Proverbs 2:8
Purpose for Which Wisdom is Given
Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Proverbs 2:8, revealing that the purpose of divine wisdom is to preserve God's people in holiness. He outlines the structure of Proverbs 2, showing how wisdom's purpose (v. 8) is accomplished through its effectual entrance into the heart and powerful influence (vv. 10-20), leading to the establishment of the righteous (vv. 21-22). Martin emphasizes that the way of the saints is under constant attack, necessitating God's commitment to their preservation through the means of His revealed wisdom. He applies this by urging believers to diligently pursue and apply God's Word, recognizing that their perseverance is rooted in God's preserving power working through their active obedience.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 8 sections · 48 min
- Introduction: The Path, Substance, and Author of Wisdom 0:02
- The Purpose of Wisdom Stated: Proverbs 2:8 2:52
- Overview: How Wisdom's Purpose is Accomplished (Proverbs 2:10-22) 4:32
- Meaning of Proverbs 2:8: Guarding and Preserving 9:12
- The Way of the Saints: Dangerous and Under Attack 12:48
- God's Relationship to the Way of the Saints: Commitment to Preservation 16:51
- The Saints' Relationship to Their Way: Responsibility to Persevere 23:18
- The Basic Goal of Divine Revelation: Religious and Ethical 33:20
Key Quotes
“But because the scriptures are not only inspired as to their individual statements, but as to their structure as well.”
“It is God preserving the people and the path upon which his people walk.”
“If the way of the saints needs to be guarded and needs to preserve with no less a power than that of the Godhead. Then the way of the saints must be something which is under vicious and continual attack.”
“And we must learn and continue to learn that the scripture nowhere entertains the idea that God will ever put forth mighty power to get a man into the way and then fail to do it. Not to exert the necessary power to keep him in the way.”
“And nowhere nowhere does scripture promise we shall know the ends of God if we are indifferent to the means to that end.”
“But in the outworking of that salvation and the building of the superstructure of that salvation God brings into play all of the conscious endeavors of those whom he has quickened to life by the Spirit.”
“God does not speak just to fill our heads with interesting notions God does not speak that we might fill our notebooks with interesting outlines God speaks that he might preserve us in the way of holiness God speaks that he might increase in us his fear and the knowledge of himself so this text is one of those many in scripture which again and again pound away on this note that the basic goal of divine revelation is religious and ethical”
Applications
All listeners
- Face the fact that living a life of practical godliness is dangerous and precarious business in this world, beset with constant difficulty and danger.
- Do not wrench passages about God's preservation loose from their context to claim preservation without evidence of persevering in holiness.
- Take seriously the wisdom that comes from the mouth of God, as God will not preserve you in a way of indifference to His words.
- Cry to God until you understand the balance of keeping yourself while trusting entirely in God for safety.
- Press on in persevering exposure to the words of God, crying for illumination, and diligently applying yourself to them.
- Seminary and Bible school students must be cautious of the danger of studying divine wisdom out of the context of real life, lest it become mere intellectual exercise.
- Read the scriptures privately and come to public exposition with the attitude and disposition commended in Proverbs 2:1-4, recognizing it as God's means to keep you in the way.
- When faced with seemingly impossible demands in God's Word, look to Christ as the perfect embodiment of wisdom and for grace and strength to obey.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 106 paragraphs, roughly 48 minutes.
Introduction: The Path, Substance, and Author of Wisdom
And to the book of Proverbs this evening as we continue our studies in this portion of the Word of God, Proverbs chapter 2. You'll remember that chapter 1 of this book closed with the frightening warning concerning what happens to those who turn away their ears from the voice of wisdom, and then concluded with the promise, the great blessing that comes to all those who hearken to wisdom's voice, but whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely and shall be quiet without fear of evil. And then as though the writer to the Proverbs anticipates the next very natural question, namely, how may I attain to that true wisdom? If turning away from it brings such tragic results, and if heeding wisdom brings such blessings, how may I attain to this wisdom? What will be the effects of this wisdom? Where is this wisdom to be found?
And it's such questions as these to which Solomon addresses himself in the second chapter. And so we saw in the first four verses the path to the attainment of true wisdom. Exposure to the words of God. My son, if thou wilt receive my words.
