Our text is found in Proverbs
chapter 8. The chapter that we read, Proverbs
chapter 8 and verse 5, O ye simple, understand wisdom, and ye fools,
be ye of an understanding heart. And particularly that final clause,
be ye of an understanding heart. I want to speak then with the
Lord's help of an understanding heart. Remember elsewhere in
this book of wisdom, the book of Proverbs, we have that exhortation,
keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues
of life. Well, there in chapter 4 and
verse 23, The heart is clearly referring to man's soul. The soul is to be kept with all
diligence, for it is from the soul that the issues of life
proceed. God says elsewhere in the book,
my son, give me thine heart. How necessary it is that we have
a soul religion, that our heart is truly in our religion, that
we have more than the form of godliness. The Lord Jesus of
course sums up the first table of the law by saying thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul
and with all thy mind. Oh, this word then, the heart,
occurs so many times in the scriptures and often it does have reference
to that that lies at the very center of a man's being, his
soul. But sometimes, sometimes the
word heart is used in other senses, it refers more particularly to
the different faculties of the soul. Sometimes we might say
that the word heart is used in reference to the memory in the
119th Psalm. My word have I hid in my heart,
says David, that I might not sin against thee. In a sense he has committed God's
word to memory, but it's more than memory of course. It is
that that is in his heart, it's that that he has not only memorized
but felt in his very soul. But then again we see in the
New Testament how the word heart could be said to be used in reference
to a man's conscience. In the first epistle of John
in chapter 3, for if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than
our hearts and knoweth all things. If our hearts condemn us not,
says John, then have we confidence toward God. When he speaks of
the heart as that that either condemns or does not condemn,
he is clearly speaking of the faculty of the conscience. The believer has in him that
sense of what is right and what is wrong. We know that Paul says
in the opening chapter of the epistle to the Romans how the
Gentiles have God's law written in their hearts. And it is to
that law that is written in the heart that the conscience might
be said to obey. And sometimes the conscience
does condemn. But says John, if our hearts
condemn us, if our conscience condemns us, God is greater than
our hearts. And God knoweth all things. There
is an authority greater than man's conscience, that sense
of right and wrong, there is God himself. But how we see the
word heart being used in these various ways, referring to man's
soul, referring to his ability to remember, or to his conscience,
but then also which use is it not in reference to the man's
understanding. Their foolish heart was darkened,
says the apostle of those wicked Gentiles, their foolish heart
was darkened. And what do we read in Ephesians
chapter 4 and there at verse 80 concerning those same Gentiles
having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life
of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the
blindness of their heart. The understanding darkened, or
the heart darkened, as it says there in Romans chapter 3. The
heart then might be used in reference also to the understanding. And here in the words that we
come to consider receiving, these words in Proverbs 8, 5, Be ye
of an understanding heart. Be ye of an understanding heart. Well, first of all, let us endeavour to say something
with regards to the way in which this understanding is communicated
to the hearts. From whence does it come? Well,
it is that which proceeds from the Lord Himself. As we see previously
here in chapter 2 and verse 6, the Lord giveth wisdom out of
his mouth proceedeth understanding. It is God who does this very
thing. And here you see there is an
address being made to men. Wisdom is crying and calling
and speaking. What is the address that we have
here in the text? O ye simple, understand wisdom,
and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. How is this done? How does wisdom communicate this understanding? The wisdom that is spoken of
here, we are to understand in terms of the Lord Jesus Christ
himself, are we not? He is that one who of God is
made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. True wisdom is spoken of here
in terms of the feminine Does not
wisdom cry and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth
in the top of high places, by the way, in the places of the
past. She crieth at the gates, at the
entry of the city, at the coming in of the doors. But the wisdom
that is being spoken of is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ
himself, as we shall see present. But how does Christ communicate
this wisdom, this understanding? Why does he not do such by his
plain speaking, his plain preaching? This is the context that we have
with regards to our texts in the words that follow verse 5. Here he says, 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 write to them that find knowledge." How Christ's
words are plain, straight. How his words, as he exercises
his ministry in the gospel, are seen to be plain in the sense
that the people are able, even the common people, to comprehend
the things that he is saying. But how those words are also
so discriminating and so separating. How those words come as a great
offence to some, to the self-righteous, scribes and the pharisees. How
time and again we are told that his words cause yet a division
amongst the people. There were those who embraced
his teaching, there were those who rejected his teaching. Several
times in John's Gospel we're told that there was a division
amongst the people because of these sayings. All his words
were so plainly an offence to the people. Or his very person,
there was a division because of him. Is he not that one that's
spoken of in Jeremiah 15, if thou take forth the precious
from the vial, says God, ye shall be as my mouth. Isn't this true of Christ, the
wisdom of God? How His words so distinguish
and separate between them. He separates the precious from
the vial. And isn't that one of the marks
of the true ministry of the Word of God in the book of Jeremiah? And there in In chapter 3 and verse 15, God
gives his promise to his people, I will give you pastors according
to my heart, which I'll feed you with knowledge and understanding,
which I'll feed you with knowledge and understanding. O ye simple, understand wisdom,
and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. So, God himself then has
appointed the preaching of his word, the proclamation of his
word. He has given preachers to that
very end. The exalted Christ is spoken
of there in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. He descended and then having
descended, having executed his work here upon the earth, he
rises again and he ascends. Ephesians 4 verse 10. He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill
all things and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists
and some pastors and teaching and teach us for the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body of Christ, that we all come in the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."
