Each Wednesday night at our church I conduct what we call “Proverbs, Prayer, and Praise.” It is a unique study through Proverbs, one chapter a week.
One of the things I encourage our congregation to do is take the places where Wisdom is personified and replace the word and associated pronouns with the name of Jesus (See Col. 2:1-3 and 1 Cor. 1: 24 & 30).
This week we are working through chapter 4, so I thought I would share this example with you. When you remember that Jesus said all Scripture spoke of Him, it’s not a stretch, but a blessing!
Get JESUS! Get understanding [OF HIM]! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake HIM, and HE will preserve you; Love HIM, and HE will keep you. JESUS [is] the principal thing; [Therefore] get JESUS. And in all your getting, get understanding [OF HIM]. Exalt HIM, and HE will promote you; HE will bring you honor, when you embrace HIM. HE will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory HE will deliver to you.” – Proverbs 4:5-9 NKJV [edited]
If you would like additional information on this study, feel free to contact me.
Have a great weekend!
Anthony
The Recovering Legalist 
I looked up the two new test scriptures to see if they gave cause to do as you suggest, I didn’t find they did. Maybe i missed something. I have no problem with you suggesting we can see Christ as wisdom or the word as seen in John 1, but those two scriptures are not proof texts for this.
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Secondly, I know this sounds to simple to be true, but instead of misleading people from what Jesus was saying in a scripture by complicating it. why not just read it for what it says and ask, what did the Author have in mind on a macro scale when he was writing this passage. And how does it apply to us.
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I think its obvious that Proverbs chapter 4 breaks between vs. 13-14 and the author seems to put a personality to the Idea of wisdom. which if memory serves me takes us back to chapter 1 Oh, Look it does.
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Looking from 30,000 ft the view is not of Christ but of the choice of following God generally and his commands vs. an unwise choice. That doing it Gods way is the better more advanced way, the way of success.
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And in Chapter 5 Wisdom is personified even more. Wisdom is like a Lady a women to love vs. loving prostitutes Its a writing metaphor in a broad sense. And different aspects of maturity are covered with one huge one worth 6, no 7 sermons comes up in chapter 6:16-19
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So while it might fun to slip in Jesus because he is wisdom etc. I don’t think that was the authors intent.
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What I noticed in the 9 chapters you will cover is the mention in the 9th chapter that there are 7 pillars of wisdom. I wonder if the author originally divided up his discussion into 7 areas rather than 9 chapters, OR if he was referring back to there are things that God hates tying them to the book of James 3, or possibly that James when writing was considering this and parsed out truths from Proverbs.
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It might be worth looking from 30,000 ft. and seeing what was the different themes this author is dealing with. Since I am not doing the study, I won’t do the leg work but I think there are some obvious teachings and principles to be pulled out and put on the table. Where is Waldo. This is the sort of Home work that produces some heavy learning and heart change.
On the second point, I do that on a regular basis when I exegete a passage for a sermon. This is not that type of exercise or study, but one meant to bring to light a 30,000 ft truth.
As to Jn 1 and the other passages, Jesus is the Word of God AND the Wisdom of God, so I feel the exercise of replace words with the name of Jesus helps us see Him in the Old Testament where we may have missed Him. I understand, of course, that Solomon and the other writers of Proverbs personified wisdom for other literary reasons, but this is just a way I’ve found to make additional personal application of Scripture.
I find that it is easy to take many passages in Proverbs and insert Christ, if in principle alone. Does He not call out to us, weep for us, warm us, and even mock when appropriate?
There’s a lifetime’s worth of ways we could approach the truth and wisdom of Proverbs. I mean, just look at what we did with ProverbialThought.com…2 years and 350,000 words and we barely scratched the surface.
Oh, and sorry for the clunky writing. Sometimes I am in such a hurry I miss stuff and its hard to read what I said. I wish there was an edit button. It is so easy to see a few hours later how clunky it is. When writing because of my thinking, I don’t see I am missing words.
I completely agree with you Evolution.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
The word of God is pure. Just the way it is.
Psalm 119.
Thumbs down 👎🏻 on that friend.
(Don’t hate me. I just believe the Bible is pure as it and doesn’t need changing. I also believe that Jesus is so great He doesn’t have to share his glory with Proverbs.)
I still like you though.
I’m glad we like each other. However, I don’t understand you’re complaint (except maybe that I happened to use the NKJV in my quote – I could have just as easily done it with the KJV). I did not “change” the Bible; I used a literary technique to highlight and illustrate the Truth of the Bible.
And what I really, honestly don’t get is “He doesn’t have to share his glory with Proverbs.” That concerns me because it sounds like what you are saying is that you think Proverbs is less inspired than other Scripture. Does not the Old Testament speak of Christ?
Luke 24:25 ¶ Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:44 ¶ And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
John 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
I take it that if “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), that applies to the Proverbs, as well.
Is Jesus not the Wisdom of God?
It’s all inspired AS WRITTEN.
Let the Word say what the Word says and teach your people that they can trust the Word of God as it is written.
This is a solemn thing my friend.
We ought to approach the Holy Scriptures with some amount of fear that we do not mishandled what God has preserved.
The Bible nor Jesus need slight of hand “literary” tricks. It cheapens the Scriptures, it cheapens your ministry.
Is it inspired? Yes. But it isn’t if you re-write it…
Hey, you wrote a lot and I only addressed your first point. Not dismissing everything else, but didn’t have time to get to it all but I’ll circle back.
I’m not casting aspersions upon your motives. I’m just speaking to my reverence of the Bible.
And its OK to disagree as to the best way to get to the truths. As long as we don’t end up teaching something that is not there.
One example might be Genesis 18 When God meets Abraham, he comes as 3 people. And this could be a personification of the Trinity. But one might question making that stretch . Still what is the 30,000 view.
Its that God is meeting with Abraham. Thats pretty big news. So if those three are angels or Men of God or God being an Appearance of Christ, it is not the Point. The Point stays the same that God met with Abraham.
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So in a similar way IF the text you are studying is not distorted, if the meanings are not changed, but the use of your Idea opens up the text to say what it was already saying but its clear, then all the power to you.
Thank you:)
till thinking about using Jesus’ name for the wisdom and for some reason still drawn to Genesis 18. the wording in Genesis 18 sort of messes things up saying three men, but later it says two men go off to Sodom But the Lord remained in front of Abraham. This suggests 2 men and then another man that Abraham called Lord. Adoni . So I guess this was a Theophany. Or Jesus before Jesus was born as Jesus in the Manger.
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So, I wonder if Proverbs could be written talking about Jesus but not be exactly stated such but be such. I will look again.
I have always understood the Genesis 18 passage to be referring to God in human form (ie, a theophany).
Yep, me too. And it could be that it could have been a Trinity type Theophany. It seems that way until you read on and then find out the Angels went on their way which got Lot out etc. Still God could have presented himself that way, so that we would be having this very discussion and ones like it over the centuries. I think Theophany’s are sort of like the bibles version of where is waldo. Both Jesus and the Donkey show up all over the place. Its surprising how many times the Donkey in Numbers 22 is mentioned as well.
I got something for you. Something that could give you Sunday off
Beautiful!