Let us turn to this chapter,
this familiar chapter in the book of Proverbs that we read. Here then in Proverbs 8, and
directing you for a little while to the words that we have in
verse 5. Proverbs 8, 5, O ye simple, understand
wisdom, and ye fools, be of an understanding heart. O ye simple,
understand wisdom, and ye fools be of an understanding heart."
To say something then of that wise and understanding heart
that is being spoken of, Proverbs of course is part of what is
called the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, in particular
the writings of King Solomon, who was the wisest of kings,
I think in terms of the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes,
the Song of Solomon. Turning then to these words and
taking up this theme of a wise and an understanding heart. We could think also of words
that we find previously in chapter 4 and verse 23. Keep thy hearts
with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life and
clearly the heart here is to be equated with the soul of man
we think of the words of the Lord Jesus himself what is a
man profited if he gained the whole world and lose his own
soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul how
important is the soul when God created man creates his body
out of the dust of the earth, breathes into his nostrils the
breath of life, he becomes a living soul. And we have never-dying
souls. And again here in Proverbs, the
importance of the soul in that exhortation in chapter 23 and
verse 6, My son, give me thine heart. It is only God himself
really who can satisfy the souls of men and men must therefore
look to God and seek after God and find all their satisfaction
in him that was made us for thyself our souls are restless till they
find their rest in thee we're familiar I'm sure with that language
of Augustine of Hippo and we think of the way in which
the Lord Jesus sums up what the first table of the law is the
first of the four commandments which concern duty towards God
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with
all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength
so when we read of the of the hearts, but to think in terms
of the souls of men, oh, ye simple understand wisdom, and ye fools
be of an understanding heart, an understanding soul. But also, sometimes in scripture,
the word heart is used not so much as a simple reference to
the soul of man, but it might refer to the faculties of the
souls of men. I think of memory and the words
of the psalmist thy word have I hid in my heart that I might
not sin against thee what is it to hide God's word in the
heart it's to remember God's word and therefore to have recourse
to God's words when the tempter comes is it not that sword of
the Spirit, the words of God. The high God's word then in our
hearts is to be wise and to remember the words of God. But then also
John uses the word heart in reference to the conscience in the language
that we have there in the third chapter of that first epistle.
If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts. and
knoweth all things. If our heart condemns us not,
then have we confidence towards God?" He is thinking there in
terms of the heart as the conscience. And there in the opening chapter
of the Epistle to the Romans, Paul reminds us that the conscience
has reference to that Word of God. that in creation was written
upon the hearts of all men. A good conscience then will have
regard to God's words. John uses the word then heart
in reference to the conscience of men but also we see how Paul
uses it in reference to the understanding. Speaking again of Sinners of
the Gentiles in the opening chapters of the epistle to the Romans,
he says, their foolish heart was darkened. Their foolish heart
was darkened. And when we compare that with
the language of Ephesians 4, having the understanding darkened,
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was
in them because of the blindness of their hearts. Clearly then,
in Romans 3.21, Paul is using the word heart in reference to
the understanding. So, sometimes the word heart
can be used in regard to those various faculties of the soul,
the memory, the conscience, the understanding. Well, let us come
to consider what is said here in this text. O ye simple, understand
wisdom, and ye fools, be of an understanding hearts. There's an emphasis in very much
upon the understanding in these words and when we come to consider
God's Word we do see that there is a twofold knowledge set before
us here in Holy Scripture. Like I said before in that great
work of the Reformation Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion
he clearly speaks that there is a twofold knowledge that men
have to have regard to, and that is the knowledge of themselves,
to know themselves, and also the knowledge of God, to know
God. And another writer has said that
there is no manifested elect soul that knows one hair's breadth
of Christ than he knows of himself. It's as we know ourselves and
what our needs are that we'll know what Christ is. And the
more we know of self and our needs, the more we will desire
to know all that fullness of grace that is found in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And where does that knowledge
of self begin? Well, we have to come to terms,
of course, with what we are by nature. We have to come to terms
with our sinnership. We know that sin is not of God. God is of eyes too pure to behold
iniquity. God cannot look upon sin. God
is not the author of sin. Sin is of man. But, to have a
knowledge of sin, that can only come from God. Well, God must
teach us. God must grant us that wisdom
to know what our real situation is and what our real needs are.
