1. Wisdom is Near (verses 1-5)
2. Wisdom is Right (verses 6-9)
3. Wisdom is Best (verses 10-11)
4. Wisdom is Practical (verses 12-13)
5. Wisdom brings Success (verses 14-21)
6. Wisdom brought Creation (verses 22-31)
7. Wisdom gives Life (verses 32-36)

It is the debate of our day. Who is the GOAT? Who is the greatest of all time? Is it James? Or is it Jordan?

Supporters of Jordan point to his six championships, his undefeated record in the NBA Finals, and his overall influence in taking the NBA’s popularity to a new level. Fans of James point to his longevity, his eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances (of which he won three), and his overall brilliance on the floor beyond scoring. James is also still at his peak and is passing Jordan in several statistical achievements. Since they never played each other, and since they played on different teams in different eras, the debate will never be settled.

People will always have their opinion. In March 2019, Business Insider used SurveyMonkey to poll the question. Of the 1,082 American adults who responded, about 75 percent felt they had enough NBA knowledge to offer an opinion on who was the greatest of all time. Overwhelmingly, Americans chose Jordan. He received something like 60 percent of the vote. James was next, and then it filtered down through Bird, Chamberlain, O’Neal, Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and even Steph Curry, who received two percent of the vote.^[1] We will never know who the GOAT is. It is the dynamics of history, and in the end it does not really matter. It gives sportswriters a job. It gives us something to talk about.

But as we come to Scripture this morning, there is something that does matter: what is the greatest trait you need to live life upon the earth? The answer is simple: you need wisdom. My message this morning is entitled “The Greatness of Wisdom.” This is what Solomon argues in chapter 8 of Proverbs. It is really the climax of everything that Solomon has said so far. He has talked about wisdom throughout the book. He has encouraged his son to walk in the way of wisdom. Now, in chapter 8, he shows why: because wisdom is the greatest. Let’s read our text.

Proverbs 8:1-36
Does not wisdom call?
    Does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights beside the way,
    at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
    at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
“To you, O men, I call,
    and my cry is to the children of man.
O simple ones, learn prudence;
    O fools, learn sense.
Hear, for I will speak noble things,
    and from my lips will come what is right,
for my mouth will utter truth;
    wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
    there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
They are all straight to him who understands,
    and right to those who find knowledge.
Take my instruction instead of silver,
    and knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is better than jewels,
    and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and discretion.
The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
    Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
    and perverted speech I hate.
I have counsel and sound wisdom;
    I have insight; I have strength.
By me kings reign,
    and rulers decree what is just;
by me princes rule,
    and nobles, all who govern justly.
I love those who love me,
    and those who seek me diligently find me.
Riches and honor are with me,
    enduring wealth and righteousness.
My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
    and my yield than choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness,
    in the paths of justice,
granting an inheritance to those who love me
    and filling their treasuries.

“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work,
    the first of his acts of old.
Ages ago I was set up,
    at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
    when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
    before the hills, I was brought forth,
before he had made the earth with its fields,
    or the first of the dust of the world.
When he established the heavens, I was there;
    when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
    when he established the fountains of the deep,
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,
    then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
    rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
    and delighting in the children of man.

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

Solomon begins chapter 8 by saying that,

1. Wisdom is Near (verses 1-5)

One of the common images of wisdom is that it resides in a guru who sits on the top of a mountain. In order to get his wisdom, you need to make the hard climb up the mountain. Perhaps, if you make enough effort, you just might find the man and he might be able to give you the wisdom you need. Then you go back down to real life, and when you need more wisdom you climb the mountain again, seeking that elusive wisdom from the guru. Such is not the picture given to us in Proverbs 8. Solomon tells us that wisdom is near.

Proverbs 8:1-5
Does not wisdom call?
    Does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights beside the way,
    at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
    at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
“To you, O men, I call,
    and my cry is to the children of man.
O simple ones, learn prudence;
    O fools, learn sense.

You don’t have to seek wisdom on some remote and lofty mountain. Wisdom has come down to the streets. The “heights beside the way” in verse 2 are her podium, where she stands up and speaks so that all can hear. She has stood on her soapbox in the streets, calling out at the gates, crying aloud with a loud voice. You simply need to walk through the streets and listen to her.

