Proverbs Divine Wisdom

Lesson #4 for January 24, 2015

Scriptures: [Proverbs 8:1-21,22-31,32-36; 9:1-18; Matthew 16:26; Genesis 1:31][i].

1.    In this lesson we will discuss a new kind of wisdom. And this wisdom is particularly exciting. It seems to be consistent with truth and even a personification of truth. The idea that truth could be absolute is not widely accepted in contemporary thinking. Many people in our day believe that truth is relative, culturally determined and dependent upon one’s background.

2.    But, from a biblical perspective, truth is absolute. There is only one truth. We may have different views of truth; but truth, ultimately, is consistent for the entire universe. And truth can never be inconsistent with itself. If we could see it for ourselves, would we know the truth?

3.    How do we discover truth and wisdom? Does truth speak to us in some way? How does that happen? Do we learn truth through experience? Through God’s Word? How do we actually determine what is truth?

4.    Read Proverbs 8:1-21ii. Wisdom promises a great deal. It promises to make the immature mature and to make the foolish wise. It claims to be well-informed and plain to those who think clearly. It is more valuable than gold or silver. Those who honor God will hate evil. Wisdom hates pride, arrogance, evil ways, and false words. Wisdom gives wealth to those who love it, filling their houses with treasures.

5.    So, what is the relationship among wisdom, truth, and salvation? Proverbs 8 suggests to us that wisdom-as the personification of the Son of God-is crying out in every possible way to communicate with human beings. Jesus indicated that getting to know the truth about Him is a matter of life and death. How well are we doing at getting to know God?

6.    In our days of mass communication through radio, television, social media, etc., why is it that so many people still live in ignorance, folly, and darkness? Read Matthew 16:26. Some of these people may be very wealthy; but, no earthly treasure of any kind can buy salvation.

7.    Read Proverbs 8:22-31iii. Wisdom-best expressed through God’s Word-was there when the world was created. There are many similarities in Proverbs 8 to the creation account in Genesis 1-2. Didn’t God Himself use wisdom in the creation process? Therefore, if wisdom is a fundamental part of the universe and necessary for existence, shouldn’t we do our best to learn as much as possible about it? Does wisdom mean to do what is right because it is right?

8.    Would it be correct to say that wisdom is a part of the very nature of God Himself? If wisdom existed before the universe was created, Who was present? Father? Son? Holy Spirit? Angels? Could it be possible that wisdom in this context is a code word for Jesus Christ Himself?

9.    So, how are we supposed to gain this wisdom? Is it something we can get by working at it? Or, is wisdom acquired only through Revelation? John 1:9iv tells us that Jesus is the true Light. Symbolically understood, light could be parallel to wisdom because it illuminates what we are looking at, and it helps us to understand things.

10.    Following each day of creation as described in Genesis 1, God saw that “it was good,” (Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31)[v] and in verse 31 after the creation of humans, God said, “It was very good.” (KJV) The word good there implies a relationship and the idea of enjoyment. So, God paused to enjoy His creation. (Genesis 2:1-3vi) Does that teach us anything about how the Sabbath is to be experienced? Aren’t we supposed to enjoy the Sabbath?

11.    Read Proverbs 8:30-31vii. Notice that Wisdom also rejoiced over the creation of the human race. If we have worked diligently during the week-faithfully caring out our responsibilities, would it be correct for us to rejoice as we look back with joy, pleasure, and satisfaction on our work?

12.    There are numerous passages in the Bible suggesting that Jesus Christ was involved in creation. See [Colossians 1:15-17; 2:3; Revelation 3:14; and John 1:1-14]viii. We know that mankind has become shorter and smaller and has deteriorated since leaving the Garden of Eden. Aren’t you encouraged to know that the One who created us in the beginning has creative power to restore us to the Eden-like condition at the second coming?

13.    Read Matthew 6:33ix. What does it mean to “Seek first the kingdom of God”? How do we do that? Do you find that when you try to follow God, He continues to bless you?

