Proverbs chapter 8 and verse
34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates,
waiting at the post of my doors. Blessed is the man that heareth
me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors. We read the opening chapter And
of course, it's very much part of what we call the wisdom literature
of the Old Testament, the writings of King Solomon. That wise king,
one of the wisest men that ever lived on the face of the earth.
In a sense, when we read in these writings, we're thinking in particular
of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, And then the Song of Solomon.
In these writings we recognize that the greater than Solomon
is here, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I trust we might see something
of that as we come to consider this verse for a little while
this morning. But here we have a description
of a blessed man. We have recently of course on
Lord's Day mornings been considering the words of the Lord Jesus there
in Matthew 5 as he opens that remarkable Sermon on the Mount
and he begins by that series of blessings, the Beatitudes. We consider then those opening
12 verses of Matthew chapter 5, but here We find the blessed
man also in the book of Proverbs. And we see something of the wisdom
of that blessed man. The man who is spoken of here
in our text. And what is the blessing that
this man enjoys? Well, he is blessed in his hearing. And that's really the theme that
I want to take up. Blessed is the man, it says.
that heareth me, watching daily at my gate, waiting at the post
of my door. And the one who is speaking,
yes, we know it's the writing of King Solomon, but Solomon
writing, of course, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It's not simply the words of
King Solomon that we have here, it's the word of God. but we
can be more specific than that, it is surely here really the
words of wisdom. Blessed is the man that heareth
me. Remember how the chapter opens,
this 8th chapter, there at verse 1, doth not wisdom cry and understanding
put forth her voice. It is a person. and that person
that speaks is one who goes by the name of wisdom. It is evidently a person because
throughout the chapter we see that certain affections and attributes
that belong to personality are applied to this particular person. At the end of verse 13 we are
told how there is hatred. The end of verse 13, arrogancy,
the evil way, the froward mouth, do I hate? Well that's a personal
trait, to have hatred in the heart. But besides hating every
wicked way, we also read of this person that there is love. in
the hearts verse 17 I love them that love me it says and those
that seek me early shall find me and then again we also read
concerning this particular person that they know something of rejoicing
in verses 30 and 31 Wisdom says, Then I was by him
as one brought up with him, I was daily his delight, rejoicing,
always before him, rejoicing, in the habitable part of his
earth, and my delights were with the sons of men. It's not just
some sort of attribute that we're considering then when we read
of wisdom in this particular chapter, but it is definitely
a person. And who is this person? Well,
I've already said that a greater than Solomon is here. It is the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We know how in the New Testament
we see him under the name of words. He is the Word of God. We're so familiar with those
words of John in the opening chapter of the Gospel that bears
his name. In the beginning was the Word.
and the Word was with God and the Word was God the same was
in the beginning with God all things were made by Him without
Him was not anything made that was made and then John tells
us how the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld
His glory the glorious and the only begotten of the Father full
of grace and truth He is the Word of God the eternal Son of
God but he is also the wisdom of God. He is the wisdom of God. Remember the language of the
Apostle when he writes there in the closing words of the first
chapter of 1 Corinthians he says concerning the Lord Jesus of
him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom.