This is not the first time that Solomon has portrayed wisdom as crying out in the streets. In chapter 1, she was preaching in the same place.

Proverbs 1:20-22
Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
    in the markets she raises her voice;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
    at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
    How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
    and fools hate knowledge?”

This is not the last time we will hear wisdom preaching either. We will see her again in chapter 9.

Proverbs 9:3-6
She has sent out her young women to call
    from the highest places in the town,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    To him who lacks sense she says,
“Come, eat of my bread
    and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways, and live,
    and walk in the way of insight.”

In each of these instances, Wisdom is seen as a lady street preacher. When I preached through chapter 1 a few months ago, several people inquired as to why Wisdom was portrayed as a woman preacher, since the Bible is clear that a preacher and pastor should be a man. The reason is simple: the Hebrew word for wisdom, hokmah, is a feminine noun and takes a feminine pronoun. This is why Wisdom is a “she.” There is no literal woman preaching. This is a metaphor, a picture that wisdom is everywhere. Her voice is heard and you don’t have to go far to hear it.

For you, this morning, wisdom is in your laps. It may be in your Bible or on your screen. It is on our airways. Wisdom is all around. You simply need to read it and listen to it and heed it.

In Proverbs 1, 8, and 9, her message is the same. She is calling out to the simple: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?” (Proverbs 1:22). “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” (Proverbs 9:4). “O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense” (Proverbs 8:5). The simple is the one who goes through life without thinking much about it. We saw the simple in chapter 7, walking into danger without much realizing it. The wise, by contrast, takes life into account, makes the right choices, and walks the right path. That is exactly what Wisdom’s message is. We see this beginning in verse 6.

2. Wisdom is Right (verses 6-9)

Wisdom will lead you on the right path and keep you on the straight and narrow. That's the essence of verses 6-9:

Proverbs 8:6-9
Hear, for I will speak noble things,
    and from my lips will come what is right,
for my mouth will utter truth;
    wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
    there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
They are all straight to him who understands,
    and right to those who find knowledge.

Life is full of choices, some big and some small. The smaller choices are your daily choices: when you will get up, what you will eat, what you will read, what to watch, what you say, where you will go. You need wisdom for all of these things, and wisdom will guide you on the right path, keep you diligent at your work, and help you know when and how to rest. Wisdom will also help you with the larger choices: what skills to pursue in life, who to marry, where to live. Wisdom will keep you on the right path.

3. Wisdom is Best (verses 10-11)

Wisdom is better than money. Solomon weighs the difference between wisdom and wealth, and wisdom wins every time. Wisdom is better than silver, better than gold, better than jewels. Wisdom is better than a nice car or a big house, better than a fine investment portfolio, better than diamonds and rubies and pearls. This is one of those Sunday school questions that is easy to answer when you are asked, “What’s better: a big bank account or Jesus?” Of course, we know the answer. But do we live the answer? Do we really live as if wisdom is our greatest treasure and our greatest desire? Solomon says,

Proverbs 8:10-11
Take my instruction instead of silver,
    and knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is better than jewels,
    and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

How often it is that the celebrities of the world climb to the top only to find it empty. They own gigantic houses, golf courses, islands, and yachts. They spend their time in exotic places doing exotic things, and yet they are not satisfied. They turn to drugs to dull the pain, and some commit suicide, because riches never satisfy. How often, by contrast, the godly of this world live a humble life devoted to serving others, never having much of the world’s treasure, yet dying happy and content in the LORD.

You may pursue the pleasures of this world, but in the end wisdom will bring the greatest satisfaction, because wisdom is the greatest. There is no greater desire than to walk rightly and humbly with your Lord, and then to enjoy the creation that God has given.

4. Wisdom is Practical (verses 12-13)

Wisdom takes us down into the minutia of life. It helps us with our understanding, our attitudes, and our speech. Wisdom is the means through which we gain practical knowledge. That is what prudence is in verse 12:

Proverbs 8:12
“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and discretion.