Prayer for illumination. Illumination of those words. Yea, if thou cry after discernment and lift up thy voice for understanding, and to this exposure and prayer must be added diligence in the pursuit of that wisdom, if thou seek her as silver and search for her as for hid treasure, then the promise, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. So, setting before us the path of wisdom, Solomon then gives us the substance of true wisdom in verses 5 and 9.
And the substance of that true wisdom is a right knowledge of and relationship to God, verse 5. And verse 9, a right knowledge of and relationship to the will of God. Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice and equity and every good path. Then last week we addressed ourselves to the next thought that, Solomon introduces, namely, who is the author of this wisdom.
Here's the path set before us, the substance of that wisdom given to us. Who is its author? In verse 6 says, it is the Lord Jehovah himself, for the Lord giveth wisdom. Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
The Purpose of Wisdom Stated: Proverbs 2:8
And then in verse 7, the right recipients of this wisdom, the upright and those who walk, in their integrity. Now tonight, we will focus our attention upon verse 8, that he may guard the paths of justice and preserve the way of his saints. And this text is a statement of the purpose for which this wisdom is given. There's the pathway to it in the first four verses.
The substance of it in verses 5 and 9. The author of it in verse 6. The only recipients of it in verse 8. And then in verse 7, but now what is the purpose for which this wisdom is given in the way of verses 1 to 4.
That wisdom that comes from Jehovah. That wisdom which has as its substance the fear of God and knowledge of the will of God. That wisdom received by the upright and those who walk in integrity. What's the purpose of it?
Why does God bother to give it? Why should they bother to seek it as for hid treasure? Why should they lift up their voices for it? Why should they walk in carefulness of conscience before God in order to be fit recipients of it?
Well, those are the questions that are answered in verse 8. For verse 8 is a statement of the purpose for which this wisdom is given. And then everything that follows tells us how that purpose is accomplished. So what I want to do in our study tonight is to give you a brief overview of verse 8 to the end of the chapter.
Overview: How Wisdom's Purpose is Accomplished (Proverbs 2:10-22)
So that you see the structure of the rest of the chapter. Then we're going to go back and zoom in on verse 8 and open up, I trust, God helping us, the meaning of that text. And I do this again, not just for filler. I have more material than I could possibly cover in one service tonight.
But because the scriptures are not only inspired as to their individual statements, but as to their structure as well. And one of the painful things to anyone who seeks to be honest with the scriptures is this matter of maintaining the delicate balance of the inherent structure of the word. It'd be easy to take any one of these texts and just take off and preach for an hour on it. Relatively easy.
I think almost any one of them. But you see, that wouldn't be handling the word of God accurately. And so we must look upon the specific statements of verse 8 that we're going to amplify. As they are.
They relate to everything that follows. And everything that follows must be seen in its relationship to verse 8. So follow with me as I give you a brief outline of verses 8 through the end of the chapter. A broad overview.
And then we'll go back to verse 8. As I've indicated, verse 8 tells us the purpose for which wisdom is given. Or the purpose of wisdom stated. And essentially it is this.
That the people... People of God may be preserved in holiness.
That he may guard the paths of justice and preserve the way of his saints. So the purpose for which God gives wisdom out of his mouth. That wisdom that he lays up for the upright and becomes a shield to those who walk in integrity. Is that the people of God may be preserved in holiness.
Well then, how is that purpose accomplished? And the...
The answer to that question is verses 10 to 20. Wisdom will accomplish that purpose when it gains an effectual entrance. Verse 10. For wisdom shall enter into thy heart.
And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul. When is this purpose of wisdom accomplished? Well, when wisdom gains this effectual entrance. It takes hold of the heart.
And becomes pleasant to the soul. And then...
Secondly, when that same wisdom exerts a powerful influence. Verse 11. Discretion shall watch over thee. Understanding shall keep thee.
And then the rest of that section, verses 12 to 20, is simply an enlargement as to how wisdom exerts its influence. It exerts two negative influences. Verses 12 to 15. It will deliver you from the evil man.
Man. To deliver thee from the way of evil men. And that thought is enlarged on through the end of verse 15. Verse 16.
To deliver thee from the strange woman. That's how wisdom exerts its powerful influence of preservation. It keeps from evil men. Secondly, it keeps from evil women.
And thirdly, it directs us into the way of good men. Verse 20. That thou mayest walk in the way...
Of good men and keep the paths of the righteous. And then it's as though someone says, Well, I can see all of that. But I need something to encourage me. To push me over the hill.