Here is the purpose then of the work of the ministry, that men
and women sinners by nature might be brought to the unity of the
faith, the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The way in
which the Lord is pleased to communicate this wisdom and this
understanding is by the foolishness of preaching. That is the foolishness
of that message that is to be proclaimed, the concerns Christ's
descending, and all that Christ did here upon the earth, even
to the obedience of the cross. This is that great message that
is to be preached that so offends the self-righteous man, and yet
ministers to the poor, needy sinner. It is this message that
is to be preached and it is this message that is to be believed
and faith cometh says Paul in Romans chapter 10 by hearing
by hearing this message you see the Lord Jesus Christ is that
one who also speaks the comforting words of the gospel is he not? but isn't that what we have here
in the text He addresses men and he says, oh you simple understand
wisdom and you fools, be ye of an understanding heart. He speaks
the words of grace. The law was given by Moses, grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ and where the word of a king
is, says the preacher in Ecclesiastes, there is power. Oh, his voice
is a powerful voice when he speaks the great truths of the gospel
and brings those truths home to the soul of the sinner, even
the foolish one and the simple one. He says in verse 6 here, For
I will speak of excellent things, and the opening of my lips shall
speak of right things. or what words he speaks. Never
man spake like this man, they said in the Gospel, in response
to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unto you, O men, I call,
and my voice is to the sons of men, O ye simple, understand
wisdom, and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart, with
what grace and what compassion, what tenderness the Lord Jesus
Christ is pleased to speak such words as these. He goes on to
say at verse 17, I love them that love me and those that seek
me early shall find me. What is to be our response then
when the Lord comes and speaks these gospel words, these gracious
words, these kindly words of invitation to those who burdened
and have elated and that have come to him. What is to be our
response? There is to be that seeking of him. Those that seek
me early, he says, shall find me. How we need to be those friends
who would determine that we might know him. This one who is pleased
to communicate to the sinner that good and that gracious message
of the gospel. Going back to the second chapter
here, verse 3, we read, 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 treasure,
then shall thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the
knowledge of God. There is to be that response,
you see, when the Lord comes with his word, when he speaks
plain words, when he addresses us so clearly, when his word
is such a searching word and such a discriminating word, what
is to be our response? There is to be this diligence,
seeking of it. the strength of the language
that is used here in the second chapter. Yea, if thou cryest,
and liftest up thy voice, and what for? By seeking after knowledge,
after understanding, and seeking such as silver, and searching,
as if you're trying to find hid treasures, and here is the assurance,
then shalt thou understand. the fear of the Lord. We are
not to be those who are merely passive then under the Word of
God, under the ministry of the Gospel. We are not to sit there
passively. But there is to be that diligence
seeking and searching, that crying, that calling. He shall seek me,
He says, and find me when you shall search after me with all
your heart. all the Lord is pleased is in
our to communicate understanding and he does it by the office
of the ministry of his own word and Christ is that greatest of
all preachers that one who did truly speak such plain words
they are all plain to him that understandeth and right to them
that find knowledge. But when we consider something
more of the way in which the Lord is pleased to communicate
this understanding heart, it's not simply by and through preaching,
it's not simply by the word of God, it's also by the dealings
of God, the ways of God. Remember the words of the prophet
Micah, he says, the Lord's voice cryeth unto the city. And how
does God's voice cry unto the city there in Micah chapter 6?