14.    What was Christ’s role in creation?

The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had an associate-a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happiness to created beings. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1-2. Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father-one in nature, in character, in purpose-the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. . . . And the Son of God declares concerning Himself: “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting. . . . When He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” Proverbs 8:22-30.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34.1; Christ Triumphant 7.4-6.

15.    If Wisdom is to be associated with creation, what does that imply about those who believe in evolution? Scientists believe that by studying astronomy and biology and by using particle accelerators to tear apart atoms, they can discover where we came from. By contrast, the Bible says that we can only learn about our origins through the revealed will of God. How many important things can you think of that we would not know anything about if it were not for God’s revealed will in Scripture? Is there any way we could discover the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross? Is it obvious from nature why we should worship on the seventh-day Sabbath? Could we guess that there is going to be a second coming of Christ?

16.    If God was really happy and really enjoyed that Sabbath at the end of the creation week, does that tell us anything about how we should observe the Sabbath?

17.    After studying Proverbs 8, do you think it is fair to consider the divine Wisdom mentioned there as a reference to Jesus Christ Himself, the Co-Creator with the Father? T ry to imagine what it would have been like to watch the three Members of the Godhead creating our world. How did the Father work with and through the Son and the Holy Spirit?

18.    Seventh-day Adventists have come to believe that Christ has always been the Mediator between the infinite God and His creatures. He walked among angels as an Angel-Michael the Archangel. He walked on this earth as a Human Being-Jesus-among humans. What does this tell us about His mediatorial role? How did Jesus Christ relate to Adam and Eve before the fall? Was He truly Immanuel, that is, “God with us”? Do you think together They-Father, Son, Holy Spirit-and all the angels had a wonderful time on that first Sabbath? The Hebrew in Proverbs 8 implies a vibrant, even playful, joy and fellowship among the Members of the Godhead at creation. Does your picture of God allow for that kind of enjoyment?

19.    Many of us have not thought of Proverbs 8 as referring specifically to Jesus Christ Himself. However, in the early centuries of Christianity, many of the early church fathers thought that Proverbs 8:22-31 was referring to Christ. That interpretation persisted until modern times.

20.    Read John 1:1-3. In the New Testament, Christ is referred to as “the Word.” What is the relationship between “the Word” and the Divine Wisdom in Proverbs 8? Think of the process by which a word works. An idea is formulated in one person’s mind; a word is formed by his throat, tongue, and mouth. Vibrations pass through the air to the ear of a second person, and those vibrations are interpreted by his brain and may become a thought. Thus, communication takes place. In how many ways has Jesus Christ facilitated communication between God and His creatures?

21.    In Proverbs 1-7, wisdom is extolled and sometimes even personified. But, a careful reading of Proverbs 8 suggests that it can only apply to the Second Person of the Godhead. And that application begins with His existence before this world was created.

22.    Again read [Proverbs 8:12-21 and also consider 8:32-36][x].

The references to Wisdom in Proverbs 8 denote the second member of the Godhead at the time of Creation. This is clear, first, because Wisdom is described with the very prerogatives that are, elsewhere in Scripture, reserved for Yahweh alone: (1) Giver of life and death (Vss. 35, 36; compare 14:27); (2) Source of legitimate government (Vss. 15,16; compare, for example, Num. 11:16, 17); (3) the One who is to be sought after, found, and called (vs. 17; compare Deut. 4:29); (4) the One who loves and is to be loved (vs. 17; compare, for example, Neh. 13:26); (5) the Giver of wealth (vss. 18-21; compare 1 Chron.29:12); and (6) the Source of divine revelation (vss. 6-10, 19, 32, 34; compare 29:18; 30:3-5). (Adult Teacher’s Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, page 50)

23.    In Proverbs 8:12, the first phrase states, “I am Wisdom.” This is grammatically parallel to the Hebrew name Yahweh used frequently throughout the Old Testament. (See [Ezekiel 12:25; 35:12; Zechariah 10:6; Malachi 3:6]xi.) So, here we see an expression such as wisdom being referred to as if it were a defined, distinct Personality or Person. Once again, Ellen White clearly understood that the Wisdom of Proverbs 8 referred to the pre-incarnate Son of God.

