I don’t think so. Although I do think we can draw a typological line between wisdom in the OT and Christ in the NT. Let me explain. 

I’m not comfortable with equating Lady Wisdom with the Second Person of the Trinity. I understand where many people are coming from including some of the church fathers when they equate Lady Wisdom with Christ. I’m sympathetic to their interpretation, but I think that’s a mistake. It’s not so much the effeminate language that is used in this passage, what concerns me is the description of wisdom as a created entity. In verse 22, The Lord “possessed” or “created” her. In verse 23, she is “set up” and in verses 24–25, “she was brought forth.” That doesn’t sound to me like an orthodox view of the Second Person of the Trinity. 

In fact, Arius, a fourth century heretic and the founder of Arianism, used this passage to promote his view that Christ was indeed a created being and therefore not God. Also, other heretical views have been put forth that use this passage to defend the idea that even if Christ is indeed God, there was a time when Christ was not. But we know and we believe that Christ is eternally God and that there was never a time in eternity past that Christ was not. John 1:1–4 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”

But let me say this. Even though I don’t equate Christ with Lady Wisdom, I do think that Lady Wisdom can and should be connected to Christ in the NT. Here’s why. Let me read Tremper Longman’s statement on this subject: “[Lady] Wisdom is not a preincarnate form of the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is not to be identified with Wisdom. The language about Jesus being the “firstborn of creation” is not to be pressed literally as if Jesus were a created being. But – and this is crucial – the association between Jesus and [Lady] Wisdom in the NT is a powerful way of saying that Jesus is the embodiment of God’s Wisdom.” In other words, Jesus is wisdom par excellence, and part of his identity as our Messiah is his perfect embodiment of divine wisdom unencumbered by human sinfulness. 

So, I’m okay with a typological interpretation of Proverbs 8, where Lady Wisdom is viewed as a type and shadow of Jesus Messiah. I’m just not comfortable with a one-for-one correspondence between her and Christ.   

So, what are the applicational implications of this interpretation? Well, from a NT perspective, I would say this. The quest for wisdom begins at the cross. It begins with our Savior who was “perfect incarnation of God’s Wisdom.” It begins with Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2 Cor 2:3).

On this side of the cross, the Fear of the Lord leads us to Faith in Christ and Faith in Christ leads to the Fruit of the Spirit. And one of the fruits of the Spirit, I believe, one of the communicable attributes of God is wisdom. Even as I peruse the list of wisdom’s benefits, wisdom’s entourage if you will: insight, understanding, righteousness, justice, prudence, knowledge, discretion. These are basically OT expressions of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are evidences of God’s character manifest in the lives of believers.

And so, from our vantage point, the quest for wisdom must begin at the cross. It begins as we bow the knee before Wisdom Incarnate, Jesus Christ, and acknowledge our wisdomless-ness, our sinfulness, and our need for a Savior. And then, with the Holy Spirit indwelling us, we have a pipeline to God. And we can exhibit the wisdom of God as we lean into that Spirit and submit ourselves over to him.

Remember that passage from James, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (1:5). That verse might as well be a theme verse for this series. 

And that statement by the Apostle James is not just a willy-nilly call to anyone to ask and receive wisdom. James wrote that letter to believers. James assumes that that pipeline to God through the Holy Spirit is open. No cross, no salvation! And also, no Holy Spirit living inside us, therefore no wisdom!

Listen church, I do think there are ways that people in our world can manifest wisdom apart from Christ. I do believe in what you might call a “common grace” display of wisdom. By the way, philosophy, is a kind of wisdom. Philosophy is derived from the Greek words “φιλέω” and “σοφία,” meaning “love for wisdom.” But there is no lasting wisdom apart from Christ. What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world of wisdom and forfeit his soul?

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Finally. One last point. Wisdom is guileless. Wisdom is ennobling. Wisdom is enriching. Wisdom is renowned. And fifthly, 

5) Wisdom is Blessing (8:32-36)

These last few verses are bursting with NT implications. 

32 “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. 

33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. 

34 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

The adulteress in Proverbs 7 brings a curse. She brings death. Lady Wisdom brings a blessing. She brings life.

 35 For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, 

36 but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Jesus said similarly, “The wise man builds his house upon the rock! The foolish man builds his house upon the sand” (cf. Matt 7:24–27). 

The choice between wisdom and folly is a choice between life and death. It’s the difference between favor from the Lord and injuring oneself. Chapter 8 closes with the same dual-path decision that is replete in the book of Proverbs. The options are set before us. There is wisdom and there is folly. There is life and death. There is blessing and there is curse. There is the “fear of God” and there is the “foolishness of man.” Solomon is saying once again, “Choose your path, son. I can’t choose for you. All I can give you is the facts.” 

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Listen, let me go NT as we close. The choice between wisdom and folly in our day is a choice between Christ and Christ-lessness. Choose Christ, choose life. Reject Christ, choose death. Choose Christ, choose blessing. Reject Christ, choose curse. There is eternal life, and there is eternal death. Each person has to make their choice and live with the consequences. John says it this way in 1 John, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (5:12). It’s that simple.

Taught by Tony Caffey

Senior Pastor of Verse By Verse Fellowship

Proverbs