The Lord's voice cryeth unto the city, the man of wisdom shall
see thy name, hear ye the rod, hear ye the rod, and you shall
command him. Why, it's the Lord God himself,
you see, he comes in the way of chastenings, he deals with
his people. And doesn't this book of Proverbs
have much to teach us with regards to the necessity of chastenings,
and chastenings that come from the Lord God's sin, alas, is
seated so deep within us. and it is no easy thing to be
made to feel what we are as sinners and the Lord has to in some ways
use what we might think are rather extreme means in chapter 22 and
verse 15 we read foolishness is bound in the heart of a child
but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him All this
foolishness, the folly of sin is so bound up in our heart,
it's not enough that the Lord comes and speaks to us, but the
Lord must take us in hand and discipline us. The rod of correction
drives that folly of sin out of the child. And so this is
another part of the way in which God is pleased to deal with his
people. And it's not only here in the
Proverbs, we have it of course in that great Psalm, Psalm 107,
and there at verse 17 we're told, Fools, because of their transgression
and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Here is the reason
why God afflicts because of our sinful father, because of our
transgressions. Again, in this very 8th chapter
of the book of Proverbs, he says, I lead in the way of righteousness
in the midst of the paths of judgment. I lead in the way of
righteousness in the midst of the paths of judgment. And what are those paths of judgment?
One has said these paths are painful paths, but they are profitable. Or in the midst of the paths
of judgment they are not pleasant, there is pain, but there is profit. O ye simple, understand wisdom,
and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. We know that no chastening
for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, says Paul afterwards,
it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who
are exercised thereby. O thank God for that nevertheless,
When we are in the midst of God's dealings with us, and God's contrary
dealings, His cross providences, His chastenings, no chastening
for the present seemeth to be joyous, for which a grievous
thing when God is contrary to us. Nevertheless, nevertheless,
afterward, the yield of the peaceable fruit of righteousness, to whom
to those who exercise, there must be that exercise. We're
not passive, you see. When the Lord comes to us and
teaches us and would communicate to us something of this wisdom,
this understanding, we're not passive. There's to be that diligence,
seeking of Him, that searching after Him. But there's also to
be that examining of ourselves when He comes in the way of justice. We are to examine ourselves,
we are to prove ourselves, we are to know ourselves, God is
teaching us. God then does communicate this understanding heart to his
children, principally, primarily, yes, through his words, through
the preaching of it. That is what God has promised,
as we see there in Jeremiah 3, verse 15, he gives pastors to
teach understanding, to teach wisdom. But God also deals with
us in our lives in the way of chastening, to drive that folly
out of our hearts. But let us also consider something
of the way in which these things begin, the commencement of this
understanding. What is it that God causes us
to understand? What are we brought to a knowledge
of? All ye simple, it says, understand
wisdom, and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. We know that there is a two-fold
aspect to that knowledge that we must come to under the gracious
hand of God as God takes us in hand, as God teaches us. There
is that two-fold knowledge. There is the knowledge of himself,
we are to know God. but we can only really know God
as we come to a knowledge of ourselves. I quoted, I think
it was only last week, that sentence of John Cayce concerning those
who are revealed to be the election of grace, the manifested elect
soul, he says, knows nothing more of Christ than he knows of himself.