“Before Abraham was, I am.” [John 8:58] Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God. The message He gave to Moses to give to the children of Israel was,

“Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” [Exodus 3:14] The prophet Micah writes of Him, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, tho thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of Thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” [Micah 5:2] Through Solomon Christ declared . . . [Proverbs 8:22-30 quoted]. In speaking of His preexistence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God.—Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900 par 13-15; Ev 615.2; FLB 46.3; LHU 17.7; 7ABC 440.4; TA 24.1. [Content in brackets is added.]

24.    Again read Proverbs 8:32-36xii. In these verses, wisdom takes on a very solemn but happy note. If we seek wisdom, we will find life and we will be happy. But, those who hate wisdom love death. Does it make you happy to obey God? The word blessed means happy. Compare Psalm 119:1-2xiii. But, we need to recognize that these are not one-time events. When we talk about keeping God’s ways, this requires continuous effort. Daily study of God’s Word and looking unto Jesus is our assignment. Read Luke 11:28xiv.

25.    The first phrase of Proverbs 8:30 further describes Wisdom as an Architect or Master Craftsmen. This is further evidence that it is referring to Christ as the Co-Creator with the Father. Didn’t Christ help to design and even build this universe?

26.    Was Proverbs 8 specifically being considered by New Testament writers in places like [John 1:13; 1 Corinthians 1:24,30; Colossians 1:15-16; and Hebrews 1:1-4]xv? There seemed to have been no doubt in the minds of the New Testament writers that Christ was intimately involved in the process of creation.

27.    Read Proverbs 8:22-26xvi. A superficial reading of these words might suggest that Christ was at some time literally born. However, the Hebrew, does not give that implication. The Hebrew form used there refers to Someone being installed or placed in a new role. Psalm 2 suggests that Christ would become the everlasting King of the universe after His incarnation? As we have seen, Proverbs 8 seems to point backwards to the pre-incarnate Christ installed in a new office at the beginning of creation. What was Christ’s new role at the beginning of creation? Surely, it must have been His role as Mediator or Friend to God’s creatures, both angels and humans.

28.    While Ellen White spoke quite extensively about Christ’s work with angels as Michael the Archangel, are there passages in the Old Testament that support this idea? Did Jesus ever appear as an angel or messenger of the Lord even here on this earth? See [Genesis 16:13; 1819; 22:24; 48:16; Exodus 23:20-21; 32-33; Judges 13:3,13,17,18,22]xvii, and so forth.

29.    After studying this lesson, have you been able to grasp the idea that the only true wisdom is that which comes from God Himself?

30.    Would things be different if the Father had come to our earth to live among us instead of the Son? (See John 14:9xviii.)

Had God the Father come to our world and dwelt among us, veiling His glory and humbling Himself, that humanity might look upon Him, the history that we have of the life of Christ would not have been changed in unfolding its record of His own condescending grace. In every act of Jesus, in every lesson of His instruction, we are to see and hear and recognize God. In sight, in hearing, in effect, it is the voice and movements of the Father. But language seems to be so feeble! I refrain, and with John exclaim, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not” [1 John 3:1].—Letter 83, 1895; 21MR 393.1; TMK 338.4. [Content in brackets is added.]

31.    Read Proverbs 9:1xix. Are the seven pillars in the house an allusion to the seven days of creation week? Proverbs 30:4 also alludes to God’s Son. Isn’t that another clue?

32.    Contrast [Proverbs 9:1-6 with Proverbs 9:13-18]xx. Notice the stark differences between wisdom and folly.

1.    Wisdom is efficient and is involved in Creation: seven verbs are used to describe her actions there (Vss. 1-3). The seven pillars she has hewn (vs. 1) allude to the seven days of Creation. Folly, in contrast, sits and does nothing, just pretending to be someone when in fact “she is simple, and knows nothing” (vs.13, NKJV).

