SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer)
Scriptures
Proverbs 8
English Standard Version
The Blessings of Wisdom
1 Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.
5 O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.
6 Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right,
7 for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9 They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.
10 Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
14 I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.
15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;
16 by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.[a]
17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice,
21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.
22 “The Lord possessed[b] me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.
23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established[d] the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his[e] delight,
rejoicing before him always,
31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.
32 “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.
34 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord,
36 but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
Observation
Wisdom
calls? Understanding has a voice?! But are we listening to what it is
trying to say??? Where can we find wisdom and understanding??? Solomon
writes on the heights, on the way, besides gates in front of the town,
at the crossroads of life decisions and even at the entrance of portals.
Now this last description of Wisdom's location (the portal) is very
profound to me because this requires a lot of revelation knowledge. But
let's begin with the easy one:
On
the heights - a mountain is a high place, and usually I love going to
mountains because of the peace and clarity it gives me when I am there that is why I love
to go there during Saturdays(Shabbat) with my sister. A high place is
not just a location, it is a realm in the Spirit, it is in the presence
of the Most High GOD. Just as the Psalm of Protection written by King
David in Psalm 91:1 says Whoever
dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the
Almighty. I believe this high place is not just a physical place but a
spiritual one.
On
the way - which way??? When we walk towards a certain path, there is a
way that GOD wants us to turn, it is the path of wisdom, it is way of
righteousness. We should ask ourselves where am I heading?? Where do I
want to go??? Why am I heading this way?? Why do I want to go there???
These thoughts can only be thought of by prudent persons, those who
think carefully for the future.
At
the crossroads - this one I believe is in every decision making area of
our lives, crossroads is a place where we have to decide where to go,
and only 1 path is wisdom, how do we know which one it is??? It is
usually the way of righteousness that leads to life, and the paths of
justice
Beside
the gates (in front of the town) - this is the profound one that
requires more research. A gate is an opening to enter into a different
place. It says Wisdom is beside the gate in front of a town. GOD in the
HOLY SPIRIT will always try to speak wisdom to us, because the HOLY
SPIRIT is a counselor, HE will always counsel us whether we ought to
enter into a certain area or not, but before we even make decisions, did
we ask HIM? Did we think and ponder upon it? There is a bisaya saying
in our dialect which communes regret over making a certain decision and
it is "Nganung ni enter?!" In English it means "Why did you enter??"
This phrase is usually spoken to dig up our motives for deciding certain
matters in the first place. It is usually asked because the outcome is
not good and so the question is all about "What was your motive was it
good?" Coz if it wasn't then you end up suffering the consequences of
making a bad choice.
At
the Entrance of the portals - now this one is very mystical and
requires spiritual revelation. A portal is another gate or doorway to
another dimension, it's not entrance of a location, but an entrance to a
dimension. The dimension between the spirit realm and the physical
realm, that's why a portal is another gate/opening and Solomon writes
that Wisdom also shouts her voice there.
Who is Wisdom with??
Understanding
Prudence
Knowledge
Fear of the LORD
Discretion
Counsel
Insight
Strength / Might / Power
Just the way Wisdom is described to be with in Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, (GOD HIMSELF)
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
The Rewards of Wisdom because they go with wisdom too:
Riches
Honor
Enduring wealth
Righteousness
Blessings
Application is in Proverbs 8:32-36
I ought to Listen to Wisdom Daily, where do I listen or find wisdom???
I
ought to hear instructions from GOD's word so that I can be wise, not
only hearing it and neglecting it by doing nothing but truly applying it
or putting it into practice. So if I want to be blessed I ought to keep
the way of Wisdom and listen to Instructions, Watching (waiting on GOD,
praying and reading GOD's word) daily at her gates and waiting beside
her doors.
There
is another Psalm that speaks about a gateway or doorway in Psalm that I
believe answers my question of where do I listen or find Wisdom? Psalm
119:130 NKJV
130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
There
is therefore a doorway when we open GOD's word - THE BIBLE. When you
open the BIBLE you open another dimension, and this is what Proverbs
talks about where wisdom is found to be: at an entrance of a portal. The
BIBLE or the WORDS of GOD are an entrance to the spiritual realms of
GOD and this is the best place to enter in. This is where we hear wisdom
speaking it's loudest and its strongest.
Prayer:
Dear AVI,
Blessed
are YOU O GOD who rules and reigns in all Creation!!! Thank YOU for
teaching me about wisdom, continue to teach me O LORD, and fill my mind
with YOU and YOUR WORD everyday because it is healing to my body and
life to my spirit, giving happiness to my soul. May YOU be pleased O GOD
with the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart and bless the
way in which YOU have called me to take, make my heart glad each day
for YOU deserve all my best, my worship, adoration, praises and
thanksgiving belongs to YOU the maker and lover of my Soul, KING JESUS -
Amen!
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