To stay in the path of wisdom. And that's exactly what Solomon gives us in verses 21 and 2. The final encouragement to pursue wisdom. For the upright shall dwell in the land and the perfect remain in it.
The integrity that wisdom brings. Leads to the establishment of the righteous. And then the negative. But the wicked shall be cut off from the land.
And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it. Certainly as integrity leads to establishment. Wickedness or the refusal of divine wisdom. Leads to the ruin of sinners.
So then, we have in the remainder of the chapter. The purpose of wisdom stated. Verse 8. The way...
This purpose is accomplished. Verses 10 to 20. And thirdly, the final encouragement to pursue this wisdom. Verses 21 and 22.
Meaning of Proverbs 2:8: Guarding and Preserving
Now I hope you can hold that structure in your head. It's taken me four minutes to give it to you. I don't know how many hours it's taken to see it. So please don't cast away the fruit of those labors lightly.
Alright. Coming then to verse 8. The purpose of wisdom stated. That wisdom which has as its substance the knowledge and the fear of God.
The knowledge of the ways of God. What is the goal for which God gives it? Well, it's stated in these words. That he may guard the paths of justice and preserve the way of his saints.
So consider with me the meaning of those words. And then the message of those words to our hearts. What does this word mean? Guard the paths of justice.
Well, the word guard is obviously a military concept. You guard what is valuable from the intrusion of your foe or your enemy. The paths of justice are the paths of those who walk uprightly. Who walk in their integrity.
In other words, the paths of justice are the paths of holiness. The ways of...
The ways of the Lord. The phrase that we find again and again in Holy Scripture. And so the purpose of wisdom is stated in this way. God gives wisdom.
Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He lays up wisdom for the upright. That he may protect the paths of justice. That he may guard from intrusion of foe and enemy.
Those paths upon which his peace. People walk. And then you have, as you often do in the Hebrew parallelism. The second phrase amplifies, explains, enlarges.
Cast its shadow back upon the first. And preserve the way of his saints. Now the word preserve is a little different from guard. It literally means to hedge it about.
To keep from the effects of intrusion that would destroy something. And so here's the...
Picture of God himself hedging about the way of his saints. His saints are his sanctified ones. Those who have been set apart unto God. That way of the saints is the way entered only through Christ.
Walked only in the power of Christ. That way which alone leads unto Christ and to eternal life. It's the way of Matthew 7.13.
Enter ye in at the straight gate. And then he goes on to say that there's another alternative. For straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life. And few there be that find it.
So then the meaning of the words is quite simple. God himself is committed to guarding the paths of justice. Preserving the way of his saints. Not just the path and the way.
Apart from the people that are upon them. Not just the people apart from the way upon which they walk. It is God preserving the people and the path upon which his people walk. Now if that is the meaning of the words.
The Way of the Saints: Dangerous and Under Attack
And I believe it is as we compare scripture with scripture. What is the message of these words to our hearts? And I want you to consider four lines of thought with me tonight. And perhaps a few things that we've considered.
In our studies in Proverbs thus far. Could be more vital than that which we're studying tonight. For we're dealing with the purpose for which wisdom is given. Oh yes we know how to attain it now.
Exposure to the words of God. Prayer for illumination of God. Diligence in pursuit of the knowledge of God. We know that.
And we know what the substance of that wisdom is. It's the knowledge of and the fear of God. A right relationship to God. The knowledge of his ways.
We know that. We know that it only comes as we walk in integrity. Yes we know that now. We've studied that.
But what is the purpose of the whole thing? And this is the text that answers it. The purpose is to guard the paths of justice. And to preserve the way of his saints.
And so the first thing that this text says to us is this.
These words tell us something about the way of the saints. Secondly, these words tell us something about God's relationship to the way of the saints. Thirdly, these words tell us something about the saints' relationship to their way. And fourthly, these words tell us something about the basic goal of divine revelation.
First of all then, these words tell us something about the way of God's saints. If the way of the saints. If the way of the saints needs to be guarded and needs to preserve with no less a power than that of the Godhead. Then the way of the saints must be something which is under vicious and continual attack.
Why is it necessary for God himself to guard the paths of justice and to preserve the way of his saints? The answer is. The answer is that these ways are constantly attacked. Why in this very passage we see that those who would walk in the paths of uprightness are beset by the constant and zealous attempts of men to turn them aside.