2.    Although wisdom and folly call the same audience (note the identical vss. 4 and 16), what they provide is essentially different. Wisdom invites her guests to eat the bread and drink the drink that she has prepared (vs. 5). Folly offers nothing to eat or drink; she simply boasts about stolen provisions (vs. 17).

3.    Wisdom calls us to forsake foolishness and, therefore, to live. Folly is more tolerant; she does not demand that we forsake anything, but the result is death.

Those who follow wisdom will be advancing; they will “go in the way of understanding” (vs. 6, NKJV). Those who follow folly will be static, and they will “not know” (vs. 18, NKJV). (Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Thursday, January 22.)

33.    Read Proverbs 9:7-9xxi. Is it clear from these verses why the wise are wise and the wicked are foolish? The wise learn. The key to wisdom seems to be humility. Is that why Jesus exhorted us to become like little children? (See Matthew 18:3xxii.) The most important characteristic of a child is his capacity to grow and learn. Biblical obedience means a humble willingness to listen and learn.

34.    Someday, we will be able to see a panorama showing the process by which God created our world. It will be a marvelous revelation. But, for now, try to imagine what it might have been like. Do you think God was enjoying Himself? The Hebrew word for rejoice in Proverbs 8:30-31xxiii can imply laughing, sport, or even play. Does your picture of God allow for that?

© 2014, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged.

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Last Modified: December 21, 2014

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Proverbs - #4 - page 4 of 4

i-Proverbs 8:1 Listen! Wisdom is calling out. Reason is making herself heard. 2 On the hilltops near the road and at the crossroads she stands. 3 At the entrance to the city, beside the gates, she calls: 4 "I appeal to all of you; I call to everyone on earth. 5 Are you immature? Learn to be mature. Are you foolish? Learn to have sense. 6 Listen to my excellent words; all I tell you is right. 7 What I say is the truth; lies are hateful to me. 8 Everything I say is true; nothing is false or misleading. 9 To those with insight, it is all clear; to the well-informed, it is all plain. 10 Choose my instruction instead of silver; choose knowledge rather than the finest gold. 11 "I am Wisdom, I am better than jewels; nothing you want can compare with me. 12 I am Wisdom, and I have insight; I have knowledge and sound judgment. 13 To honor the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words. 14 I make plans and carry them out. I have understanding, and I am strong. 15 I help kings to govern and rulers to make good laws. 16 Every ruler on earth governs with my help, officials and nobles alike. 17 I love those who love me; whoever looks for me can find me. 18 I have riches and honor to give, prosperity and success. 19 What you get from me is better than the finest gold, better than the purest silver. 20 I walk the way of righteousness; I follow the paths of justice, 21 giving wealth to those who love me, filling their houses with treasures. 22 "The Lord created me first of all, the first of his works, long ago. 23 I was made in the very beginning, at the first, before the world began. 24 I was born before the oceans, when there were no springs of water. 25 I was born before the mountains, before the hills were set in place, 26 before God made the earth and its fields or even the first handful of soil. 27 I was there when he set the sky in place, when he stretched the horizon across the ocean, 28 when he placed the clouds in the sky, when he opened the springs of the ocean 29 and ordered the waters of the sea to rise no further than he said. I was there when he laid the earth's foundations. 30 I was beside him like an architect, I was his daily source of joy, always happy in his presence - 31 happy with the world and pleased with the human race. 32 "Now, young people, listen to me. Do as I say, and you will be happy. 33 Listen to what you are taught. Be wise; do not neglect it. 34 Those who listen to me will be happy - those who stay at my door every day, waiting at the entrance to my home. 35 Those who find me find life, and the Lord will be pleased with them. 36 Those who do not find me hurt themselves; anyone who hates me loves death."