as those who are his creatures and ultimately of course accountable
to him. And so the apostle again speaks
of believers as those whose understanding has been enlightened. The eyes
of your understanding being enlightened. We need that light of the grace
of God. God should come to us. and illuminates
our poor, sin-benighted minds, and causes us to understand what
our true situation is. And when we think of the gracious
man, the gracious woman, is it not one who desires that God
would do that very thing? David, the man after God's own
heart. How does he pray to God? Search
me, O God, he says, and know my heart. Try me and know my
thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in them and lead
me in the way everlasting." And here when we come to this text
we read of those who are simple and fools. These are the very
individuals who are being addressed by wisdom. Oh ye simple, understand
wisdom. And ye fools, be of an understanding
heart. Well let us just examine the
words that are being used here to describe what man is in his
sad fallen condition as a sinner. He is simple and the word has
this idea of one who is so easily deceived. He's deceived. Again think of other words that
we find in the book in chapter 14 and verse 15 it says the simple
believeth every word the simple believeth every words how they
stand in need then of discernment to distinguish words and to know what is God's word
and to know what is but the words of men, fallen men who are in
the very grip of Satan himself. All these simple ones, they need
that spirit of real discernment. Again, we read the simple inherit,
follow. There in verse 18 of that 14th
chapter, the simple inherit, follow. Well, we need them to
discern, to discriminate, to distinguish and we can think
of the language of John in the opening words of that fourth
chapter in his first epistle Beloved he says believe not every
spirit but try the spirits believe not every spirit but try the
spirits because many False prophets have gone forth into the world.
All these simple ones you see. They lack discernment. They are
not those who are ready to examine matters and to investigate carefully
and closely. They believe any word, every
word. And so they inherit, follow as the wise man says. that we
not read of believers as those who are in the very snare of
the devil, they are taken captive by him at his will. And we can
think of the language of the hymn. I don't know that we've
sung it. Some of the hymns aren't always suitable for public worship,
but sometimes the book can be very helpful, the hymn book I
mean, can be very helpful when it comes to the matter of our
own devotions. and in 775 speaking of the enlightened
sinner we find these words, with some the tempter takes much pains
to make them mad but me he found and always held the easiest fool
he had his deep and dangerous lies so grossly I believed he
was not readier to deceive than I to be deceived How gracious
then that God should come to us with such a word as we find
in this text tonight, O ye simple, understand wisdom, and ye fools
be of an understanding heart. The simple one is so easily deceived,
taken in by Satan, not able to discern between truth and error.
But then this other word we have here is the fool. ye fools, be ye of an understanding
heart. Now this word has the idea of
those who are obstinate and willful in their courses, in what they're
about. And isn't this one of the characteristics
really of sin? It's such an obstinate thing.
We can think of all that vain confidence, all that self-sufficiency. When Satan comes into the Garden
of Eden, tempts Eve, and she partakes of that forbidden fruit
and she gives to her husband, he partakes, the four of our
first parents. And the temptation that is put
to Eve, ye shall be as gods. And isn't that man, he's so arrogant,
so full of vain self-confidence, so obstinate, so willful in his
causes. The fool, the fool has said in
his heart, there is no God. And we find that statement twice
in the Psalm, Psalm 14 and Psalm 53. And yet the amazing thing
is, that even these fools can find
salvation. When we read in Isaiah 45, rather
Isaiah 35, of that blessed way of salvation, that highway, the
highway of holiness, what does it say? Isaiah 35,8, And highway
shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of
holiness, the unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be
for those the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein."