Oh he is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption as the word was made flesh so we see in him the
wisdom of God the wisdom that is from above which is first
pure and then peaceable and gentle and easy to be entreated and
full of mercy and good fruits and without partiality and without
hypocrisy the language that we have there in James chapter 3
and verse 17 who is James describing the wisdom from above. It is
none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the wisdom of
God. And we see him there spoken of
prophetically really in the opening chapter. Remember the words that
we were reading there at verse 20 following? Wisdom crieth without,
she uttereth her voice in the streets. She crieth in the chief
place of concourse, In the openings of the gates, in the city, she
uttered a word saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love
simplicity? And the scorners delight in their
scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn you at my reproof. Behold,
I will pour out of my spirit unto you. I will make known my
words unto you. Who is wisdom then here? Speaking
in the chief place of concourse? Speaking of the gift, the pouring
out of the Holy Spirit, well, we see that word very really
and literally fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, in what we're told
there in the seventh chapter of John's Gospel, where we see
Christ in the temple. And what does the Lord say in
the course of His ministry, in the course of His preaching on
that occasion? John 7 verse 37, In the last
day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth
on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water, but this spake of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive, for the Holy
Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified. It's Christ there in the great
place of concourse addressing the people and speaking of the
promise of the Spirit. He is that one who is the wisdom
of God and he speaks to us here in this particular verse that
we come to this morning. And what does he speak of? he
speaks of that man who is the blessed man and the mark of the
blessed man blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily
at my gates waiting at the post of my doors the blessing then
of hearing what a blessed thing it is to hear because faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God." Well, let
us come to this particular verse, and here we have these parallel
statements, and I want us to consider each of them by turn. These two very simple headings
then as we come to look at the verse. First of all, the watching
at the gates, and then secondly we'll think about the waiting
at the post. of the doors. First of all it
says watching daily at my gates. There are two things that we
see here involved in such watching. First of all we are to consider
something of God's providences, the ways of God, the works of
God. It's watching at my gates. And the reference to gates is
significant, because we see in Scripture how gates are really
the place of counsel and deliberation. Think of the words of the Lord
Jesus in Matthew 16, after Peter's great confession of faith, Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God, and there the Lord
goes on to pronounce that man is a blessed man, blessed art
thou Simon bar Jonah flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee but my Father which is in heaven and the Lord goes on doesn't
he to say that upon that confession he will build his church and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it the Lord will build
his church God's foundation can no man lay,
and that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. He is the foundation. I know
the Roman Church speaks of the Pope being the foundation, and
claiming that the Popes are the successors of Peter. But that's not what the Word
of God teaches. The only foundation is the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is that one who is the foundation,
the chief cornerstone. And he says, does the Lord that
the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church. But why the
gates of hell? Because in ancient times the
gates, those fortified gates to the cities were often the
place where councils were held, where the elders would meet and
would deliberate. and we have a quite a remarkable
example of that of course in the history that's recorded in
the book of Ruth where Boaz is one who will be the person to
redeem the inheritance but there is one who is a closer relation than Boaz in Ruth chapter 4 I think we find
Boaz going to the gate of the city to establish whether he
is the man who is the kinsman redeemer or the one who is a
closer relation the beginning of chapter 4 in the book of Ruth
then when Boaz up to the gate and sat him down there and behold
the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by unto whom he said oh
such a one turn aside sit down here and he turned aside and
sat down and he took ten men of the elders of the city and
said sit ye down here and they sat down and then Boaz relates
the situation there is this woman Naomi who has gone to Moab and
there her husband has died her sons have married these women
and Ruth the Moabites is now the daughter-in-law and as Naomi has returned with Ruth
so they have a right to redeem the inheritance that it seems
they had forfeited when they left Bethlehem. But who is going to step forward
to redeem their inheritance? Will this close the relation? Or will he forfeit that? And
then it must be Boaz. And this is the matter that must
be deliberated by the men of the city. And so we see he's
gone to the gates for that specific purpose. the gates are significant,
in that that is the place where councils are held, deliberations
made, and decisions to be acted upon. And here we have, you see,
the blessed man is one who is watching daily at wisdom's gates. God's counsel is being unfolded,
is it not, all the time. By His providence God is working
out His eternal purpose. His sovereignty is being demonstrated
in all the events that are taking place. And the blessed man is
that one who is watching these things, observing these things. Micah says, the Lord's voice
crieth unto the city, the man of wisdom shall see thy Nay,
hear ye the rod, and do have appointed it." Even when God
acts in ways that are difficult and contrary, the ways of judgments
and chastenings, the Lord's voice is to be discerned
in all His ways, in all His works. And as we've said many a time,
of course, we have it unfolded quite remarkably in the 107th