Wisdom helps us to know how to act in crucial situations, in moments of crisis. This is why wisdom shines in the moment of crisis, because it gives discernment and discretion in the time of need. Do you remember when the two women came to Solomon with a dispute? Each claimed that the living child was hers. Wisdom gave Solomon the ability to discern the thoughts and motives of these young mothers, the prudence to call for the sword to divide the living child in two, because wisdom knew the real mother would stop the slaughter (1 Kings 3:16-28).

Wisdom also guides us in practical ways. In verse 13, Solomon mentions the fear of the LORD. From the beginning of Proverbs, we know that this is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). Here it is very practical:

Proverbs 8:13a
The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.

Wisdom gives us this hatred. When we see evil things, we hate them and despise them because they bring dishonor to our LORD. We can easily look out upon the evils of our day and hate them. But the way of wisdom will direct us first to see the evil in our own hearts and lead us to hate our own evil ways. Solomon addresses this at the end of verse 13:

Proverbs 8:13b
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
    and perverted speech I hate.

This gets to the very core of our sinful ways: pride, self-sufficiency, self-determination, self-preservation. It gets to the words we speak. Take Ephesians 4:29 to heart: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth.” Every unwholesome word is perverted speech, and wisdom says to hate that. Instead, use your mouth for edification, for building others up, for giving grace. And as Jesus himself said, it is from the heart that the mouth speaks, so hatred of perverted speech drives us to deal with the heart itself.

5. Wisdom brings Success (verses 14-21)

Proverbs 8:14-18
I have counsel and sound wisdom;
    I have insight; I have strength.
By me kings reign,
    and rulers decree what is just;
by me princes rule,
    and nobles, all who govern justly.
I love those who love me,
    and those who seek me diligently find me.
Riches and honor are with me,
    enduring wealth and righteousness.

These verses sound like the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel! Wisdom will give us strength to live (verse 14). Wisdom will give us power to rule (verses 15-16). Wisdom will give us riches and wealth (verse 18). Wisdom will give us an inheritance that fills our treasuries (verse 21).

There is no doubt that these things are true. This is the greatness of wisdom, and it will lead to all of these things. But the error of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel is that these things become the goal. People seek for health and power and wealth and success without the wisdom that leads there. Wisdom is the path to success in life, and wisdom knows that these promises are Proverbs: true in general, but not always exactly in every specific. Yet you show me one who walks in wisdom, in righteousness, and in faithfulness to the Lord, and I will show you one whom the Lord has never forsaken. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” David said, “I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25).

Even these verses indicate something greater than riches and wealth:

Proverbs 8:19-21
My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
    and my yield than choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness,
    in the paths of justice,
granting an inheritance to those who love me
    and filling their treasuries.

Wisdom does bring prosperity when you live diligently in this life. But there is a greater treasure than gold and silver that awaits those who walk in wisdom, Wisdom knows that and trusts in that.

6. Wisdom brought Creation (verses 22-31)

Before reading these verses below, consider how Solomon describes the wisdom that God used to create the world. Before God created the earth, he put thought into it. Wisdom came before the creation, not after or during. God was not like a modern artist who sets a blank piece of paper before himself, grabs a pen and some paint, starts splashing away, and says, “Look what I made!” That is modern art. Creation was a construction project, with plans laid out and materials gathered before the work ever began. And obviously God created the materials as he went along, but he had plans. The wisdom was with God before his creative work ever began. Not only was Lady Wisdom with God before the creation began, she was with the Lord through the entire process. Before he made the earth with its fields, before the first of the dust of the world, before he brought into being the protons and the neutrons and the electrons, Lady Wisdom was there.

Proverbs 8:22-31
“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work,
    the first of his acts of old.
Ages ago I was set up,
    at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
    when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
    before the hills, I was brought forth,
before he had made the earth with its fields,
    or the first of the dust of the world.
When he established the heavens, I was there;
    when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
    when he established the fountains of the deep,
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,
    then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
    rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
    and delighting in the children of man.