There are the efforts of evil men to get them out of the paths of justice. There are the efforts of evil women to get them out of the paths of justice. There are those pressures arising from withoutness. There are those pressures arising from within, always attempting to move the saints out of the way of justice, out of the way of holiness.
To state it bluntly, these words tell us that living a life of practical godliness in the fear of God.
That is living a life of godliness by a right rule, the fear of the Lord. A right motive according to a right rule. The paths of justice. The paths of justice is dangerous and precarious business in this world.
There is this constant opposition of evil men and women, the influence of the fiery darts of the wicked one, and the subtle influence of our own remaining corruptions. And so you and I are living in a fool's paradise unless as the people of God we face the fact that this text assumes that the way of the saints is a way beset with constant difficulty and danger. It needs to be preserved. It needs to be guarded.
God's Relationship to the Way of the Saints: Commitment to Preservation
In the second place, these words tell us something about God's relationship to the way of the saints. They not only tell us something about that way, it is a dangerous way, but something about God's relationship to that way. And the way of the saints is a way of the saints. And of course the essential truth it tells us in this area is that God himself is committed to the preservation and protection of the way of the saints.
It is he who guards the paths of justice and he who preserves the way of his saints. It was God who moved by nothing but his own grace, made a way for the saints, it was God who was moved by his own power to get his saints into the way or make them saints that they might be in the way. It is God who constantly works in power to preserve them in that way and that truth is stamped on the very face of this text. The Lord giveth wisdom, out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding, he layeth up sound wisdom for the upright. Why? That he, God himself, may guard the paths of justice and preserve the way of his saints. This is the truth taught so clearly in passages such as Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13.
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Hebrews 13, 20, 21. That great benediction in which the apostle or whoever wrote the letter to the Hebrews speaks of his desire that that God who raised again from the dead the Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, would perfect in the saints all of his purpose, working in them that which is well-pleasing in his sight. Now note the emphasis.
God is not preserving the way, the way of the saints irrespective of the path of justice and the path of holiness. But he preserves the saints in the path of justice and in the way of holiness. That he may guard the paths of justice and preserve the way of his saints, not preserve his saints if they're not in the way. Not preserve his saints if they are indifferent to the paths of justice, but preserving.
And this brings us, of course, right into the heart of that great and basic biblical doctrine of the preservation and the perseverance of the saints. And we must learn and continue to learn that the scripture nowhere entertains the idea that God will ever put forth mighty power to get a man into the way and then fail to do it. Not to exert the necessary power to keep him in the way. It's unthinkable that God would get a man into the way and not preserve him.
We have so many explicit statements to that effect that one would spend the evening just reading the scriptures. Passages which again and again assert that God who gets men in the way will keep them in the way. But that statement must be balanced with the other statements of scripture such as we have here. That the same God who is committed to their preservation is the God who demonstrates his preserving power by enabling his saints to persevere in the way of holiness and in the way of justice.
So that none who are persevering have anything other to do than to acknowledge that it's God who is enabling them to persevere. And that's the way. And that's the way. And that's the way.
And that's the way. And that's the way. And that enablement is the token that he's preserving them. But for people who have no evidence that they are being preserved in a way of holiness to simply wrench some of those passages loose from their context and say, Oh God, oh well, God is committed to preserve his saints and I'm one of his saints.
He's committed to preserve me. Ah, where? He preserves the way of his saints. He preserves the path of his saints.
He preserves the way of his saints. And so the certainty of the saints of God persevering in the ways of justice and in the ways of holiness is rooted in the purpose of God himself. Listen as Mr. Lawson commenting on this passage states it so beautifully.
The most dreadful enemies of them that walk uprightly are those that endeavor to turn aside the way of their paths. But again, against these enemies God is a mighty defense. For he keepeth the paths of wisdom and righteousness. He is a fence about their ways and a wall of fire about those that walk in them.
The devil casteth his fiery darts but they are safe from the arrow that flyeth by day and from the noisome pestilence. No weapon formed against them shall prosper. They are commanded still to trust in the name of the Lord in their faith. Faith is like a shield that will quench every fiery dart.
The world displays its terrors and its charms to terrify or allure them into the paths of sin. Against this as well as the adversary formerly mentioned they must exercise vigilance. Still however in the hottest part of the combat they may be of good cheer for the captain of their salvation hath overcome the world and shall not fail. Make them through their faith to share in his victory.
