Jump Start # 1131

Proverbs 8:22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old.”

  The first few chapters of Proverbs highlight the value and benefits of godly wisdom. Wisdom is personified. It is described as a sister that is loved and cherished. Here in this chapter, wisdom speaks, as if it was a person.

• I, wisdom, dwell with prudence and I find knowledge and discretion (12)
• I love those who love me (17)
• I walk in the way of righteousness (20)
• From everlasting I was established (23)

The section our verse comes from details the relationship of wisdom with God. Before creation, wisdom was with God. Wisdom worked with God as a master workman (30). Wisdom was God’s daily delight (30).

These thoughts lead to three great observations:

1. The world was formed and created through the wisdom of God. The theories of atheistic evolution would have us to believe that there was no thought, plan or design to our world. What happened, just happened. It’s remarkable that our feet are not where our ears are. Time and chance verse thought and plan—evolution verse creation, nothing verse God. Evolution lacks evidence and proof. The present world points to wisdom, laws, sense, structure and plans. The Bible teaches, our verse teaches, that God made the world through wisdom. It was thought out.

2. Truth was established and determined by God long ago. The search for truth is not the same thing as the defining of truth. God has determined that. Wisdom, knowledge, prudence, discretion are all the attributes that come from truth. Wisdom is based upon truth. So if wisdom has been with God before the creation, so has truth. God determines truth. God determines right and wrong. God sets forth the boundaries and parameters of truth. Like nature, truth is not evolving, changing and being redefined with each generation. Some would have you believe that. The definition of marriage, life, joy, right and wrong has been set by God. They are like a stake in the ground. Ours is to embrace truth, follow truth and obey truth. Too many would rather redefine truth. It is easier for some to change truth than it is to change their lives. Imagine in the middle of a ball game, one team decides to change the rules. That would affect the outcome. That isn’t fair nor right. The players play. The rule makers set forth the rules and they are set forth before the game begins. When there is a question, the officials must make a judgment based upon what the rules say. The rules are the standard. They do not change, and the players playing the game, especially, do not get to change the rules. We get that in sports, we don’t get that in life, and especially in religion. Churches all the time are changing the rules. Some even have conventions to vote upon things. Has God not set forth the truth? What is there to vote upon? The players are not in the position nor have the right to change the rules of the game. Why is it that churches have by-laws, amendments, policies, creeds, and doctrines that change? Has truth not been determined? Has God not set forth what He wants churches to do? Is not the New Testament our standard and guide? Can we amend the N.T.? Can we alter and do differently than what the N.T. says? Serious questions. They need a serious answer. Jesus declared that He is the way, the truth and the life. If we do differently than what Jesus said, we no longer accept Him as the truth.

3. There is great comfort in following the truth of God. It is here that our confidence, faith and hope lie. It is from following the truth that joy springs forth. A person knows that they are right when they follow what God says in the way that He says it. When Paul was on the ship heading to Rome, they went through a serious storm that nearly took their lives. God sent Paul a vision that revealed the survival of all people on that boat. Paul reported to the others the vision. He said, “I believe it will turn out exactly as I have been told.” That statement sets forth what we believe. All things will turn out exactly as we have been told by God. We know. God has said. The environment won’t wipe us all out. We know. We won’t be destroyed by aliens. We know. We won’t all be killed by nukes. We know. Some will be alive, even Christians, when Jesus returns. He said that. We know that the earth will be destroyed with fire. He said that. We know after death is a coming judgment. He said that. We know eternity involves Heaven for the righteous and Hell for the wicked. He said that. There are no question marks. There is no cosmic battle in which the outcome could go either way. No. We know what happens to Satan. We know the outcome. He said. It will turn out exactly as we have been told. That’s the value of truth. It drives out fear, conquers error and establishes confidence.

The Lord possessed wisdom. When we do the same, good things happen. It begins by opening the Bible and drinking deeply. Truth will lead you to finding God, obeying God and loving God.

Roger