#913 Proverbs 8 Part 2 Wisdom The Attribute

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.

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 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 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 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.” Proverbs 8 ESV

Proverbs 8 Part 2, wisdom comes from God, is an eternal attribute of the Creator.

The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work - I remember going over this a long time ago when I invited some Jehovah's Witnesses in to talk and possibly another time with some young men from the Mormon church. It was clear from their interpretation that they viewed Christ as created by God, not One with God, as He described Himself. They felt the word possessed was better translated created or made. At the onset of Creation, the word for God is plural, Elohim.

In Genesis 1:1, the plural noun “Elohim” (“God” in the ESV) is joined with the singular verb “created”: “In the beginning, [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.” The pattern is repeated in Genesis 1:27: “So [Elohim] created man in his own image, in the image of [Elohim] he created him; male and female he created them.”

These examples of subject-verb disagreement seem to be intentional on the part of the author. What is he emphasizing? That God alone created all things by means of his singular agency. Creation wasn’t the work of a committee of heavenly beings partnering together. God alone created heaven and earth, without any guides (Isa. 40:13–14) or helpers (Isa. 44:24; Jer. 10:12; 27:5). Scott Swain

“The verb qanah can mean either ‘possess’ or ‘create.’ The older versions chose ‘possess’; otherwise it might sound as if God lacked wisdom and so created it before the world began. They wanted to avoid saying that wisdom was not eternal. Arius liked the idea of Christ as the meaning of wisdom and chose ‘create’ as the verb. Athanasius read ‘constituted me as the head of creation.’ The verb qanah occurs twelve times in Proverbs with the idea of acquire; but the LXX and Syriac have the idea of ‘create.’” (Ross)

v. “The Arians (who denied the deity of Christ) appealed to LXX’s ‘created’, to prove that Christ, the Wisdom of God, was not eternal. But our concern must be with the word’s normal meaning, and with the general sense of the passage.” (Kidner)

The first of His acts of old -  When God acted it was consistent with His character that He possessed. He is eternal, and so when we say God is love, just, holy or wise, He is, in all three Persons, eternally so. For more on the Trinity see these links:

Trinity Part 1

Trinity Part 2

Trinity Part 3

Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth - What God created, He did in wisdom. When He speaks, it is wisdom, wisdom existed with Him before the revelation of His understanding in the creation. Creation reveals the wisdom of God, in design, in the power of His word to bring forth life, to call into being, from nothing, everything that now exists. 

When there were no depths I was brought forth - The springs, mountains, hills, fields and even the dust, were made with knowledge and understanding. There was an order in creation that came from divine wisdom.

When He drew a circle on the face of the deep - The more progressive revelation we receive, as Scripture, God's Word, unfolds, we see the Persons of Elohim and their roles in both Creation and salvation. They are One in essence and being, in wisdom and power, truth and love. It gives me both awe and much pause to write about such things, for some aspects are so far above my comprehension, and this makes the object of my faith all the more glorious.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.… Genesis 1: 1-3

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.… Colossians 1: 15-17

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.… John 1: 1-3

Then I was beside Him like a master workman - God's Word is creative, what He says comes to pass, and it is wise, what comes to pass is with His sovereign knowledge. It is the same with His love; it births action.

…8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. 10 And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.… 1 John 4: 8-10

And I was daily His delight - 

…30 And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning— the sixth day. Genesis 1: 30-31

…23 Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening. 24 How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. 25 Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small.… Psalm 104: 23-25

And delighting in the children of man - 

…26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”… Genesis 1: 26-28

And now, O sons, listen to me - We know that man was made in God's image, and this is the seal of worth for all human life. There are no races, only the human race, all coming from Adam and Eve, and all fallen in them as well. In this fallen state, the image is marred, we are dead in our trespasses and sins, wisdom calls out, but no one wants to hear. 

…7 But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me;…

…10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned. 12 I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it.…

…13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you. 15 Everything that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take from what is Mine and disclose it to you.… John 16: 7-15

For whoever finds me finds life - The Father calls, the Son provides the way, and the Spirit brings life.

…23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.… 1 Corinthians 1: 23-25

All who hate me love death - 

“Not directly or intentionally, but by consequence, because they love those practices which they know will bring certain destruction upon them.” (Poole)