The Saints' Relationship to Their Way: Responsibility to Persevere
This text tells us that God's relationship to the way of his saints is a relationship of commitment unto preservation. But then thirdly this text tells us something about the saints and their relationship to the way of justice and holiness. You notice that the text begins with the word that. In other words it is a continuation of the thread of thought.
Now put verses 6 and 7 and 8 together. The Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding he layeth up sound wisdom for the upright he's a shield to them that walk in integrity that he may guard the paths of justice and preserve the way of his saints. You see the connection between verses 6 and 7 and verse 8 is an organic living connection. We dare not sever them.
The saints are preserved in the way of justice as they do what? Listen to and receive the words of wisdom. The God who is committed to their preservation is committed to the means of their preservation.
You see it? Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. Why? That he may guard the paths of justice and peace.
He may preserve the way of his saints. So the giving of his wisdom is the means by which God who is committed to the preservation of his saints actually in their experience does indeed preserve them. So we're into that whole basic doctrine of scripture that the God who has ordained a given end has ordained the means unto that end. And nowhere nowhere does scripture promise we shall know the ends of God if we are indifferent to the means to that end.
You take the person who smart alecky says oh well Bible says Lord chose some didn't choose some other oh if there's a thing called election I'll be saved do what I will I'll be well where do you get that idea? Where does the Bible say a man will be saved if he does nothing? My Bible says he'll be saved if he believes and repents. Isn't that what yours says?
Where does the Bible say a man will be damned? Do what he will or fail to do what he will. The Bible says a man is damned for his sin and his unbelief. Well it's the same way.
Sure God is committed to the preservation of his saints. How could he state it more clearly that he guard the paths of justice that he God may preserve the way of his saints but he has ordained to do it by means of the sanctifying preserving influence of that wisdom that comes out of his mouth that he lays up for those who walk in their integrity. And so this tells us that the saints have a relationship to the way of justice and holiness which demands that they take seriously the wisdom that comes from the mouth of God. God will not preserve you in a way of indifference to the words of wisdom. Out of the mouth out of his mouth cometh wisdom that he may preserve the paths of justice and the way of his saints. So the same Bible that says God will keep us says we keep ourselves.
1 John 5 and verse 18 This is not a text slipped in here by some of the followers of that man whose name begins with A and ends with S.
1 John 5 and verse 18 We know that whosoever is being begotten of God doth not make a practice of sin but he that was begotten of God keepeth himself.
I thought we couldn't keep ourselves. God says you do keep yourself if you're born of God.
And wonder of wonders when you turn to the book of Jude.
Alistair read the last two verses unto him who is able to guard you from stumbling keep you from falling to set you before his presence. There's the picture of the God committed to the power of the preservation of his saints. But will you notice that comes after the exhortation of Jude beginning with verse 20 but ye beloved building up yourselves on your most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit keep yours the love of God. And I say again that wasn't slipped in there by some redactor or some editor whose name began with A and ends with S.
It's put here by the Holy Ghost in the love of God. He that is born of God keepeth himself. Now we know that God's keeping and our keeping are not to be put here. No, no.
Ultimately the only way he can keep himself is because God is committed to keep him and therefore has made provisions for his preservation. And one of those great provisions is that wisdom that comes out of his mouth. So that my keeping of myself is the superstructure built upon the foundation of God's commitment to keep me. But a house is not just a foundation.
It's a foundation and a superstructure. Now superstructure is not foundation.
They are different but they are part of the whole. And as we understand the biblical doctrine of salvation we see that foundational to the work of grace from beginning to end is God's initiative. God's divine initiative committing himself to the salvation of a people. But in the outworking of that salvation and the building of the superstructure of that salvation God brings into play all of the conscious endeavors of those whom he has quickened to life by the Spirit.
And this text is one of those that asserts so clearly that the saints have a relationship to the way of justice and the way of holiness one in which they keep themselves as they expose themselves continually to the ways and to the words of God. Again I quote from Lawson He that is born of God keepeth himself and the wicked one toucheth him not we cannot by our utmost care keep ourselves in safety but a true discipline of God and the principles upon God will dispose us to be as sober and vigilant as if we had none else to keep us while we yet trust entirely in God and not in ourselves knowing that if left to ourselves one hour we must perish. Beloved that's the biblical doctrine of the preservation and the perseverance of the saints. We acknowledge we cannot by our utmost care keep ourselves in safety for an hour upon God will disobey and vigilant as if we had none else to keep us but ourselves.
