Those Who Seek Me Will Find Me
8: 12-21
A proverb is a short and memorable saying designed to be our blueprint for living in the world that ADONAI has created. It is important to note that proverbs are not promises; they are generally true principles, all other things being equal.
Lady Wisdom’s lesson is now developed in two separate parts of ten verses each; the first pertaining to historic time (verses 12-21) and the second to prehistoric time (verses 22:31). The first emphasizes Lady Wisdom’s counsel (to see link click Am – Lady Wisdom’s Rebuke of the Foolish), understanding, strength, and practical use; and the second, her nobility and authority. Why choose wisdom instead of silver, knowledge rather than pure gold (8:10)? Verses 12-31 tell us why.
Up to this point Lady Wisdom has been praising the virtues of wisdom; now, personified, she speaks of herself. We begin with a typical Near Eastern introduction I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I have found knowledge, discretion and prudence (see 1:4 for a detailed discussion of all three words) (8:12 Hebrew). After the first-person speaker identifies herself as Lady Wisdom, she begins by telling us about those traits with which she is associated. Indeed, it may be that these traits – knowledge, discretion and prudence – are themselves personified in us. In a sense, we may consider these three characteristics her best friends. Where you find Lady Wisdom, there you will also find these three qualities.187
Those who fear ADONAI, a phrase which we recognize as an alternative description of those who are wise (see Ai – The Fear of ADONAI is the Beginning of Wisdom), will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, evil conduct and perverted speech (8:13 CJB). Whereas in practice, men and women sometimes combine the worship of ADONAI with unethical deeds, Lady Wisdom insists that His service, when correctly apprehended, is impossible without the rejection and loathing of all that can be classified as evil. The wise are defined not only by their positive qualities, but also by those characteristics that do not typify them. They are not evil; indeed, they hate evil. Some are bothered by the word hate here. Are believers to hate? Yes, we are to hate evil. But they object, well, ADONAI doesn’t hate does He? Yes, indeed He does (see Bf – What God Hates). We know there is darkness because of the light, and we know there is righteousness because of evil. So once again, we note the ethical quality of Lady Wisdom. This verse also distances the wise from pride and arrogance as well as from the foolish young men to whom she is addressing.188
Wisdom’s competence can be celebrated because it flows from the fear of ADONAI. It includes precisely what the young men needed to serve their nation and countrymen well. I have insight, common sense and sound judgment to make decisions and shape plans are mine. All of these characteristics allow such significant accomplishment, such effective disposal of problems, such powerful development of courses of action in politics and economics or justice that they can be described by the word power.189 Therefore, she can say: I have the power to give it to those in doubt (8:14 NIV). Wisdom makes a person courageous like a brave soldier. By Me kings reign, and rulers make just mitzvot, as the next clause implies, not as a despot, without regard of right and wrong (8:15 CJB). Rulers lead with My help, and nobles make righteous judgments (8:16 NLT).
The thrust of verses 14-16 is that Lady Wisdom will help those who wield power to exercise it in an appropriate and beneficial way in their community. This means that wisdom is extremely practical in leadership positions. The classic example of this is when Solomon asked for wisdom to govern God’s people and discern between good and evil in doing so (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon As – Solomon’s Wish). Immediately after this was given, he was tested in a legal dispute between two prostitutes over who was the true mother of the baby (see the Life of Solomon At – A Wise Ruling). Solomon used his wisdom by devising a shrewd test – ordering that the baby be cut in half to reveal the one woman who had true maternal instincts, with the result that all Isra’el understood that the wisdom of ADONAI was with Solomon to administer justice (First Kings 3:28).190
Now we are informed that Lady Wisdom is not hard to find, not hard to attain. But one must pursue her. I love all those who love me; and those who seek me will find me (8:17 CJB). As Yeshua instructs us: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and your will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8). She loves those who love her and allows those who search for her to find her. The same theme is found in Chapter 2, and there we learn of the paradox that those who search and find Lady Wisdom do so because of the gift of God. And we find a striking parallel in the B’rit Chadashah where Rabbi Sha’ul tells us that it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and you can’t take credit for this. – it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
As motivation for the pursuit, again, Lady Wisdom reminds us of the rewards that follow a relationship with her: enduring wealth and justice (8:18 NLT). Nevertheless, these verses in Proverbs are sometimes used by people who believe in the “prosperity gospel,” but that is to misuse them. First, there is no promise of abundant wealth, any more than there was a promise of long life and peace in 3:2. To claim a proverb as a promise is to misunderstand the type of literature it is. A proverb describes only a part, not the whole, of life, and so is not always applicable in a given situation or at a given time. Therefore, Yeshua, despite honoring the Father with His whole life, had neither a long life (3:2), nor barns overflowing with plenty (3:10). Second, the material prosperity is not limited with the size of the monetary gift, but with character (honoring the Lord). Such a character trait would involve not wanting to give wealth an inordinate place in one’s desires, so that truly honoring ADONAI would entail keeping your life free from the love of money because it is the root of all kinds of evil (First Timothy 6:10). The prosperity gospel misses the important emphasis in Proverbs on the theme of contentment by discovering your sweet spot in life (see Du – The Prayer of Agur).191
One key purpose of Chapters 1-9 within the book is that the young foolish men would strive to have their character shaped Lady Wisdom as they reject the path of foolishness. This emphasis on pursuing Lady Wisdom makes sense of verses 18-19, which outline financial incentives for seeking Lady Wisdom. For the second time in this chapter (see 8:10-12), wisdom, or better here, the consequence of being wise; my fruit (3:18), is better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver (8:19 Hebrew). The rich should be shaped by wisdom, meaning that they should be committed to the righteous use of their wealth and power. The patriarchs, for example, were wealthy men. I walk steadily or continuously in righteousness, in paths of justice (8:20 NLT). Those who love me inherit wealth. I will fill their treasuries (8:21 NLT). Like many statements in Proverbs, this one is a generalization to which expectations should be noted. Lady Wisdom does not offer the promise of dishonest gain, or wealth at the expense of those in need, but of wealth rightly gained and to be used in agreement with her nature and values.192
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