22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:22-31)
THE ETERNAL ASPECTS OF WISDOM
Do you remember God’s works of old at which time He possessed you? The Genesis record defines those works as they relate to all of Creation known to us. Were you there? No, unless you are very, very old, you were not there; yet, God possessed you even then. Is this not a cause for deep reflection and prayerful meditation? It is a cause of exuberance as well. Of course, the works of God are not limited, in the space-time continuum to the physical Creation alone, but from times ancient when there was only God in the Heavens. 22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. Though this speaks of Christ and His Wisdom, it applies equally to us! In Jeremiah 1:5 we read: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. So God knew His elect from the moment before we were even conceived in our mother’s womb. But He knew us long before that moment: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. (Eph 1:4-5) Doesn’t it cause you to feel so very privileged to know that you were chosen in Christ from BEFORE the foundation of the world? That means that He chose you before He flung the stars into space, or the rolled out the canopy of heaven. When just a boy, I used to feel very privileged and special when, before a game of sandlot baseball or football, two older boys would choose those for their team – and I would be chosen first. I could not have conceived of being chosen BEFORE first. This 22nd verse is making reference to Wisdom, but the same applies equally to all things that belong to God as is obvious from Ephesians 1:4-5.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. God is not haphazard in His present works, or even His works of old. Wisdom was His Handmaiden. Wisdom is a leading feature of Jesus Christ who was present at, and the executive agent of, Creation. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3) So, all of the works of God are conceived in His Wisdom.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. The evolutionists, pseudo-scientists, theorize all about how the Creation came into being. Of course, they have not a shred of evidence to support their clumsy theory. It is not science because it is not subject to the Scientific Method – nothing is confirmed through experimentation that supports the evolutionary process. They cannot even produce a little gnat, yet they know all about the formation of the geologic column and the nature of the origins of the heavenly galaxies. They were not present at Creation; however, God WAS present. I will believe the One who owns my spirit and soul over one who presumes to know something he can neither prove, nor duplicate. The events of verses 24 thru 26 are recorded in no secular historical works – wonder why? Long before the scribe, there was God. I prefer an eyewitness account to mere faulty speculation, don’t you? So where were Christ and His Wisdom at this time before the heavens were made?
27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth Wisdom does not exist apart from God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Wisdom and Love are their common features. When the Himalayas were erected and the Pacific Waters pooled betwixt the continents, Wisdom was there and was the tool of their making. When the gentle heart of the deer was perfected in Wisdom, and the first man joined to the first woman, Wisdom was there present with Christ and the Triune God. It was the Holy Ghost which was that Spirit that “moved upon the face of the waters” of the deep. Wisdom was that progenitor of Light which God commanded. As implied earlier in our devotions on Proverbs, there is a great Person who is being revealed behind the veil of Wisdom. Who is that Person? I believe it is Jesus Christ Himself for all of the descriptive nouns and attributes of Wisdom in this chapter match precisely those of the Son of God.
30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. Was not Christ eternally present with the Father? Was He not with God the Father in the ancient Councils of Heaven? Did Christ not always exult in the Presence of His Father? The Grace, Mercy, and Love of God are to be praised and thanked for this next all-important truth: 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. Christ did, indeed, rejoice over the man and woman that had been Created from the dust of the earth. Wisdom was a corporate part of His Nature. Love is far wiser than hate. In fact, Christ loved man, even the fallen man, so much that He was willing to die a substitutionary death on the cross for Him to redeem us to the Father. He has placed His mark of Creation – Wisdom – in all the habitable (living) parts of the earth. Where there is life, there is the Wisdom of God making that life possible and sustaining it. How blessed do you feel with this knowledge, friend?