You say I don't understand that.
My friend you better understand you better cry to God until you do for there in and there in alone lies your safety.
If you capture the thought yes I must keep myself but you don't have that rooted in the biblical concept we've already established from the text that God is committed to keep you. It will either lead to despair or to the most vicious form of self-righteous legalism and hypocrisy and pharisaic negativism and I've seen that and perhaps some of you have seen it in your own hearts as well. No, no capture the principle here in the text that God is committed to preserve the way of the saints but if that's all you see and seeing that you say well if God's committed to preserve me it makes no difference what I do who said so. It does make a difference. Out of his mouth cometh these words of wisdom that he may guard your way and therefore any temptation to be indifferent to or careless with the words of Jehovah is to jeopardize your preservation. Jesus said in his prayer to the Father on behalf of his own sanctify them in the truth that is in the realm of truth you move out of that orbit and you move out of the sanctifying influences of God the Holy Spirit.
The Basic Goal of Divine Revelation: Religious and Ethical
Press on in persevering exposure to the words of God crying to God for illumination diligently applying yourself to these words of heavenly wisdom all that we've seen in the first four verses and then in the confidence that as you do in dependence upon God those words of wisdom that come out of his mouth that enter into your soul increasing in you the fear and the knowledge of God increasing in you the knowledge of the ways of God this is the means by which God is carrying on his work of preservation in your life. And so I say the text tells us something not only about the way of the saints in general it is a way beset with difficulties it not only tells us something about God's relationship to that way he's committed to preserve his saints in it I say it tells us something about the saints relationship to that way they are responsible to persevere in it particularly by constant exposure to the words of divine wisdom. And then in the fourth place these words tell us something about the essential or the basic goal of divine revelation. What is the whole end
of verses 6 and 7? The Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding he layeth up sound wisdom for the upright verse 8 makes clear that the whole essential or basic goal of divine revelation is religious and it's ethical it has to do with a man's heart relationship to God and his practical relationship to the revealed will of God in life. God does not speak just to fill our heads with interesting notions God does not speak that we might fill our notebooks with interesting outlines God speaks that he might preserve us in the way of holiness God speaks that he might increase in us his fear and the knowledge of himself so this text is one of those many in scripture which again and again pound away on this note that the basic goal of divine revelation is religious and ethical therefore the dominant instruction of any truly biblical ministry is to serve will be religious and ethical it will touch a man's heart
relationship to God and his life under the eye of God amongst men when Jesus gave the great commission this note was sounded very clearly make disciples of all the nations baptizing them into the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit teaching them to observe notice the ethical element the ethical not teaching them to know all the mysteries I've revealed to you oh that's part of it but even when the mysteries are opened up it is always with a view to affecting the heart and the life that's why the apostle when opening up the most profound mysteries and carrying the saints into the very portals of heaven always brings them jarringly back to earth and says I beseech you therefore and he starts talking about servants and masters and husbands and wives and parents and children and he gets it down to the realm of the everyday experience of the people of God now if that's so I have a word of exhortation to the seminary students and bible school students there is constant and great danger when your exposure to the words of divine wisdom are in any other context
other than the real circumstances of life you begin to become an expert in banding about sacred ideas and you can play ping pong with ideas but God's not interested in the finger exercise of verbal ping pong with divine ideas God's interested in seeing formed in you the likeness of his dear son and that doesn't mean in some kind of a mystical way it means in a way so practical that you think his thoughts after him about every area of life that you feel towards things as he feels that you react and act in any given situation as he would that the very likeness of Christ is worked into you by the Holy Spirit and the great danger and I don't know how to avoid it except to give warnings and hope that you'll be cautious and pray that God will help you to counteract the danger the great danger of spending hours every day in exposure to the words of divine wisdom out of the context of real life is that you begin to think that God's interesting in just reshaping your ideas but that isn't what he's committed to out of the Lord's mouth cometh wisdom out of his mouth
cometh knowledge and understanding to what end to guard the paths of justice and to preserve the way of his saints that's God's concern that's God's concern and that ought to be your concern and that ought to be my concern and so I would bring you around full circle where we started what is the whole purpose of this wisdom that is commended to us wisdom that cries in the marketplace the son of God himself speaking through his creation speaking through conscience speaking essentially and primarily through the scriptures and by those scriptures alone can we even understand what he's saying to us through creation what he's saying to us through conscience all the warnings against stopping our ears to the voice of wisdom that we saw in chapter one but if we've been convinced of that folly and say Lord I do not want to be the fool who turns a deaf ear to wisdom I would be the one who receives the words of God who cries out for illumination who diligently seeks after wisdom Lord I would have that knowledge which is consists of the fear of yourself
