Wisdom, Creation and Life

Text—these are the very words of God

Proverbs 8:22–36 ESV

“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.”

Introduction

Recently I was put in a position to be the defensive coordinator for my 12 year old’s flag football team.

We gave up an average of 39.8 points a game.

We did not win much.

The offense was always playing out a hole.

That is my resume as a Defensive Coordinator.

This spring the San Francisco 49ers needed a new defensive coordinator.

They hired Raheem Morris.

He has won two Super Bowls as a coordinator and he is known as one of the most innovative coaches in the league for how he gets the most out of every player’s skills.

That is his resume as a Defensive Coordinator.

Which one would you hire for your team?

The answer is clear. I should stick to pastoring!

This illustration is helpful to start today because it is reflective of the choice we have before us in our passage.

Context

Final unit of the 1st Collection of Proverbs (chs. 1-9)

Before we head off into the rest of the book, a choice must be made.

There are two women calling out in Proverbs 8-9

Lady Wisdom

Lady Folly

Two weeks ago, we established that Wisdom’s VOICE should be listened to because of the VIRTUE she produces in us.

Today we will see that there is simply no comparison between Wisdom and Folly when we consider Wisdom’s biography.

As she tells us about herself this morning, we will see—

Big Idea

Wisdom orders all things, so order your life by wisdom.

FOLLY DOES NOT ORDER ALL THINGS, SO DO NOT ORDER YOUR LIFE BY FOLLY.

Outline

1. All of creation is ordered by wisdom (v. 22-31).

2. All of Life must be ordered by wisdom (v. 32-34).

3. True Life is only found in wisdom (v. 35-36).

1. All of creation is ordered by wisdom (v. 22-31).

Exposition

Let’s look at v. 22-31 to see this in the passage.

Wisdom Predates Creation (v. 22-26).

The first two verses of our passage are parallel verses communicating the same truth

Wisdom is older than creation

“The Lord possessed” wisdom at “the beginning of his work”

"The beginning of the work” = God’s act of creating the Universe, which we see in Genesis 1-2.

Verse 23 confirms by saying, “the beginning of the earth”

Creation is often seen at God’s first act—but we are finding out here that something else happened “at the first.”

Something else was his “first acts of old.”

That something else is Wisdom being possessed (v. 22) and set up (v. 23).

To understand what all this means can be a little difficult because the Hebrew word that translates to “possessed” in v. 22 doesn’t have a great English equivalent.

Some say “created” or “formed” would be a better word, but I don’ think that’s right.

There was never a time in which God did not have wisdom and then He made it.

He is eternally the all-wise God and He has never been without Wisdom.

Wisdom springs from God—it was not acquired by God.

Others says that “fathered” would be a better word, but I think that can be confusing too.

It also seems to communicate that Wisdom did not exist at one point and then it did.

This is no good—Wisdom is an eternally ancient as God Himself because it comes from Him!

In the end, possessed is probably a pretty good choice in the ESV.

At God is beginning His work of Creation, He already as another act which will order His creative work—He eternally possesses wisdom.

Verse 23 also helps us here— “Ages ago I was set up.”

Wisdom has been established from everlasting.

It is the same idea from v. 22.

Before Creation, in eternity past, God was bringing forth His wisdom and setting it up.

He was appointing it as the Ordering Principle for all of Creation.

Lady Folly could never claim this sort of thing.

She finds her roots in the sin of the Garden—not in the Lord’s glorious self-existence before time.

Five Proofs for Pre-existence (v. 24-26)

The Wisdom elaborates on her claim of pre-dating creation by getting specific about five different aspects of creation.

When there were no depths (no oceans), Wisdom was already being brought forth by God (v. 24)

When there were no springs bubbling up and abounding with water, Wisdom was there (v. 24).

Before the mountains were formed with God’s words… (v. 25)

Before the hills were raised—Wisdom was being brought forth (v. 25)

Before the earth and its fields—Wisdom was set up (v. 26)

Before the first dust of the world—Wisdom was appointed (v. 26)

God made Adam from the topsoil in Genesis 2.

Wisdom predates even the topsoil.

Wisdom at Work in Creation (v. 27-29)

Not only does Wisdom predate Creation, but Lady Wisdom tells us that she was at work as God was creating.

When He established the sky and separated it from the waters with a horizon (drew a circle on the face of the deep), Wisdom was there and active (v. 27)

Job 26:10 ESV

He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.

When He set the clouds in place and etched flowing streams into the face of the earth—wisdom was there (v. 28)

When He told the seas how far they could infringe on the land with their tides, Wisdom was there (v. 29)

When He mapped out the earth, Wisdom was there (v. 29)

Verses 27-29 are essentially a re-telling of the Genesis 1 account, explaining how God chose to create through His Wisdom.