9:1 Wisdom has built her house and made seven columns for it. 2 She has had an animal killed for a feast, mixed spices in the wine, and set the table. 3 She has sent her servant women to call out from the highest place in town: 4 "Come in, ignorant people!" And to the foolish she says, 5 "Come, eat my food and drink the wine that I have mixed. 6 Leave the company of ignorant people, and live. Follow the way of knowledge." 7 If you correct conceited people, you will only be insulted. If you reprimand evil people, you will only get hurt. 8 Never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you. 9 Anything you say to the wise will make them wiser. Whatever you tell the righteous will add to their knowledge. 10 To be wise you must first have reverence for the Lord. If you know the Holy One, you have understanding. 11 Wisdom will add years to your life. 12 You are the one who will profit if you have wisdom, and if you reject it, you are the one who will suffer. 13 Stupidity is like a loud, ignorant, shameless woman. 14 She sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the highest part of town, 15 and calls out to people passing by, who are minding their own business: 16 "Come in, ignorant people!" To the foolish she says, 17 "Stolen water is sweeter. Stolen bread tastes better." 18 Her victims do not know that the people die who go to her house, that those who have already entered are now deep in the world of the dead.

Matthew 16:26 Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not! There is nothing you can give to regain your life.

Genesis 1:31 God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came - that was the sixth day.

ii-Proverbs 8:1 Listen! Wisdom is calling out. Reason is making herself heard. 2 On the hilltops near the road and at the crossroads she stands. 3 At the entrance to the city, beside the gates, she calls: 4 "I appeal to all of you; I call to everyone on earth. 5 Are you immature? Learn to be mature. Are you foolish? Learn to have sense. 6 Listen to my excellent words; all I tell you is right. 7 What I say is the truth; lies are hateful to me. 8 Everything I say is true; nothing is false or misleading. 9 To those with insight, it is all clear; to the well-informed, it is all plain. 10 Choose my instruction instead of silver; choose knowledge rather than the finest gold. 11 "I am Wisdom, I am better than jewels; nothing you want can compare with me. 12 I am Wisdom, and I have insight; I have knowledge and sound judgment. 13 To honor the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words. 14 I make plans and carry them out. I have understanding, and I am strong. 15 I help kings to govern and rulers to make good laws. 16 Every ruler on earth governs with my help, officials and nobles alike. 17 I love those who love me; whoever looks for me can find me. 18 I have riches and honor to give, prosperity and success. 19 What you get from me is better than the finest gold, better than the purest silver. 20 I walk the way of righteousness; I follow the paths of justice, 21 giving wealth to those who love me, filling their houses with treasures.

iii-Proverbs 8:22 "The Lord created me first of all, the first of his works, long ago. 23 I was made in the very beginning, at the first, before the world began. 24 I was born before the oceans, when there were no springs of water. 25 I was born before the mountains, before the hills were set in place, 26 before God made the earth and its fields or even the first handful of soil. 27 I was there when he set the sky in place, when he stretched the horizon across the ocean, 28 when he placed the clouds in the sky, when he opened the springs of the ocean 29 and ordered the waters of the sea to rise no further than he said. I was there when he laid the earth's foundations. 30 I was beside him like an architect, I was his daily source of joy, always happy in his presence - 31 happy with the world and pleased with the human race.

iv-John 1:9 This was the real light - the light that comes into the world and shines on all people.

v-Genesis 1:4 God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness,

10 He named the land "Earth," and the water which had come together he named "Sea." And God was pleased with what he saw.

12 So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw.

18 to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God was pleased with what he saw.

21 So God created the great sea monsters, all kinds of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds. And God was pleased with what he saw.

25 So God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw.

31 God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came - that was the sixth day.

vi-Genesis 2:1 And so the whole universe was completed. 2 By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. 3 He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working.

vii-Proverbs 8:30 I was beside him like an architect, I was his daily source of joy, always happy in his presence - 31 happy with the world and pleased with the human race.

viii-Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. 16 For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. 17 Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.