Psalm. that psalm that speaks of providence
in the various circumstances and situations of life by land
and by sea and when we come to the concluding verse of the psalm
who so is wise and will observe these things even they shall
understand the loving kindness of the Lord. Lord the blessed
man is the man that heareth me he watches daily at my gate He
observes God's providences. Are we those, friends, who are
made wise then, in that we are observant of the Lord's dealings,
and we seek to understand what His way is with us, what His
will is for us. But we're not only to think here
in terms of the works of God. Surely, when we have mentioned
here of that man who is hearing and watching at the gates, is
there not some reference to the Word of God and the preaching
of the Word of God? Is there not here some reference
to the ordinances of God's house? What do we read there in the
opening part of the chapter, verse 3, concerning wisdom? She crieth at the gates, at the
entry of the city, at the coming in of the doors. And we know,
the psalmist tells us the Lord loveth the gates of Zion more
than all the dwellings of Jacob. The gates. the gates of Zion. And Zion, of course, in the Old
Testament is typical, typical of the true Church of God, God's
spiritual Israel. And the gathering together of
the people of God when they come to worship Him. There is that
ministry of the Word of God, the gates are open. That's what we're told there
in the opening verses of Isaiah 26. And the hymn, we have that
hymn, don't we, in the book? We're not going to sing it, but
I do like that 11th hymn, and I think in particular of the
words that we have there in verse 5, the door of thy mercy stands
open all day to the poor and the needy. who not by the way,
no sinner shall ever be empty sent back, who come seeking mercy
for Jesus' sake." Why the gates of Zion, says the prophet Isaiah
there in chapter 26, that open order? There's that free proclamation
of the gospel of the salvation of God. Now, we see it time and again
in the Old Testament Scriptures. Now, we're to observe God's words
and the types of the figures that we find there in Old Testament. David can say in another psalm,
a day in thy court is better than a thousand. I'd rather be
a doorkeeper in the house of my God, he says. than dwell in
the tents of wickedness or do we attend then the gates of Zion and the doors
of the house of God we want to come and we want to attend to
the ordinances of God's house and how God has appointed all
the means of grace the reading of his word in the public place
and the preaching of the everlasting gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
Blessed is the man, says wisdom, that heareth me, watching daily
at my gates. It's not so much that we simply
attend to the outward form of the service of God's house, but
we're listening for the voice of him who is the true shepherd
of the sheep. He says, my sheep hear my voice.
and I know them and they follow me and I give to them eternal
life and they shall never perish and the father is that one who
comes and reveals himself to us through the person and the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ now Christ himself then commits
that word into the ministry of his own disciples, the twelve
apostles and then we have that preaching of the word throughout
the New Testament scriptures and remember when the apostle
Paul is there at Ephesus where Christ had never visited during
his earthly ministry because that ministry was so confined
to the land of Palestine he comes to his own But the gospel then,
after Christ has accomplished that great work of salvation,
is to go out to the ends of the earth. And Paul to those Ephesians
says to them, you have not so learned Christ. If so be you
have heard him and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. Oh, the voice of wisdom was heard
there at Ephesus, though the Lord had never visited that city. His voice was heard through the
preaching of the Word of the Apostle. And so it is even through
the generations. We're to attend then to the ordinances
of God's house. We attend to the ministry and
the preaching of the Word of God. There's to be that watching.
That watching not only is hand in property, without watching
out for his words, that desire not to hear the mere opinions
of men, but to hear the exposition of the word of God's truth. But
then the other parallel statement here is that of waiting. As there is watching, so there
is waiting. The blessed man that heareth
me, it says, waiting at the post of my doors. And again, as gates
are significant in the Old Testament, the place of consultation and
counsel and important decisions, so doors. Doors are also important. We read, don't we, in Exodus
21, there in the opening verses of the servant who is brought
into servitude but in the seventh year he is to be granted his
liberty, his freedom but then if that servant does not want
to be released in that year of liberty and says I love my master
I will not go out free and wishes to continue in his master's house
we're told how his master shall bore his ear through with an
awl and he shall serve him forever he takes him to the door of the
house and bores his ear through with an awl it says and he becomes
the servant of his master forever and that is the blessed man here
in the book of Wisdom in the book of Proverbs he heareth me says wisdom and
he waits at the post of my doors or there's that continuance or
that desire to be ever serving his master ever hearing his voice
ever seeking to do his commandments and his precepts and there's
an eagerness There's an eagerness, surely, with this waiting. We're
told, aren't we, concerning the ministry of the Lord Jesus in
the Gospel, how all the people came early in the morning to
Him in the temple for to hear Him. Oh, how they had such an appetite,
such a hungering and a thirsting. They wanted to be hearing Him,
hearing His ministry. Blessed is that man that heareth
me says the Lord and waiting waiting with anticipation there's
a certain expectation but isn't it strange we have mentioned
in John chapter 5 concerning a man who was waiting 38 years
he waits 38 years at the pool of Bethesda and he doesn't wait
in vain ultimately how the Lord is there in the appointed time
of the Lord ministers to him and the man receives that that
he had waited so long and so patiently for you know the account
there in Matthew chapter 5 there was no one to help him when the
waters were disturbed but others would step down before him But
now the Lord ministers to him. He asked, Wilt thou be made whole?
