Sunday, June 22, 2025
“Listen Carefully” Proverbs 8-9
I. LISTEN TO WISDOM
The Plea:
Proverbs 8:1-2 – “Listen as Wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice! On the hilltop along the road, she takes her stand at the crossroads.”
Proverbs 9:3 – “She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.”
The Call is Universal:
Proverbs 8:4 – “I call to you, to all of you! I raise my voice to all people.”
The Importance of Listening:
Proverbs 8:32-34 – “And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don’t ignore it. Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home!”
II. LEAVE SELFISHNESS
The Challenge:
Proverbs 9:6 – “Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; walk in the way of insight.”
What Must Be Left Behind:
1- Deception
Proverbs 8:7 – “I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception.”
2- Love Of Money & Things
- Proverbs 8:10-11 – “Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.”
3- Pride & Arrogance
Proverbs 8:13 (NLT): “All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.”
4- Hatred For Wisdom
Proverbs 8:36 (NLT): “But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death.”
The Danger of Bad Judgment:
Proverbs 9:16-18 – “Come in with me, she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, ‘Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!’ But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave.”
III. LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY
The Paradigm Shift:
Proverbs 9:6 – “Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; walk in the way of insight.”
Proverbs 9:11 – “Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.”
The Benefits of Righteous Living:
1- Practical Benefits
Proverbs 8:14 – “Common sense and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine.”
2- Material Blessings
Proverbs 8:18-21 – “I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice. My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver! I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice. Those who love me inherit wealth. I will fill their treasuries.”
3- Leadership Ability
Proverbs 8:16 – “Rulers lead with my help, and nobles make righteous judgments.”
4- Joy & Life
Proverbs 8:35 – “For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.”
IV. LEARN CORRECTLY
What We Are to Learn:
1- Good Judgment
Proverbs 8:6 – “Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right.”
2- Our Source & Sustenance
Proverbs 9:4-5 – “Come in with me, she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, ‘Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.'”
3- How To Instruct & Correct Others
Proverbs 9:8-9 – “Don’t rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise, and they will love you. Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”
4- The Fear Of The Lord
Proverbs 9:10 – “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.”
5- How To Avoid Folly
Proverbs 9:13-18 – “The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t know it. She sits in her doorway on the heights overlooking the city. She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business… But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave.”
The Choice Before You:
Proverbs 8:35-36 – “For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death.”