All these men who in themselves are such foolish creatures, there
is a way whereby such sinners can draw near to God, that way
of holiness that's found in the Lord Jesus Christ, that narrow
way that leads to life. There must then be this this
knowledge of ourselves but I said there's a there's a twofold knowledge
to to learn from the word of God not just the knowledge of
ourselves but the knowledge of God it's only really as we begin
to know God that we can know anything of ourselves because
man in his origin is created in God's image after God's likeness
And so when we come to the Scriptures, which is a revelation of God,
it is, as James says, as a mirror. We should look into the Word
of God and we should see the reflection of ourselves as those
made in the image of God. But alas, what do we see? We
only see that we've fallen, how that image has been defaced,
defiled by sin. And yet there is that wondrous
provision that God has made, He makes Himself known as the
God of salvation. He speaks throughout the scriptures,
but that revelation comes to its ultimate climax with the
coming of Christ, God who at sundry times and in diverse manner,
spake in time passed unto the fathers by the prophets, hath
in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. O God has revealed
himself now in the person of Christ the image of the invisible
God and what does the Lord say this is life eternal to know
thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent we
can have a knowledge of God we can know God but we can only
know him in and through the person of the Lord Jesus and who is
the Lord Jesus? well He is God, He is the Eternal
Son of God, and He is the Word of God. In the beginning was
the Word, the Word was with God, 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. He is the
Word of God. And the Word was made flesh,
says John, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glorious and the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. But when we think of Him as the
Word, is He not that One who communicates to us? Words are
the way in which we communicate with one another, and God comes
and God speaks, and God reveals Himself to us in His Son, who
is the Word of God. And as He is the Word of God,
so He is the Wisdom of God. And this chapter that we've read,
this 8th chapter, is it not full of the Lord Jesus? Is He not
the One who speaks? Doth not wisdom cry? And understanding
put forth her voice. The opening words here. And what
does wisdom go on to say? Verse 12, I wisdom dwell with
prudence. and find out knowledge of witty
inventions well the Lord Jesus is that one who communicates
here and what does he go on to say? verse 17 I love them that love
me and those that seek me early shall find me we see here that
it is evidently a person that is speaking because this wisdom is able to
love. I love them, he says, that love
me. I love them, that love me. And again, previously at verse
13, he says, the evil way and the forward math do I hate. As wisdom loves, so wisdom hates
also. These are personal qualities. The one who is speaking here
then is none other than the Eternal Son of God. And we certainly
see that in what we read towards the end of the book. when he
declares concerning his eternal sonship the Lord possessed me
in the beginning of his ways before his works of old I was
set up from everlasting from the beginning or wherever the
earth was when there were no depths I was brought forth or
before there were any depths he was begotten brought forth
when there were no fountains abounding with water before the
mountains were settled Before the hills was I brought forth,
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He goes
on, Then was I by him, as one brought up with him, and 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. Even from eternity he was that
one party to the eternal covenant, he's delightful with the sons
of men, in the fullness of the time he would become a real man
in the great mystery of the incarnation. It is the Lord Jesus who is here
then in this particular scripture and he is that one who reveals
God, he's the word of God. and is the wisdom of God and
now we see wisdom speaking right at the beginning of the book
in the opening chapter chapter 1 verse 20 we read 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 uttereth her 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 my spirit unto you. I will make known my words
unto you. And surely that passage bears
a very real relationship to the language that we find in the
New Testament with regards to the ministry of Christ in that
seventh chapter of John, where we find the Lord Jesus in Jerusalem
at the Feast of the Tabernacles, one of the great feasts of the
Jewish year when There would be multitudes there in Jerusalem. What do we read? 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 he of the spirits, which they that believe on him
should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet
given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." It's the last
day, the great day. Multitudes there, and he speaks,
and he speaks of rivers of water, he's speaking of the gift of
the Holy Spirit, and it's that very same thing, really, that
he's spoken of there in that portion that we just read in
the opening chapter. Verse 23, it says, Turn you at
My reproof, behold, I will pour out of My Spirit unto you. I
will make known My words unto you. And so He speaks. And so
He speaks also here in this 8th chapter. We read concerning her
wisdom. She standeth in the top of high
places, by the way, in the places of the paths. She crieth at the
gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man.
O ye simple, understand wisdom, and ye fools, be of an understanding
heart. Here is the answer, you see,
to those who are sinners are simple and foolish and yet there's
a word for them and it's a gracious word they can come to an understanding
heart that's the promise of the text they can come to that blessed
position and be wise and understanding of heart now how does the Lord
communicate such to his people well we're told elsewhere in
the second chapter here and there at verse six the Lord giveth
wisdom the Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth cometh knowledge
and understanding the Lord giveth wisdom, he is wisdom, who of
God is made unto us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption, that as it is written, he that glorieth, let
him glory in the Lord, or the Lord himself, Jesus Christ is
this one, he is wisdom, and so he comes here in the text, oh
ye simple understand wisdom, and ye fools be of an understanding
heart, How is this done? How does the Lord communicate
these things and bless us with an understanding heart? Well
He comes of course by the ministry of the Spirit and He comes here
in His Word and we see it in His ministry, His preaching.