and the knowledge of your ways what's the whole goal of it here it is and never forget it that you might be unable to persevere in the path of holiness that path which alone leads unto eternal life now when you've got that clearly fixed in your mind it'll make a tremendous difference in how you read the scriptures you don't come to the scriptures as though this were some kind of religious luxury you realize if I'm going to be kept in this way in which I must be kept or I'll never make heaven for it's the narrow way that leads to life isn't that what the bible says not just the gate but the way lots of people think well I'm through the gate shh that's taken care of everything's all well God says no there's a way yet between you and heaven when Bunyan's Christian got through the wicked gate he didn't lay down and take a nap for the rest of the time that was just the beginning thank God it was the beginning but it was the beginning the beginning is not the middle and the end you can't have the middle and the but you can apparently have the beginning without the middle and the end Bunyan had lots of dropouts and they were dropouts because they never really got in at the wicked gate and so child of God this is no matter
of academic interest you're a treatment of the scriptures privately and when you come to the public exposition of the word this is God's means to keep you in the way and therefore you should come with the attitude and the disposition commended in those first four verses because this is the means which God has ordained for the preservation of his saints then when you see things in that word that seem beyond you demands that seem utterly impossible standards too high and beyond you that's when you fill your sights with the vision of the infinite merit that is stored up in Christ who is our wisdom look upon him as the perfect embodiment of all that wisdom and then look to him for the grace and the strength to lay hold of those directives make it your prayer that as you are exposed to those words which come from the mouth of God God will use them to guard the paths of justice in your life and preserve the way of his saints in your life that's the goal for which this wisdom is given God willing next week we'll see how that goal is accomplished in this two-fold way when wisdom gains an effectual
entrance look at his words for wisdom shall enter into thy heart it's not wisdom floating around in the head that accomplishes that purpose it's when that divine wisdom enters the heart and what has the heart has you what has the heart has you and it's when truth takes me I don't take truth it's when truth takes me enters into the heart then it exerts its powerful influence discretion shall watch over thee understanding shall keep thee then we see how that wisdom thus entering effectually and thus powerfully influencing itself see making its influence felt actually becomes the means of our preservation particularly from the great dangers of youth evil men and evil women and then in time enables us to walk in the way of good men and we become heirs of Abraham Isaac Jacob Paul John Peter Calvin Knox Whitfield Wesley we walk in the way of good men how did they get in that way how did they persevere in that way well because God got them into it that's right because God preserves them
that's right but how did he do it what was the means the one thing they all had in common well they had different views on the sacraments different views on a lot of things one thing they had in common was that they all acknowledged that it was the powerful inward effectual influence of this book that preserved them from sin not this book treated as a book of religious notions but this book treated as the divine means appointed for their preservation some of you have read the biography of Whitfield haven't you why when the man had preached sometimes three or four times in the day and was half dead you read he goes home and spends half the night pouring over the scriptures what's he doing that for because he realized that out of the Lord's mouth came wisdom and understanding that he may preserve the way of his saints you don't know what it's like to face the temptations Whitfield did know that the very mention of your name would gather ten to twenty thousand people anywhere in Britain or America you talk about temptations to pride temptations when you stand it would find thousands of people hanging upon your every word
why was he there holed up to the wee hours of the morning after preaching all day pouring over the scriptures that he might be preserved that's why that's why that's why and who are we to think that God will conceive a new way for us no this is the way you may look for some glamorous way some coat of many colors experience some kind of a quasi Christian trip that's going to fix you all up my friend after all is said and done you'll come back disillusioned and broken and if you're the Lord's child it'll bring you back to your senses to see this is the way of perseverance it's not glamorous it's not new it's not a secret but there it is now that's the only way God's committed to God help you if you try to make another way and walk it may the Lord help us to embrace the purpose for which he has given us his wisdom in this his holy word let us pray
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Passages Expounded
This verse is the central focus, stating the explicit purpose of divine wisdom.
The entire chapter is expounded to provide context for verse 8 and show how wisdom's purpose is accomplished.
Texts Expounded
Also Referenced
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