2:3 He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge.

Revelation 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: "This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin of all that God has created.

John 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. 4 The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. 6 God sent his messenger, a man named John, 7 who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light. 9 This was the real light - the light that comes into the world and shines on all people. 10 The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. 12 Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children. 13 They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father. 14 The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.

ix-Matthew 6:33 Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.

x-Proverbs 8:12 I am Wisdom, and I have insight; I have knowledge and sound judgment. 13 To honor the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words. 14 I make plans and carry them out. I have understanding, and I am strong. 15 I help kings to govern and rulers to make good laws. 16 Every ruler on earth governs with my help, officials and nobles alike. 17 I love those who love me; whoever looks for me can find me. 18 I have riches and honor to give, prosperity and success. 19 What you get from me is better than the finest gold, better than the purest silver. 20 I walk the way of righteousness; I follow the paths of justice, 21 giving wealth to those who love me, filling their houses with treasures.

8:32 "Now, young people, listen to me. Do as I say, and you will be happy. 33 Listen to what you are taught. Be wise; do not neglect it. 34 Those who listen to me will be happy - those who stay at my door every day, waiting at the entrance to my home. 35 Those who find me find life, and the Lord will be pleased with them. 36 Those who do not find me hurt themselves; anyone who hates me loves death."

xi-Ezekiel 12:25 I, the Lord, will speak to them, and what I say will be done. There will be no more delay. In your own lifetime, you rebels, I will do what I have warned you I would do. I have spoken," says the Sovereign Lord.

35:12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, heard you say with contempt that the mountains of Israel were desolate and that they were yours to devour.

Zechariah 10:6 "I will make the people of Judah strong; I will rescue the people of Israel. I will have compassion on them and bring them all back home. They will be as though I had never rejected them. I am the Lord their God; I will answer their prayers.

Malachi 3:6 "I am the Lord, and I do not change. And so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not yet completely lost.

xii-Proverbs 8:32 "Now, young people, listen to me. Do as I say, and you will be happy. 33 Listen to what you are taught. Be wise; do not neglect it. 34 Those who listen to me will be happy - those who stay at my door every day, waiting at the entrance to my home. 35 Those who find me find life, and the Lord will be pleased with them. 36 Those who do not find me hurt themselves; anyone who hates me loves death."

xiii-Psalm 119:1 Happy are those whose lives are faultless, who live according to the law of the Lord. 2 Happy are those who follow his commands, who obey him with all their heart.

xiv-Luke 11:28 But Jesus answered, "Rather, how happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!"

xv-John 1:13 They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.

1 Corinthians 1:24 but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 30 But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By him we are put right with God; we become God's holy people and are set free.

Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. 16 For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him.

Hebrews 1:1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end. 3 He reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness of God's own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word. After achieving forgiveness for the sins of all human beings, he sat down in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power. 4 The Son was made greater than the angels, just as the name that God gave him is greater than theirs.

xvi-Proverbs 8:22 "The Lord created me first of all, the first of his works, long ago. 23 I was made in the very beginning, at the first, before the world began. 24 I was born before the oceans, when there were no springs of water. 25 I was born before the mountains, before the hills were set in place, 26 before God made the earth and its fields or even the first handful of soil.

xvii-Genesis 16:13 Hagar asked herself, "Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?" So she called the Lord, who had spoken to her, "A God Who Sees."

