Proverbs 8. The Blessings of Wisdom. Thoughts/PTW.

Proverbs 8

“Does wisdom not call? Does not understanding raise her voice?” (v.1).

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His work, the first of His acts of old” (v.22).

“And I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and delighting in the children of man” (v. 30-31).

“Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors” (v. 34). 

As I read Proverbs 8, I am reminded of how graceful our God is, founding for us wisdom before all of Creation was formed. He is not only the founder of wisdom, but is Wisdom. Our wise King who is (in His simplistic nature), merciful and just, perfect in nature, set apart, and yet still compassionate to His people who mock and despise Him. And even still, He doesn’t simply show compassion, but He redeems, restores, and sanctifies. Through God’s gift of wisdom, which only comes to us through Jesus being the gift of Wisdom, we are able to strive to see life from God’s perspective and act accordingly. Through the salvation that Jesus bought and the debt He paid for us, living the life we could not live and dying the death that we deserve, we are given our great Helper, the Holy Spirit, to dwell with and in us. 

What a joy that Wisdom calls to us! That Understanding raises her voice! And yet, we act as if God gives us no answer. We lash out (even if ever-so quietly) and lead ourselves astray, acting as if we can live without Him and without seeing Him. But the Lord, kindly and zealous for His name, has made Himself seen ever since the creation of the world… His eternal power and divine nature on display, clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that we all are without excuse (Rom. 1:20).

And once again, the Lord doesn’t simply allow for His glory to be seen, He allows us to see His wisdom on full display. He invites and calls us to listen to Him, to watch by the gates of Wisdom and wait at Wisdom’s doors. He allows us to embrace Wisdom, and even see ourselves in light of who He is. Our God has given us His word so that we may hear Him and prayer so we may have fellowship with Him, to know Him as a Father who hears and wants our requests to be made known. He gives us fellowship with other believers to grow in faithfulness and wisdom, to see Him more fully and delight in the people He has given us on this side of eternity. And from this local body of believers, we share in the mission and chief end of our lives: to make Christ known. Our Father delights in wisdom, and He delights in us asking Him for it and being utterly dependent on Him, resulting in peace and hope that is not fleeting or dependent on circumstances. This doesn’t mean there will be times when we don’t feel at peace or don’t feel hope, but it makes peace and hope something unwavering, a reality and constant that is a product of faithfulness that stems from our faith in Christ. 

-Emma J. Prestridge