Now the Lord is that One who speaks. Verse 6, here He says,
here, for I will speak of excellent things, and the opening of my
lips shall be right things, for my mouth shall speak truth, and
wickedness is an abomination to my lips, all the words of
my mouth are in righteousness, there is nothing fraud or perverse
in them, they are all plain to him that understandeth, and right
to them that find knowledge." Oh, He comes with plain words. He comes with plain words, He
speaks in righteousness, His word is a piercing word,
His word is a dividing word. We know that in the course of
His earthly ministry there were many times divisions because
of Him and because of the things that He was saying. He's that true prophet of the
Lord, that one that Jeremiah speaks of. Jeremiah 15.19, If
they take forth the precious from the vial, they shall be
as my mouth. How much that was the ministry
of the Lord Jesus. What a separation He made. Those
self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. How they were cut off. And yet,
the sinners received Him. And He receives the publicans
and the sinners Himself. all how he speaks, plain words,
and gracious words, comforting words. The law, we're told, was
given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, and those
words that he speaks are such effectual words. We're told,
aren't we, in Ecclesiastes, where the word of a king is, that is
power. And there was power and authority
in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. The common people recognize that.
He didn't speak as the scribes. No, he spoke with authority.
Or no man speaketh like this man. And what does he say? Verse 6 Herefore I will speak
of excellent things, and the opening of my lips shall be right
things. Or never man spake like this.
such words, such authority unto you O men I call and my voice
is to the sons of man O ye simple understand wisdom and ye fools
be of an understanding heart later he goes on to say in verse 17 I love them that love
me and those that seek me early shall find me It needs to be in that seeking
of Him. Those that seek Me early shall
find Me. And we should be those who are
diligently seeking after Him. Again, previously in chapter
2, verse 3, following, Yea, if thou
cryest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding,
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for
hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord,
and find the knowledge of God." Well, how can we obtain that
understanding? How can we get to that knowledge
of God? Well, we have to cry. Cry after
knowledge, and lift up the voice for understanding. Seek her as
silver, and search for her as treasures. these great spiritual
riches we have to cry to God that he would bestow such upon
us seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you that is the way to come to receive the words of the text
to understand wisdom and to be of an understanding heart But
as the Lord comes and communicates to us by His words, by His plain
speaking, by His preaching, so there's also that place, and
there must be, for the Lord's chastening. You see, the sin is so deepened
within us that it's no easy thing for a man to be made to feel
what he is. The Lord doesn't just deal with us in terms of
His words, but also His ways. and the mystery of those ways
again we read in chapter 22 and verse 15 foolishness is bound
in the heart of a child but the rod of correction shall drive
it far from him aren't we those children foolishness
bound in the heart of a child it's in us by nature it's there
from our very birth. We're dead in trespasses and
sins. We're the simple ones. We're the foolish ones. But the
rod of correction shall drive it far from him, says the wise
man. And there the Lord does it. There
the Lord does it. Psalm 107 verse 17. Fools, because of their transgression
and because of their iniquities, are afflicted, it says. All afflictions make us silly.
What else would escape our sight? How very foul and dim are we
in God, how pure and bright. What does the Lord say? Verse
20, I lead in the way of righteousness in the midst of the path of judgment. In the midst of the path of judgment.
The way is not always pleasant. The way might be painful at times,
but it is profitable. It is profitable. That's the
way in which the Lord deals with his people, even when he chastens
us. No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.
Nevertheless, after good, it yieldeth the peace of fruit of
righteousness to them who exercise thereby. You know the language
of Paul there in in Hebrews 12, and what is he quoting? He's
quoting time and again from the book of Proverbs. All the ways
of the Lord, whereby He will teach His people. But the comfort is, that He will
bring us to that place of understanding wisdom, and that great blessing
of an understanding heart. But how we have to be those who
would hear His voice, hear His voice in His word, hear His voice
when He deals with us in a contrary fashion in His chastenings, the
Lord's voice crying unto the city, the man of wisdom, shall
see thy name, says the prophet, hear ye, hear ye the right, and
do as appointed it. Oh, the Lord grant that we might
be that people then who truly desire us to hear the words of
wisdom, even the words of our Lord Jesus, doth not wisdom cry
and understanding put forth her voice, but ought to have ears
to hear all that the Lord is saying to his churches. May the
Lord grant his blessing upon this work. Let us now sing before we turn
to the Lord in prayer We'll sing the words of 692 and the tune
is Eden 327. If Solomon for wisdom prayed,
the Lord before had made him wise, as he another choice had
made, and asked for what the world brings prize. 692, tune
327.