He knows not one hair's breadth of Christ than he knows of himself. We have to know ourselves, and
as we know ourselves, and what we are, and where we are, and
the reality of our need, and the depth of our need, it's then
that we come to know Christ. So first of all there is this
knowledge of ourselves, this is where it must begin if we
are those who have an understanding heart we understand the sad truth
concerning our own sinnership when Paul writes to the Ephesians
in that opening chapter in which he speaks so plainly of the the Gospel, in terms of the work
of the Triune God, the electing love of the Father, and the redeeming
work of the Son, and the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit,
and that all the persons of the Godhead are there in the Gospel. What does he go on to say? He
speaks of those Ephesians having their understandings enlightened. He says, the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened. Oh, that's the beginning, is
it not, of an understanding heart. The eyes of our understanding
being enlightened. Because as sinners we are in
such darkness, gross darkness, the awful darkness of our sins. Remember the words of Ephesians
4.18, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God. Where does it begin? The understanding
then must first of all be enlightened. Light must shine into the darkness.
of our minds. And when light shines into the
darkness of our minds, what do we see? We see the awful darkness
that we are in by nature, the ignorance of our sinnership. And those whom the Lord deals
with in this fashion, are they not brought to cry out with David,
in the language that we have at the end of Psalm 139, he says,
search me, O God, and know my heart Try me and know my thoughts
and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the
way everlasting. Is that what we desire? That
God would come by his word and by his word search us and sift
us? Because we want to know that
what we have is something that's real, a real religion, not just
a form of Godliness. But we want that that is truly
of the heart, that that is from the soul. out of the heart, out
of the soul, are the issues of life. Now, see how wisdom addresses
man here in our text. Verse 4, he says, unto you, O
men, I call. My voice is to the sons of man. Who are those who are then specifically
addressed? Why, it's only simple. and he fools and isn't this what we have to
learn that of ourselves we are but simple fools left to ourselves
this word simple it has the idea of those who are so easily deceived
so easily deceived again in chapter 14 and verse 15 we read the simple
believeth every word. Well, that's the mark of the
simple man. He just believes everything.
And that's foolishness. He's so easily deceived. The simple believeth every word,
but the prudent man looketh well to his going. We're not to be
simple, we're to be prudent. Again, in that same chapter,
verse 18, the simple inherit following. but the prudent are
crowned with knowledge. And yet in our fallen nature
we are simple, easily deceived. Sinners, says
Paul, are in the snare of the devil. They are taken captive
by him at his will. Truity, how the hymn writer has
something to say with regards to his own experience in 775. He says, with some the tempter
takes much pains to make them mad but me he found and always
how 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.
That's what our fallen nature is, you see. We're falling with
the devil, we're falling with his suggestions. We're simple souls. And simple
not in a good sense. Of course the word simple sometimes
can be used in a better sense, a good sense. There should be
a godly simplicity in us. But here the word is is not used
in that fashion. It refers to what we are as those
who are in the darkness of our sinful condition and yet it's
to such sinners as these that wisdom comes and speaks. Oh,
you simple understand wisdom, he says. And he falls be ye of
an understanding heart not only simple but also this word fool
it's a different word whereas the former has the idea of those
who are so readily deceived here the idea is more of those who
are so obstinate and so willful in their foolish ways isn't this
part of the awful characteristic of what sin is Vain confidence,
self-sufficiency. Isn't that the mark of sin? Vain
confidence in ourselves, not recognising our complete, our
utter dependence upon God. The self-sufficiency, the fool. The fool has said in his heart,
there is no God. And that doesn't just refer us,
of course, to the folly of the atheists. Aren't we often like
that ourselves? We say there's no God when we
don't cry to Him and call upon Him when we're in some awful
predicament. Is God always our first call?
Do we not often look to ourselves or look to the advice of others
when we should cry to God? Are we not being foolish then
and denying Him when we don't call upon Him? Yes, those words,
they come home to us, you see, the fool hath said in his heart.