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day, 2 he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground, 3 he said, "Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you. 4 Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree. 5 I will also bring a bit of food; it will give you strength to continue your journey. You have honored me by coming to my home, so let me serve you." They replied, "Thank you; we accept." 6 Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread." 7 Then he ran to the herd and picked out a calf that was tender and fat, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to get it ready. 8 He took some cream, some milk, and the meat, and set the food before the men. There under the tree he served them himself, and they ate. 9 Then they asked him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" "She is there in the tent," he answered. 10 One of them said, "Nine months from now I will come back, and your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was behind him, at the door of the tent, listening. 11 Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself and said, "Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too." 13 Then the Lord asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Can I really have a child when I am so old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son." 15 Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. "I didn't laugh," she said. "Yes, you did," he replied. "You laughed." 16 Then the men left and went to a place where they could look down at Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on their way. 17 And the Lord said to himself, "I will not hide from Abraham what I am going to do. 18 His descendants will become a great and mighty nation, and through him I will bless all the nations. 19 I have chosen him in order that he may command his sons and his descendants to obey me and to do what is right and just. If they do, I will do everything for him that I have promised." 20 Then the Lord said to Abraham, "There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. 21 I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true." 22 Then the two men left and went on toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached the Lord and asked, "Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? 24 If there are fifty innocent people in the city, will you destroy the whole city? Won't you spare it in order to save the fifty? 25 Surely you won't kill the innocent with the guilty. That's impossible! You can't do that. If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty. That is impossible. The judge of all the earth has to act justly." 26 The Lord answered, "If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake." 27 Abraham spoke again: "Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. I am only a man and have no right to say anything. 28 But perhaps there will be only forty-five innocent people instead of fifty. Will you destroy the whole city because there are five too few?" The Lord answered, "I will not destroy the city if I find forty-five innocent people." 29 Abraham spoke again: "Perhaps there will be only forty." He replied, "I will not destroy it if there are forty." 30 Abraham said, "Please don't be angry, Lord, but I must speak again. What if there are only thirty?" He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty." 31 Abraham said, "Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. Suppose that only twenty are found?" He said, "I will not destroy the city if I find twenty." 32 Abraham said, "Please don't be angry, Lord, and I will speak only once more. What if only ten are found?" He said, "I will not destroy it if there are ten." 33 After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the Lord went away, and Abraham returned home.

19:1 When the two angels came to Sodom that evening, Lot was sitting at the city gate. As soon as he saw them, he got up and went to meet them. He bowed down before them 2 and said, "Sirs, I am here to serve you. Please come to my house. You can wash your feet and spend the night. In the morning you can get up early and go on your way." But they answered, "No, we will spend the night here in the city square." 3 He kept on urging them, and finally they went with him to his house. Lot ordered his servants to bake some bread and prepare a fine meal for the guests. When it was ready, they ate it. 4 Before the guests went to bed, the men of Sodom surrounded the house. All the men of the city, both young and old, were there. 5 They called out to Lot and asked, "Where are the men who came to stay with you tonight? Bring them out to us!" The men of Sodom wanted to have sex with them. 6 Lot went outside and closed the door behind him. 7 He said to them, "Friends, I beg you, don't do such a wicked thing! 8 Look, I have two daughters who are still virgins. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want with them. But don't do anything to these men; they are guests in my house, and I must protect them." 9 But they said, "Get out of our way, you foreigner! Who are you to tell us what to do? Out of our way, or we will treat you worse than them." They pushed Lot back and moved up to break down the door. 10 But the two men inside reached out, pulled Lot back into the house, and shut the door. 11 Then they struck all the men outside with blindness, so that they couldn't find the door. 12 The two men said to Lot, "If you have anyone else here - sons, daughters, sons-in-law, or any other relatives living in the city - get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The Lord has heard the terrible accusations against these people and has sent us to destroy Sodom." 14 Then Lot went to the men that his daughters were going to marry, and said, "Hurry up and get out of here; the Lord is going to destroy this place." But they thought he was joking. 15 At dawn the angels tried to make Lot hurry. "Quick!" they said. "Take your wife and your two daughters and get out, so that you will not lose your lives when the city is destroyed." 16 Lot hesitated. The Lord, however, had pity on him; so the men took him, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city. 17 Then one of the angels said, "Run for your lives! Don't look back and don't stop in the valley. Run to the hills, so that you won't be killed." 18 But Lot answered, "No, please don't make us do that, sir. 19 You have done me a great favor and saved my life. But the hills are too far away; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die before I get there. 20 Do you see that little town? It is near enough. Let me go over there - you can see it is just a small place - and I will be safe." 21 He answered, "All right, I agree. I won't destroy that town. 22 Hurry! Run! I can't do anything until you get there." Because Lot called it small, the town was named Zoar. 23 The sun was rising when Lot reached Zoar. 24 Suddenly the Lord rained burning sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 25 and destroyed them and the whole valley, along with all the people there and everything that grew on the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. 27 Early the next morning Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood in the presence of the Lord. 28 He looked down at Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley and saw smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a huge furnace. 29 But when God destroyed the cities of the valley where Lot was living, he kept Abraham in mind and allowed Lot to escape to safety. 30 Because Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar, he and his two daughters moved up into the hills and lived in a cave. 31 The older daughter said to her sister, "Our father is getting old, and there are no men in the whole world to marry us so that we can have children. 32 Come on, let's get our father drunk, so that we can sleep with him and have children by him." 33 That night they gave him wine to drink, and the older daughter had intercourse with him. But he was so drunk that he didn't know it. 34 The next day the older daughter said to her sister, "I slept with him last night; now let's get him drunk again tonight, and you sleep with him. Then each of us will have a child by our father." 35 So that night they got him drunk, and the younger daughter had intercourse with him. Again he was so drunk that he didn't know it. 36 In this way both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their own father. 37 The older daughter had a son, whom she named Moab. He was the ancestor of the present-day Moabites. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, whom she named Benammi. He was the ancestor of the present-day Ammonites.

