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1. Pro 8:17 – “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
- I love them that love me;
- “I” in this passage is wisdom personified (Pro 8:1, 12).
- Wisdom is the personification of God’s revelation to man.
- Wisdom loves them that love her.
- Her love for them is contingent upon their love for her.
- But who can love wisdom?
- Not all men have the ability to love wisdom.
- Wicked men despise wisdom (Pro 1:7).
- Natural men want nothing to do with the knowledge of God (Psa 10:4; Rom 3:11).
- Foolish and stubborn children of God hate the knowledge of God (Pro 1:29 c/w Pro 1:23).
- In order to love the wisdom of God, a man must first love God.
- One cannot love God’s wisdom without first loving God the source of that wisdom.
- But man by nature doesn’t love God, but rather hates Him and is His enemy (Rom 8:7).
- Enmity n. – 1. The disposition or the feelings characteristic of an enemy; ill-will, hatred.
- So how can a man love God in order to love the wisdom of God?
- Before a man can love God, God must love him.
- In order for a man to love God, God must save him eternally and give him a new heart via regeneration which changes his carnal nature (Tit 3:3-5; Eph 2:1-5).
- God only saves eternally those men whom He chose to love and send His Son Jesus Christ to die for, despite their animosity toward Him (Eph 1:4; Joh 3:16; 1Jo 3:16; Rom 5:10; 1Jo 4:10).
- God loved His elect with an everlasting love, long before they loved Him (Jer 31:3).
- God’s children love Him because He first loved them (1Jo 4:19).
- A child of God who is loved by God and has been given a new spirit capable of receiving the knowledge of God has the capacity to love wisdom (1Co 2:12).
- He is commanded to love wisdom (Pro 4:6).
- He loves wisdom by loving God’s word where wisdom is found (Psa 119:97 c/w Pro 2:6 c/w Deut 4:5-6).
- He loves wisdom by keeping God’s commandments (Joh 14:15).
- Conversely, he hates wisdom by sinning against God (Pro 8:36).
- When elect, regenerate children of God love wisdom, then wisdom loves them.
- It is a circle of love, so to speak:
- God first loves His elect.
- They then love God and His wisdom in return.
- Wisdom then loves them.
- Wisdom loves them who love her by:
- Pouring out God’s Spirit to them and making her words known to them (Pro 1:23; Pro 2:1-6).
- Protecting, preserving, and delivering them from evil (Pro 2:7-12, 16).
- Giving them long life and peace (Pro 3:1-2).
- Directing their paths (Pro 3:5-6).
- Giving them health (Pro 3:7-8).
- Blessing them financially (Pro 3:9-10; Pro 8:21).
- Chastening them when necessary (Pro 3:11-12).
- Keeping them in the way of righteousness (Pro 4:6).
- Promoting them and bringing them to honour (Pro 4:8).
- and those that seek me early shall find me.
- Those that seek wisdom shall find her.
- Wisdom must be sought after to be found (Pro 2:1-6).
- If any man lacks wisdom and desires to find it, he must ask God for it in faith (Jam 1:5).
- God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6).
- Those that seek the Lord will find Him (Act 17:27).
- Those that seek wisdom early have a much higher likelihood of finding her.
- Early adv. – I. Near the beginning of a period of time. With reference to the time of day. a. In the first part of the morning. 3. With reference to a lifetime. a. In childhood or youth. b. At a time relatively near to the beginning of a lifetime or career.
- Those that seek God early in the morning will find Him (Psa 63:1, 6; Psa 119:148).
- Those who seek God early in life will find Him and have a blessed life as a result (Ecc 12:1; Lam 3:26-27; 2Ch 34:3; 2Ti 3:15).
- Seek the LORD while He may be found (Isa 55:6-7).