Hanging Out With Wisdom – Proverbs 8:22-36

Misguided attempts have been made to identify Wisdom, personified here in Proverbs 8, as Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  This despite the fact that Wisdom is here described as “set up” and “brought forth.”  The Son and Spirit are eternal, the second and third members of the Trinity, the eternal God.  If anything, we could say that Yahweh, mentioned here, is Jesus, the Son, using wisdom to create.  Solomon has chosen to view wisdom as feminine here in contrast to foolishness which is represented by the adulteress or harlot.

The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.  Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.  When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.  Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. 

When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 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, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.

And now, O sons, listen to me:  blessed are those who keep my ways.  Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.  Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.  For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.” (Proverbs 8:22-36, ESV)

As a kid I loved to hang out at my neighbor friends’ houses.  One, in particular, had all this neat stuff to play with.  Another was just a fun place to be because of how nice the friend was.  Even as an adult there are some people I love to hang out with.  Being around them seems to make my life better.  Who does God like to hang out with?  Wisdom.

Before God started creating the world the very first thing He did was “possess” Wisdom and “bring her forth” so that He could do the amazing things He did with the world.  Wisdom was His daily delight and rejoiced before Him always and Wisdom rejoiced and delighted in us, God’s ultimate creation.

An now she offers to let us hang out with her, to watch daily at her gates for her, to wait beside her doors for her to come out, to gain from her instruction and become a better person with a better life.  If you hang with her you will find Yahweh’s favor and you will find life itself.  Choose to hang out somewhere else and it’s like punching yourself in the face.  If you hate Wisdom and the holiness she brings, you love death, because that is what neglecting her will result in.  Let’s hang out with her.