Wise Living - Securing Satisfying and Enduring Wealth (Proverbs Ch 8) Part 2

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us take a look into the glorious truths unfolded by Pastor Sam Merigala in his powerful preaching on securing satisfying and enduring wealth through wisdom. The sermon lifts our eyes to the very heart of life’s meaning, proclaiming that true wisdom is the God-centered wholeness of existence, and it is inherently joyous.

The Grandeur and Climax of Wisdom

Pastor Merigala explains that the focus chapter, Proverbs 8, presents a wisdom speech that serves to offer inspiration and encouragement to the disciple. This exposition of wisdom must be evaluated against the deceptive rhetoric and false promises of non-wisdom found in the opening chapters of Proverbs. It is in Proverbs 8 that the portrait of Wisdom and her ways reaches its majestic climax, recognized by commentators as "the summit of Old Testament discipleship".

The danger we face, Pastor Merigala cautions, is fixating on earthly pursuits—such as family, money, success, or ministry—with an excessive emotional expectation, resulting in despair when these things inevitably leave us empty.

Proverbs 8 is structured clearly: it begins with Wisdom’s extended call for attention (vv. 1–11), transitions into the advantages of following her path (vv. 12–21), celebrates her authority as God’s creation partner (vv. 22–31), and culminates in a final plea for our attention (vv. 32–36).

Wisdom’s First Message: The Call and Command

Pastor Merigala notes that the personification of Wisdom as a woman crying out for people to heed her reaches its full expression in this chapter. Wisdom's address is directed both to the simple (or naïve) ones and to all mankind. Her message is essential for our benefit, and the rewards for paying attention are indeed great. Crucially, the central thrust of this first section is that before we even search for wisdom, Wisdom is already searching for us.

The two core commands found within verses 1–11 are, first, to hear, and second, to receive instruction (v. 10).

Wisdom’s Second Message: Securing True Wealth

In her second message, Wisdom asserts that we can absolutely trust her words, as she is a trustworthy source whose ideas can be relied upon, particularly for the discerning and those who have already found knowledge, as her intention is to further shape them.

This leads directly into the promise of true wealth (vv. 10–21). Pastor Merigala draws attention to the word “take,” emphasizing that we face an unavoidable choice: “Take my instruction instead of silver”. It is an either/or decision because whatever we choose to embrace ultimately possesses us. We cannot live for two ultimate goals simultaneously (Matthew 6:24); we will love either wisdom or money. We must choose to make our money serve Christ, lest we find ourselves serving our money apart from Him.

Wisdom's gifts far surpass perishable riches; she offers blessings such as prudence, discretion, knowledge, the fear of the Lord, humility, wise counsel, and “durable riches”. A life enriched by God may be poor in material goods, but it is rich in the matters of eternal significance—things that cannot be purchased, regardless of one's wealth.

To secure this enduring wealth, we are called to specific spiritual disciplines: hearing the Word of God (v. 6), receiving instruction (v. 10), loving truth and wisdom (vv. 17, 21), and seeking God and His wisdom daily. Many of God’s people have discovered the necessity of starting the day with the Lord, meditating on His Word, praying, and worshipping Him (Ps. 57:8; 63:11).

The Advantages of Wisdom (vv. 12–21)

Pastor Merigala elaborates on why we must choose Christ’s wisdom over money. Wisdom is the close colleague of prudence, knowledge, and discretion. Wisdom is at home with counsel and sound judgment. The fear of the Lord means the hatred of evil, including pride, arrogance, and perverted speech—sins that often afflict those who are gifted.

Christ, speaking as Wisdom, holds the patent on insight, resourcefulness, counsel, and heroic strength. Wisdom is practical; it provides successful strategies and the strength to carry them out, making us influential in the world.

However, this is not natural, worldly wisdom; it is spiritual wisdom, belonging only to those who humble themselves because they desire to change, grow, and make an impact for Christ. The sermon contrasts this with the "earthly, unspiritual, demonic" wisdom described in James 3:13–18, which leads to disorder, jealousy, and selfish ambition.