The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man when the water
is troubled to put me into the pool. But while I am coming,
another steppeth down before me. Jesus said unto him, Rise,
take up thy bed, and walk, and immediately. The man was made
whole, and took up his bed, and walked. and on the same day was
the Sabbath. So he waited, but that day came,
that appointed time, when he received that that he had long
waited for. None can wait in vain. All this blessed man, you see,
he waits. He waits at the posts of wisdom's doors. The psalmist
says, I waited patiently. for the Lord, and he inclined
unto me and heard my cry." In waiting, I waited, is the reading
in the margin. There's a repetition of the word,
an emphasis upon the waiting, and of course it's brought out
in the rendering that we have in the actual text, I waited
patiently. He endures the waiting, waiting
upon the Lord, Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching
daily at my gate, waiting at the post of my door, for whoso
findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. For there is not here a waiting
in vain, there is a finding. there is the discovery of that
life. Whoso findeth me, findeth life. And isn't that the Lord Jesus? He is the life. I am the way, the truth and the
life, he says. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Those great I am statements that
we have throughout John's Gospel, again the Lord says I am the
resurrection. and the life. He that believeth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? O it is the Lord Jesus himself
who is the life that is spoken of here in the ensuing verse.
Whoso findeth mercy, findeth life. and shall obtain favour
of the Lord. He is that One who is the Word
of God and the Wisdom of God and the Life of God and He is
that One who is the Lord, spoken of here at the end of verse 35,
Jehovah, the Great I Am that I Am. But what does he say there
in that seventh chapter of John's Gospel? if ye believe not that
I am he ye shall perish in your sins but more literally there's
no masculine pronoun there really he says if you believe not that
I am ye shall perish in your sins and then again at the end
of that chapter before Abraham was I and we have him here in this
chapter do we not he is that one who is the father's delight
previously at verse 30 wisdom says then I was by him as one
brought up with him I was daily his delight rejoicing always
before him oh this is that one who is speaking here then in
the text this morning that one in whom the father delights and
how He delights in Him of course He delights in Him as the Eternal
Son the only begotten of the Father full
of grace and truth it's Christ who is spoken of throughout this
remarkable 8th chapter as the Wisdom of God the Eternal Son
of God, the Eternal Word of God, the eternal wisdom of God. He
says at verse 24, when there were no depths, I was brought
forth. When there were no fountains abounding with water, before
the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. Ever with the Father, the eternal
Son. He says again, the Lord possessed
me in the beginning of His way. before His works of all. And the Father delights in Him
as the Eternal Son. When Christ comes to pray in
that 17th chapter of John, having accomplished the work that the
Father has given Him to do, what does He say? Among so many remarkable
things we have those words in verse 5 the end of that fifth
verse in John 17 he speaks of the glory which I had with thee
before the world was the glory which I had with thee before
the world was before there was any creation he had all the glory that the
father had because he is the eternal son of the eternal father His essential glory. And those
words then in verse 30, I was daily. His delights. All the Father delights in Him.
