November 2 | Proverbs 8:22-36
DAILY READING
REFLECTION
The Wisdom of God
By David Mann
The first part of these fifteen verses in Proverbs 8 expresses very high praise for something. Such high praise includes:
It is the first of the Lord’s works.
It was formed at the very beginning when the world came to be.
It was created before the rivers, the depths of the seas, the mountains, and hills.
It was created before the fields and the dust of the earth.
It was created before the clouds of the sky or the stars of the heavens.
With such high praise, one might think at first glance that the Lord God is extolling Jesus, the Messiah. However, that thought fails the test of careful consideration. The Word of God, as the 2nd person of the Trinity, eternally existed, never created. Also, when we read the first verse of chapter 8, we see that Wisdom is the speaker. Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? This makes sense because this collection of proverbs is all about learning to be wise and gathering the benefits of walking with wisdom in every phase of life.
The second part of this passage extolls the many benefits of gaining wisdom.
There is a blessing when we listen to wisdom.
When we seek wisdom, we will find it.
When we find wisdom, we find life.
Those who do not find wisdom hurt themselves.
Wisdom is a theme that appears throughout the Scriptures. Let us look at just a few of those places.
What is the source of true wisdom? The Lord himself. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians includes the gathering of wisdom, as seen in Ephesians 1:17, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”
There are some kinds of wisdom that are false and worldly. These need to be set aside. How can we clearly identify God’s wisdom? James replies to this question (James 3:17), “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
The pure worship of God we find in Revelation includes ascribing wisdom to the Lord. “In a loud voice they were saying:“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12).
May we find God’s wisdom to guide us in life.
PRAYER
Lord God, thank you for sending us your Holy Spirit, who will guide us that we might find your true wisdom to navigate through this world’s challenges, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DAVE MANN
I am a retired Pastor for Internationals in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of seven. Pam and I have lived twenty years in other countries, including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.
I love the prayer.