Proverbs 8 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Proverbs 8 Short Summary:

In Proverbs 8, Solomon personifies the virtue of wisdom as a woman and contrasts her with the adulterous woman of Proverbs 7. Lady Wisdom stands at the gate of her city offering to make fools into wise men if they will embrace her teaching. In a beautiful section of scripture, verses 22-31, Lady Wisdom describes how she was present with the Lord before He created the world.  

Proverbs 8 Summary

THEMES:

• Lady Wisdom offers to turn fools into wise men.

• Wisdom originated with God and existed with Him before the world was created.

DEFINITIONS:

• Prudence (8:5) – Acting carefully; moving through life cautiously and thoughtfully.

OUTLINE:

• LADY WISDOM’S INVITATION (8:1-21):

  • After speaking of the adulterous woman in Proverbs 7, Solomon contrasts her with another woman in Proverbs 8. As we saw in Proverbs 1, Solomon once again personifies the virtue of wisdom as a woman, a woman who is standing in her city inviting men to leave their foolishness behind and to embrace what she has to share.

  • Lady wisdom stands in public places crying out, “O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. Hear for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips” (8:5-7).

  • Contrast these verses with the speech of the forbidden woman in Proverbs 5:3 and 7:21.

  • Wisdom leads a man in the way of righteousness, which is something gold can’t buy.

  • Wisdom causes a man to hate evil, just like God hates evil.

  • Wisdom allows kings to rule with virtue and justice.

  • But wisdom does not reserve herself solely for the elite of the earth, she is discoverable to anyone who desires her. She says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (8:17).

• WISDOM, A TIMELESS VIRTUE FLOWING FROM ETERNITY (8:22-31):

  • Real wisdom comes from God the Creator, and Lady Wisdom makes this clear in verses 22-31, when she describes wisdom being present with God before the world existed.

  • She proclaims, “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His work, the first of His acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth” (8:22-23).

  • She says she was with the Master Workman and at His side, before the oceans were formed, the rivers began flowing, the mountains were shaped, the dust of the earth existed, the skies were created, and the foundations of the earth were marked out.

  • Wisdom is not some kind of philosophical invention of men; it flows from God and leads back to God.

• LADY WISDOM’S FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT (8:32-36):

  • As Proverbs 8 concludes, Lady Wisdom encourages the people of her city not to neglect her instruction.

  • She says, “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but He who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death” (8:35-36).

APPLICATION:

• I believe there is value in reading books written by men, but if the Bible really is what it says it is, a book inspired by the Master Workman, we need to consider it an infinitely greater source of wisdom than human writings.

• This should be reflected in our reading/studying time.

• I would encourage you, and I think I would have God’s affirmation on this, to spend significantly more time reading the Bible than you spend in all other reading combined.

• The Bible is written by the Source and Origin of wisdom, all other authors are just secondary sources.