Proverbs 8:1-14, Come to the Light!
March 22, Proverbs 8:1-14
John 7:14-39; 1 Cor. 2 “Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:30).
Come to the Light!
If Chapter 7 moved in the black and dark night, here we enter the bright and blessed beams of Day. We are taken to great heights, for the Master Mind is here, standing where we are.
- The Investigation: Wisdom is presented as the Object of supreme affection, surpassing all human devotion. She is the defense against all sins. Ideal Wisdom is set forth in personal form, in whom all perfections dwell. This Wisdom is relevant now, and is a preparation for Heaven. This is one of the most precious chapters in Proverbs, but also one over which scholars have disputed. a. A Divine Influence: It has been a battleground of debate since the days of the Arian heresy. Some affirm it is merely a bold, if striking, personification of the attribute of Divine wisdom, but not a separate member of the godhead (Alden). It is nevertheless conceded that things true of a Divine Attribute would also be applicable to a Divine Person (Wardlaw). b. A Divine Person: The devout have heard the words of Christ here, and have seen it as a prelude of His Incarnation. i. “That it is a divine person that here speaks seems very plain, and that it is not meant of a mere essential property of the divine nature. That divine person can be no other than the Son of God himself. If Solomon designed only the praise of wisdom as an attribute of God, yet the Spirit carried him to such expressions as could agree to no other than the Son of God” (Henry). ii. Arnot put it well: “It is not necessary to inquire whether the wisdom that cries here be an attribute of God, or the person of Emmanuel. We may safely take it for both, or either. At the beginning something may be understood as applying to divine wisdom in general, but toward the close, the wisdom incarnate, in the person of Emmanuel, stands singly and boldly out. None but Christ is able to say, Whoso findeth me findeth life.“
- The Invitation: Doth not wisdom cry? Yes, we already heard her cry, but she cries and cries again! a. On Commanding Sites: In the top of the high places. God gave the Law from Mt. Sinai; Jesus gave His Law on a Mount. By rejecting wisdom we turn away from him that speaks from heaven (Heb.12:25). That’s the highest wisdom! The adulterous woman lurks in dark corners. Wisdom has nothing to hide, but speaks with free and open grace. b. In Common Scenes: … by the way in the of places of the paths. Jesus, too, taught where people resorted (Jn. 18:20). Everyone who passes by and hears the words of life will be saved from paths of death (Is. 30:21). c. At Crowded Streets: At the gates, the entry of the city, coming in at the doors, where the needy multitudes gather. Wisdom comes into their doors, in the Bible, in Preaching, even in places of sin. d. By Certain Sounds: Unto you, O men, I call. Hear the joyful sounds! “Not to you, O Jews! Not to you, O gentlemen! Not to you, O scholars! But to you, O men, even the meanest” (Henry). The simple ones are made wise. They can grasp her message (Col.2:3)!
Thought: “A religion without mystery must be a religion without God” (Anon).
Prayer: O Lord, that I might ever hear this Call and walk in its Light.