Pastor Merigala uses the stark contrast between the Babylonian flood hero, Utnapishtim, a “Super-Genius” whose massive cube-shaped boat would have been a disaster, and Noah, who was simply "righteous" and "walked with God," to illustrate that walking humbly with God is the truly intelligent path that yields success.

The principles of Wisdom even govern human leadership; through Christ, "kings reign, and rulers decree what is just". Christ is the secret to success in the hardheaded world of leadership, providing the agility, versatility, and competence needed to succeed. For the church, success requires wise, humble, mature, Christlike leaders, who can be found in Him.

The Love and Reward of Christ

Wisdom promises us the fullness of Christ’s heart, declaring: “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (v. 17). To seek diligently means "with intentionality, going out of our usual way, breaking with routine".

God does not despise earthly incentives; He offers the diligent seeker "riches and honor". While merely desiring money destroys us (1 Timothy 6:9), if we love and seek Christ as our ultimate prize, He supplies all the treasure and honor we need to serve Him without allowing those things to own us internally. Because Christ, who walks "in the way of righteousness," cannot fail to keep His promises, even to beginners and fools who are seeking Him. Wisdom offers counsel, sound judgment, understanding, and power—the capacity needed to make sense of life—all flowing from the fear of the LORD.

Wisdom’s Third Message: Seeing Her Works in Creation

The third message invites us to see Wisdom’s works in creation (vv. 22–31), exulting in her deep antiquity before life began. Wisdom declares that the LORD possessed her "at the beginning of his work". Pastor Merigala clarifies that while the eternal Son of God was never created, this passage beautifully foreshadows Christ as the creative Word that brought everything into being (John 1:1–4; Col. 2:3).

Wisdom was Yahweh’s own, brought into being before creation began, serving as the principle by which God ordered the world. She was present when the world was made, standing beside the LORD "like a master workman," daily His delight, rejoicing in creation and delighting in the children of man.

The splendor we observe in creation serves as powerful evidence of what God’s wisdom can accomplish. Furthermore, the God who worked in the “old creation” desires to work in our lives in the “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). Regeneration is achieved by hearing the voice of the Son of God; He speaks life into those who are spiritually dead, performing the amazing expression of spiritual power known as the new birth.

Pastor Merigala emphasizes that Wisdom was "wired into the cosmos as the inner logic of everything". We cannot control our environment; we must adjust to it. Thus, Biblical wisdom is the secret code to reality, now speaking to us so that it is no longer a secret. Wisdom is external to us; we are meant to listen, for even God Himself did nothing without wisdom.

Crucially, Wisdom is not a nag; she is joyous over us. The gospel declares that though everything God made is good, it has been marred by Adam's fall, yet everything will be redeemed by Christ. This means all facets of life—gardening, our jobs, the arts, family life—are eligible for wise enjoyment under Christ. The sermon echoes the sentiment of John Calvin that there is nothing in this world "that is not intended to make men rejoice".

Wisdom’s Final Message: The Call to Decision

Finally, having declared God’s saving truth, Wisdom commands us: “You must make a decision!” (vv. 32–36). We are commanded to listen and be wise, never neglecting instruction. The matter is urgent, for there is no neutrality, and the response to God’s message is a matter of life or death (vv. 35–36).

Finding Wisdom leads to finding life and obtaining favor from the Lord. This decision must be sincere and life-changing, involving repentance (turning from sin) and faith (turning to Christ), resulting in a commitment to meet with Him daily. Pastor Merigala warns that those who reject God’s truth sin against their own souls, and those who hate Wisdom are heading for eternal death (Rev. 20:11–15).

The wisdom of Christ is the one necessity we must embrace wholeheartedly. The irony is profound: protecting oneself from Christ injures oneself; "He who fails to find me does violence to himself". We do not grasp this true life through "heroic intellectual pursuit" but by humbly confessing the truth: that we are fools who desperately need the Sage, Jesus Christ. If we are fools, we are the very ones He loves and seeks. If we listen and take Him, He promises us everything we desire in our deepest intentions. As the Apostle reminds us, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).