Chapters 8 and 9 of Proverbs, Wisdom is speaking to us. Do we have an ear to hear?
There is life in listening to Wisdom, Proverbs 8:32-35;
And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord
It is not just a go to church on Sunday fill-up type of thing. We need to be seeking Wisdom daily. There are life and favor with Lord in Wisdom.
There is death in those who don’t seek Wisdom. Proverbs 9:13-18, tell us what happens to those who seek after something else.
The woman Folly is loud;
she is seductive and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
When we hear doctrines that don’t sound right we need to compare them to what the Bible says, since it is the source of God’s Wisdom. The key to Wisdom is in 2 Timothy 2:15. Check out how the Amplified puts it;
Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.
I don’t know how many pastors say, “Don’t just trust what I say. See the Bible for yourself.” That includes getting in and digging deep into the Hebrew and Greek words and their meanings. The verse in 2 Timothy is like Paul saying that we are constantly in high school studying for a final exam. You know those nights that you stayed up cramming for the test. Not skipping around but reading and re-reading straight through the books. The great thing is, studying like this, we won’t fall into Folly’s trap when we hear false teaching because we will know what the Bible says.
We will also be able to proclaim liberty to those who have fallen into Folly’s trap. In Luke 4, Jesus read the passage from Isaiah 61 about setting the captives free, we too can set the captives free with the good news about Jesus and the truth of the Gospel.
Bonnie Sue Writes 