24 Reumah, Nahor's concubine, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

48:16 May the angel, who has rescued me from all harm, bless them! May my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac live on through these boys! May they have many children, many descendants!"

Exodus 23:20 "I will send an angel ahead of you to protect you as you travel and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and obey him. Do not rebel against him, for I have sent him, and he will not pardon such rebellion

23:32 Do not make any agreement with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let those people live in your country; if you do, they will make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will be a fatal trap for you."

Judges 13:3 The Lord's angel appeared to her and said, "You have never been able to have children, but you will soon be pregnant and have a son.

13:13 The Lord's angel answered, "Your wife must be sure to do everything that I have told her.

13:17 Manoah replied, "Tell us your name, so that we can honor you when your words come true." 18 The angel asked, "Why do you want to know my name? It is a name of wonder."

13:18 The angel asked, "Why do you want to know my name? It is a name of wonder."

13:22 Manoah said to his wife, "We are sure to die, because we have seen God!"

xviii-John 14:9 Jesus answered, "For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Why, then, do you say, "Show us the Father'?

xix-Proverbs 9:1 Wisdom has built her house and made seven columns for it.

xx-Proverbs 9:1 Wisdom has built her house and made seven columns for it. 2 She has had an animal killed for a feast, mixed spices in the wine, and set the table. 3 She has sent her servant women to call out from the highest place in town: 4 "Come in, ignorant people!" And to the foolish she says, 5 "Come, eat my food and drink the wine that I have mixed. 6 Leave the company of ignorant people, and live. Follow the way of knowledge."

Proverbs 9:13 Stupidity is like a loud, ignorant, shameless woman. 14 She sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the highest part of town, 15 and calls out to people passing by, who are minding their own business: 16 "Come in, ignorant people!" To the foolish she says, 17 "Stolen water is sweeter. Stolen bread tastes better." 18 Her victims do not know that the people die who go to her house, that those who have already entered are now deep in the world of the dead.

xxi-Proverbs 9:7 If you correct conceited people, you will only be insulted. If you reprimand evil people, you will only get hurt. 8 Never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you. 9 Anything you say to the wise will make them wiser. Whatever you tell the righteous will add to their knowledge.

xxii-Matthew 18:3 and said, "I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.

xxiii-Proverbs 8:30 I was beside him like an architect, I was his daily source of joy, always happy in his presence - 31 happy with the world and pleased with the human race.

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