Geoffrey's Notebook

Is wisdom a male or female? How can Christ be our Wisdom when Wisdom is a "she" in Proverbs 1-9? (*Note: This question was asked after someone gave out the book Proverbs by Stephen Kaung to a friend. The friend started to read it and couldn't continue after reading that Christ was Wisdom personified. He was bothered since "wisdom" is described as a female in Proverbs 1-9.)  In Proverbs, wisdom  is personified as a female but is not considered a real person or being. Solomon writes to "my son" as a wise father, "My son, attend unto my wisdom." In talking with a male son about receiving wisdom, he personifies wisdom as a female. If a wise mother were talking with her daughter, it might be different, and the "strange woman" would be replaced. Wisdom is in contrast with the "strange woman" (harlot) that may be received instead (see especially their calls to the simple in 9:4,16). For the sake of comparison with this foolish wa...

Question:  What does it mean in Proverbs when it talks about winning souls? How were souls won in that day?  *sent via email  Geoffrey's Notes: We use this term soul-winning now to talk about evangelism, and we've borrowed it from Proverbs 11:30: The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and the wise winneth souls. For example, C.H. Spurgeon has an excellent book called The Soul Winner  ( free on Kindle ), which grabs the title from this Scripture. Though it's a borrowed phrase, it is a good use of it. In our time, when we say soul-winning, we mean to help someone believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved. They are won  or gained for the kingdom or at least for eternity. Those souls,  people, are saved. In the time before the cross, what did this mean? "... the wise winneth souls" or "he that is wise wins souls." Today someone may be won for eternity with full assurance of heaven. But at that time, if you helped someone through the wisd...