What is remarkable is how perfect the universe is. Many physicists have noted how our universe is “finely tuned.” That is, there are many attributes of the universe that must work perfectly or the whole thing falls apart. Scientists have identified some 27 constants that must be exactly right for the universe even to exist. It has been said that Thomas Edison tried 10,000 different ways to get an electric light bulb to work well enough to be used economically by the masses. Contrast this with God. When God spoke, he brought all of the laws of physics into being: gravity, electromagnetic forces, and nuclear forces. When God spoke, he created all of the chemical elements along with their ability to form into molecules. When God spoke, he brought plant life into existence, including plant tissue, photosynthesis, respiration, and cellular structures. When God spoke, he brought animals into being, including muscular systems, nervous systems, cardiovascular systems, and DNA. Though the universe is infinitely more complicated than a light bulb, God did not make thousands of attempts until it all finally worked. He tried only once, and it worked perfectly. You can read about it in Genesis 1. We messed it up in Genesis 3.

Even now we do not know exactly how the coronavirus works or how to stop it. God could figure it out in a moment. But we must go to the laboratory, and there is always another question and another problem. As we push technology, it is like a bubble that grows bigger: there is always more on the edge of what God has created that we do not yet understand. Proverbs 8 tells us that this was God’s wisdom that thought through all of these things, and his wisdom is available to us if we but listen to her.

7. Wisdom gives Life (verses 32-36)

Listen to Lady Wisdom’s final appeal:

Proverbs 8:32-31
“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,
but he who fails to find me injures himself;
    all who hate me love death.”

Lady wisdom essentially says, "Listen to me!"  Because, when you find wisdom, you find blessing (verses 32, 34). When you find wisdom, you find life (verse 35). Wisdom brings life and blessing; lack of wisdom brings death. This is a good message for our children and for us adults alike.

Now, ultimately, when we think about wisdom, and when we think about how life comes through wisdom, it comes through Jesus Christ, who is our true wisdom. In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us that Jesus is our true wisdom.

Note carefully that Christ is not the same as Lady Wisdom; you cannot make a one-to-one parallel. Proverbs 8’s wisdom is available to anyone who follows it, and there are many ungodly people who know something about wisdom’s ways and find some blessing from it. But when Christ comes into the world, there is a wisdom the ungodly will never find. Consider the following verse:

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

When Paul preached Jesus Christ and him crucified, some heard it and understood: that is God’s wisdom, that we have failed to walk in God’s ways, and that we need Jesus Christ to come and be our wisdom for us. Others thought it was foolishness. Paul continues

1 Corinthians 1:21
for since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

Paul describes his audience of Jews and Greeks: Jews demanded signs; Greeks sought wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:23
But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.

The Jews wanted big shows of miraculous power before they would believe. That was not the way of Jesus. Jesus came humbly to die upon a cross for our sins. The Greeks wanted academic, intellectual satisfaction. Paul in Acts 17 went to Mars Hill and gave them some wisdom, but they rejected it. Yet this word of the cross is the wisdom and power of God, and to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (verse 24).

We have seen today how great wisdom is. The wisdom of God is greater than any wisdom of man. Consider just what wisdom did in creation: God thought it, planned it, created it, and it has worked perfectly for all of history. Meanwhile we have spent a lifetime trying to figure out how the universe works. The greatest minds are still on the cusp of knowledge. God’s wisdom is incomprehensible to us.

The true wisdom of God comes through Jesus Christ:

1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Jesus became to us wisdom from God. He is the true wisdom. He walked in all the ways of wisdom: truly in righteousness, truly not desiring the riches of the world, eminently practical, with the fear of the Lord on his heart and mind at all times. He became poor for our sakes and walked in humility. And he is our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption. As Paul said in Galatians 6:14, "may it never be that I should boast in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We put LeBron James and Michael Jordan up there and ask who is the greatest. Neither of them are the greatest. Jesus is the greatest. He is the greatest wisdom. He is the true wisdom.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on March 1, 2020 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] “Americans Chose Jordan Over LeBron as the Greatest Basketball Player of All Time,” Business Insider, March 2019. https://www.businessinsider.com/jordan-lebron-goat-debate-americans-jordan-2019-3.