But the Father doesn't just delight in Him in terms of His essential
glory, as that One who is God of gods, the father also delights
in him in terms of his what we tell is mediatorial glory because
he is that one who in the eternal covenant is pleased to become
the servant of God who is sent to accomplish the great work
of redemption when the fullness of the time was come God sent
forth his son made of a woman, made under the law to redeem
them that were under the law and how the father delights in
him throughout his ministry here upon the earth when he begins that ministry when he is baptized by John the
Baptist remember as he comes up out of the waters so the heavens
open and the Spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove
and the Father utters those blessed words, this is my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased. All we delight in him as he begins
to execute that great work of redemption and then later in
the course of his ministry we see him there in the Mount of
Transfiguration that remarkable event where those favored three
Peter and James and John are present with him in the mount
Peter says we behold his glory again the father speaks from
heaven and says this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased
hear ye him hear ye him all blessed is the man that heareth me watching
daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors throughout
His ministry. And even when the Lord is making
that final journey to Jerusalem, and He's going to make that great
sacrifice for sins, the very purpose of His coming, He will
be obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. but how
he agonizes in his soul, he says there in John 12, now is my soul
troubled and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour
before this cause came I to this hour, Father glorify thy name
and there came a voice from heaven saying I have glorified it and
I will glorify it again oh he is glorious you see in every
aspect of the work that he is accomplishing and the Father
delights in Him. Oh, there is the Father's delight.
And then there's also the Son's delight here. In that 30th verse. Then was I by Him, as one brought
up with Him, I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before
Him. or how the son rejoices before
the father and when he comes into the world in the execution
of that covenant of redemption that covenant of grace how he
comes to serve the father all my meat is to do the will of
him who has sent me and to finish his work all there is a work
to be accomplished I must work whilst it is day the night cometh
when no man can work he says or he comes down from heaven
then not to do his own will but the will of the one who sent
him but he not only comes to serve the father he comes specifically
doesn't he to save the sinners and so he's not only rejoicing
before the Father, but verse 31, rejoicing in the inhabitable
parts of his earth, he says, and my delights were with the
sons of men. He comes to save sinners, he
loves sinners. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, though he was rich, says Paul to the Corinthians,
yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty
might be made rich. And how the Father loves him
in all this work. Why the Father loveth the Son
and hath given all things into his hands as he is accomplishing
this great work of redemption as he comes to save the sinner.
having loved his own which were in the world he loves them and
he loves them to the end it's an enduring love it's a love
that ultimately terminates in his death upon the cross and
yet really it goes beyond that because he is the resurrected
one and he loves his people with an everlasting love a never ending
love all we see him here then in the
text that one who is the wisdom of God and that blessed man that
man that hears him and so as we have the father's delight,
the son's delight is there not also the sinner's delight to
be taken account of? what is the sinner's delight?
well it's that that's declared really in the verse watching
daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors, ever always
waiting upon Him. All His desire is before Him.
Isn't that one of the names that's given to the Lord Jesus Christ?
There in Haggai chapter 2 and verse 7, He is the desire of
all nations, the desire of all nations, altogether lovely is what we
read concerning Him in the Song of Solomon. And so the blessed
man desires Him and delights in Him and watches for Him and
waits I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, says the psalmist,
in his words do I trust. Not waiting in vain, but waiting
ultimately to find him and to know him. That was what Paul so yearned
for, wasn't it? To be found in him, you see.
to be found in Him not having mine own righteousness which
is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ
the righteousness which is of God through faith that I may
know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship
of His sufferings be made conformable unto His death. Oh, this blessed
man If a man lacks wisdom, what is he to do? He's to ask of God,
who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, but he's
to ask in faith, nothing wavering. I'll be those friends who desire
to know this wisdom, to delight in this wisdom, to
rejoice in all that he is, all that he has done. Here is the
blessed man then in the book of Proverbs the wisdom of this
blessed man he hears and he loves to hear that old old story of
Jesus and his love. Blessed is the man that heareth
me watching daily at my gates waiting at the post of my doors
For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour
of the Lord. May the Lord bless his word to
us. We're going to now sing his praise
in the words of the hymn number
126, the tune is Southwell 239. I'll speak the honours of my
King, his form divinely fair, none of the sons of mortal race.
May with the Lord's compare, sweet is thy speech, and heavenly
grace upon thy lips is shed. Thy God hath, with blessings
infinite, has crowned thy sacred head. 126, June 239.