July 8

Jul 8 - Today from Proverbs 8 we look at verse 36
"But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death."

It is essential to understand that this entire chapter is not referring directly to the Lord, nor are the quotes that of the Lord speaking in the first person. The chapter utilizes the literary technique of personification, whereby the Teacher animates an inanimate object for the purpose of better defining the traits of the subject. The subject of course is wisdom. Our verse for today is wisdom personified, speaking in the first person. By using our simplified definition - Wisdom is understanding life the way God meant it to be - we will make a brief examination of her statement in this verse.
The first thing we note is that she must be found. Wisdom was lost to man through sin. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that "He (God) has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." God has left a residue in the hearts of men, that if paid attention to, should set them on a course to seek wisdom and recover an understanding of life the way it was meant to be. But the book of Proverbs reveals four conditions of man's attitude that prevail against this quest:

1. The Simple. Easily (mis)led, easily distracted and very short-sighted.
2. The Sluggard. No ambition to expend energy outside of self-gratifying results.
3. The Fool. Life is but a playground, or perhaps a stage to play out one's own fanciful script.
4. The Mocker. Learned in the ways of the world and serious about applying them in order to get all of the 'breaks'.

It might be construed that those owning the first two conditions fail to find wisdom simply because they make no application. Their plans and efforts seldom involve employing others in their failures. They only harm themselves. Those owning the second two conditions however hate wisdom because it calls for them to radically change the focus and energies of their lives. These types do involve employing others in their personal quests of life. They use others.
Wisdom reveals that God's original purposes for creation and mankind was for man to worship God through a personal and vital relationship, and to serve his fellow man in community (on these hang all the law and the prophets). Sin perverted and corrupted this kingdom, and man broke fellowship and worship of God and became self-serving. Even in his pursuit of other gods, man's motives are still self-serving. The Fool and the Mocker would have nothing to do with a world restored to God's original purposes. They love themselves too much. What they fail to realize is, that in hating wisdom they are loving death. They embrace using others in life, bringing eventual death into those relationships. They refuse to worship God in a vital relationship, protecting the death that already exists there. This simple little proverb contains volumes of theology.
As believers, we are to continue to pursue wisdom for our entire lives. Although we may be redeemed and saved by the blood of Jesus, we can still live in bondage in this life, and even bring harm into the lives of others, because we are too short-sighted, too lazy, too frivolous, or too hard-hearted. Being a Christian does not exempt us. Growing in wisdom brings life and vitality into our relationship with God and into our relationships with others. After all, it's life the way God meant it to be. When He saw all that He created, He saw that it was good. . . until sin marred and fractured His creation.