Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 252 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Proverbs [8:17]-31 – Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #3
Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 252 of our trek, and today we continue to remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we explored Proverbs 8:6-16 where the woman Wisdom is presenting her case in a legal proceeding before the city gates. In Old Testament times the city gates were similar to our courtrooms today, where all legal matters and major business transactions were presented and decided. Since each day’s trek builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This past week has been a very busy one, and the days just flew by. There will be plenty of projects and tasks for next week.
This weekend we do have two special events planned, in addition to watching the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl. On Saturday, we are celebrating the 4th birthday of our grandson Harold Guthrie Chamberlain, V, who goes by his Kenyan name Kiprono. We will start at Discovery Place and then return to his home afterward. It is a blessing they live in the Charlotte area also.
On Sunday after church, Paula and I will be going to the Biltmore Mansion again to take the “behind the scenes” Upstairs/Downstairs Tour. They have a special promotion during February – two for the price of one. We have wanted to take the tour, and saving money is a great incentive to go now. I will let you know about it in a couple of days.
For today, let’s move onto our trek as we are transported once again back to ancient Jerusalem during the reign of King Solomon. We are seated just outside of the gates of the city as the lawyer called Wisdom continues to present her case before those that are in attendance. She has a very strong case, and today we find out the benefits of searching for and choosing to love wisdom. If you pay attention to her words and integrate them into the very fabric of your heart, mind, and soul, you will live that rich and satisfying life, which Christ spoke of in John [10:10].
This second of three great poems written by Solomon found in Proverbs Chapter 8 is titled…
Wisdom Calls for a Hearing
Let’s listen as Wisdom continues with verse 17,
17 “I love all who love me.
Those who search will surely find me.
18 I have riches and honor,
as well as enduring wealth and justice.
19 My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold,
my wages better than sterling silver!
20 I walk in righteousness,
in paths of justice.
21 Those who love me inherit wealth.
I will fill their treasuries.
In verse 17, we are instructed to love wisdom and told if we seek for her, we will find her. This is a great invitation, and the benefits are outstanding. Wisdom sweetens the deal in verses 18 and 19 by offering both gifts and wages for the work we will complete. Wisdom possesses riches, honor, enduring wealth, and justice. The gifts she gives are better than 24 karat gold. The wages she pays are better than sterling silver. We do need to travel with Wisdom though with right living on the paths for justice…But, the rewards for taking this trek are wealth that will fill our lives with untold riches.
In verse 21 we can clearly see that the lawyer called Wisdom is generous. She gives true wealth. You can love many things. You may love wine or food. But too much wine or food will kill you. You may love money, but you can lose everything in a single day. If you love wisdom, then you should love God. He cares about you. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-38, “Jesus replied ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Let us continue to listen to Wisdom’s thesis in verses 22-31,
22 “The Lord formed me from the beginning,
before he created anything else.
23 I was appointed in ages past,
at the very first, before the earth began.
24 I was born before the oceans were created
before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
25 Before the mountains were formed,
before the hills, I was born—
26 before he had made the earth and fields
and the first handfuls of soil.
27 I was there when he established the heavens
when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
28 I was there when he set the clouds above
when he established springs deep in the earth.
29 I was there when he set the limits of the seas,
so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.
And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,
30 I was the architect at his side.
I was his constant delight,
rejoicing always in his presence.
31 And how happy I was with the world he created;
how I rejoiced with the human family!
Since all wisdom ultimately comes from God, as Wisdom continues her speech, she explains how she was His first creation. Wisdom was with God at the beginning of the creation of the world. We all need wisdom for everyday life. Even God needed or used His wisdom to make the world.
Wisdom played a crucial role in creation, just as God’s Word did. God’s Word existed in the beginning. As John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The “Word” in this verse is another name for Jesus. Jesus always existed with God in heaven. Jesus is the Son of God. There is only one God, but Jesus is God. This is difficult to understand. We cannot understand everything about God. We must trust God about the things that we do not understand.
In verses 24-29, Wisdom gives eyewitness testimony to the events of creation. Eyewitness testimony is always the strongest testimony in a court hearing. In her presentation, she gives great detail of how God created the world. God worked with perfection and finite detail and Wisdom observed it all. God loves his creation, especially humans, so he prepared a beautiful home for us on earth.
The lawyer Wisdom was there during the birth of creation. God’s wisdom was present from eternity past and will be into eternity future.
As we move onto verses 30 and 31, we see that Wisdom observed all aspects of creation. God delighted in Wisdom – she was the architect of all creation. They rejoiced together as each aspect of creation was revealed. The crescendo of this rejoicing resulted when God created the human family. God made us to be in his image. This means that we should behave like him. We should use wisdom. We see that Wisdom has created quite a compelling case of why we should love wisdom and seek for her as we would silver and gold.
Do you feel that Wisdom has presented a strong enough case before the elders and judges of the city? She has more to present tomorrow before her closing arguments. Are you willing to listen to Wisdom’s hearing before the gate? Tomorrow we will remain in camp and continue in Chapter 8 as Wisdom provides us with the additional information that we need. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:
- Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
- On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
- On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
- Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person, so they can come along with us each day.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.
As we take this trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!