There is no God. All ye fools, says wisdom, be
ye of an understanding heart. The remarkable thing is that
it's to such characters as these that wisdom comes and speaks. You see, the whole have no need
of the physician, but the sick. It's sin, sick souls, sinful
souls, that need the gospel. Christ came not to call the righteous,
but the sinner to repentance. And so the word is addressed
to them. They are brought to this knowledge
of themselves. They know what they are, they
know where they are. They see themselves as described even
by these words. They're sinful. They're foolish. And they bewail the fact. They
have that knowledge of themselves. But as I said, there's this two-fold
aspect to knowledge. Not just the knowledge of self,
there must also be the knowledge of God. And that's the knowledge that
comes to those who are truly of an understanding heart. Be
ye of an understanding heart. It's to know God. As we know
ourselves, then to know that all our hope must be in God. Our only help comes from God. He is to be all our trust, all
our confidence. The Lord Jesus says this is life
eternal that they might know this. The only true God and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent, it's to know God, it's to know Christ
that is life eternal. It is Christ who has come as
that one who is the great revealer of God, the image of the invisible
God. And you see, during his earthly
ministry, how this was the very reason why the Jews rejected
him. This is why the Jews refused
him. They accused him of being a blasphemer,
did they not? They sought them all to kill
him, we read in John chapter 5, because he not only had broken
the Sabbath day, but said that God was his father. making himself
equal with God. All that was their father. To
reject him, he who comes as the one who is the true revelation
of God, the image of the invisible God. He is the Word of God. 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. And without Him was not anything
made that was made. And John goes on to tell us how
the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory,
the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. Always the only begotten of the
Father. And He's full of grace and He's
full of truth and He speaks. And he speaks here as the wisdom
of God. He who is the word of God, you see, is also clearly
here seen to be the wisdom of God. Does not wisdom cry and
understanding put forth her voice? I, wisdom, dwell with prudence
and find out knowledge of witty invention. counsel is mine and sound wisdom
I am understanding I have strength I am understanding if we are
to be of an understanding heart we must know him who is understanding
that is the Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten of the Father,
and we see Him here. We see in this chapter, do we
not, His eternal generation. He says in verse 22, The Lord
possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works
evolved. I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, wherever the earth was, when there were
no deaths, I was brought forth. when there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. Twice, twice then he speaks of
being brought forth, brought forth from eternity, whose goings
forth have been evolved from everlasting, we read in the prophet.
He is that one who is eternally begotten, his eternal generation,
the eternal son of the eternal father, And He is that One who speaks,
you see. And as He speaks, what does He do? He reveals God to
us. Here at verse 2, concerning wisdom,
we are told, As she standeth in the top of the high places,
by the way, in the places of the past, she crieth at the gates,
at the entry of the city, at the coming in of the doors, We
see the same truth previously in the opening chapter, and there at verse 20, Wisdom
crieth without She uttereth her voice in the street, she cryeth
in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates,
in the city. She uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple
ones? Will ye love simplicity and the
scorners, delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn
ye at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you,
and I will make known my words unto you." Now see, As there
in the opening chapter we really have basically the same setting
as we have at the beginning of this 8th chapter. Wisdom standing
in the places of the past, in the great place of concourse,
where the people are gathered together. Now all of this is
fulfilled in the Gospel, is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here
in chapter 1 what does wisdom say? In verse 23, Behold, I will
pour out my Spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto
you. Wisdom will pour out her Spirit. And where is this message to
be proclaimed? In that great chief place of
concordance. And what is that? Well, we see
it fulfilled in the Gospel. In the seventh chapter of John's
Gospel, where we see the Lord Jesus Christ there at Jerusalem
at the feast. And what does Christ do? What does Christ
proclaim? John chapter 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 of Jesus was not yet
glorified. coming of the Spirit in all his
glory is at Pentecost when Christ has died and risen and ascended
and he sheds abroad this, says Peter, which ye now see and hear. But here is a great promise.
He that believes on me, Christ says, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water and he's speaking of the Spirit.
It's that very same thing that we see in the opening chapter. How wisdom Christ at the chief
place of concourse turn you at my reproof behold
I will pour out of my spirit unto you is what wisdom says
and it is of course by that gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit that
we come to see the truth, believe the truth there must be that
spiritual revelation in the soul of a man if he's going to have
an understanding heart. Of ourselves we are but simple,
we are but fools. We can do nothing of ourselves,
but here is that gracious word that comes from the Lord Jesus
Christ himself, who is wisdom, and the great promise of his
Spirit, how he will give to us that understanding
heart. of that man's belly there will
flow rivers, rivers of living water. And that's but the beginning,
you see. The beginning of the life of
the child of God, the beginning of that life of faith. How the
simple one is made a prudent one. How the fool is made a wise
man. Oh, there is that giving then
of an understanding heart. And isn't this what we, each
of us, stands in need of? We need that Christ, who of God,
is made unto his people wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption, that he that glorieth must glory in the Lord. Oh, God's grant that we might
have such a heart. such an understanding heart,
such a believing heart, even that new heart, the great promise
of the new covenant. May the Lord grant it for his
namesake. Amen.