Genesis 1:6–10 ESV

And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Wisdom pre-exists ALL of that and Wisdom saw to the execution of ALL of that.

These are impressive claims from Lady Wisdom

Wisdom is the Joyful Architect of Creation (v. 30-31)

Ultimately, this makes Wisdom the JOYFUL ARCHITECT of Creation.

The picture we get in v. 30-31 is pretty awesome.

God is the Owner of All Things as He creates the world in 6 days.

As God is executing His creative work as an Architect, Wisdom is by His side like a Master Workman.

It is like God is there with the Blueprint and the T-Square, and He is the Architect saying, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters...”

... and Wisdom is there as the ultimate assistant Workman to bring it to pass.

And as this takes place, Wisdom rejoices before the Creator and the Creator delights in His own wisdom as it orders creation (v. 30).

And not only that—but the Joy of Wisdom is specifically focused on the fact that God’s created world is an inhabited world (v. 31).

What is made on Days One, Two and Three are filled on Days Four, Five and Six.

The world is made to be lived in.

And the jewel of God’s creation are His image-bearers—the children of man.

So Wisdom does not just rejoice before the Creator in general.

Lady Wisdom specifically rejoices in the fact that Creation has given humans a place to live in and enjoy God in.

Christ Our Wisdom and Creation

Now before we say anything else, I want us to stop and think through this passage as people who know and love Jesus.

In this text we are told that:

Wisdom is Someone who has been eternally brought forth by God for all of eternity

Wisdom the ordering Agent of Creation

Wisdom is the Master Workman at the Father’s side—delighting in the Father and the Father delighting in Wisdom

And Wisdom is particularly joyful over the children of am who inhabit the Created World

Doesn’t this sound like some one to us?

Doesn’t this remind us of famous New Testament words?

Isn’t this our Jesus?!?

Two weeks ago we said that we are right to strongly associate Christ with Lady Wisdom in this passage.

The association is undeniable here.

She gives us a preview of the reality revealed to us in the New Testament.

Consider two Scripture passages with me.

John 1:1-3

John 1:1–3 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Christ is the Word made flesh. The One who dwelt among us—full of grace and truth.

And in the beginning—before Creation—This Word was with God and was God.

The Apostle Paul says that in Christ, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden:

Colossians 2:2–3 ESV

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Lady Wisdom is just a poetic device pointing beyond herself...

And WHO is she pointing TO?

To Jesus Christ, the eternal Treasury of Wisdom.

Wisdom personified.

And just as Proverbs 8 claims, He was there before Creation.

The Only Begotten Son of God.

Eternally brought forth from the Father.

The generation of the Son is an eternal act of the Father... it is not an act that occurred once in time but an eternal and necessary act within the divine being itself — before all worlds, before all creation.

Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 2

And don’t miss what John says: Without Him WAS NOT ANYTHING made that was made.

This idea is repeated in Colossians 1 (let’s go there)

Colossians 1:15-17

Colossians 1:15–17 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

God is Spirit—the invisible God.

But Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

Here is what Paul tells the Colossians about Him.

First-born over all creation: Preeminent over all of creation

Firstborn does not mean that there was a time when Christ did not exist and now He does.

Instead, Paul is using a Jewish idiom to explain Christ’s supreme position.

The firstborn son of the household was the preeminent son of the household in Jewish culture.

This is illustrated in how he would receive a double-portion of the inheritance.

Calling Jesus the firstborn son is not calling Him God’s first act of creation (as some heretics have argued)...

...It simply means that He is supreme over all of creation.

Christ predates creation

This is implied in Colossians 1:16...If all things are created BY HIM, then nothing existed BEFORE HIM.

It is explicit in v. 17...He is BEFORE ALL THINGS

By Him all things were created BY HIM, THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM

There is nothing in all of creation that exists apart from Christ’s work

There is nothing in all of creation that finds its origin in anything other than Christ’s work

Same thing the Apostle John said to open his Gospel

And there is nothing in all of creation that is not made for His glory

These are COSMIC CLAIMS that the New Testament makes about the Lord Jesus.

He is no mere Teacher or Revolutionary.

He is the Wisdom of God displayed powerfully and gloriously in the Creation of all things.

Back to Proverbs 8

So then, going back to Proverbs 8, we can see that Christ is all over v. 22-31.

With John 1 and Colossians 1 in mind, we KNOW that we are right to say that:

Yahweh possessed Christ at the beginning of His work, bringing Him forth as the Wise Craftsman of Creation.

When there were no depths and no springs—the eternally begotten Son of God was brought forth.

Before the mountains and the hills and the topsoil—Christ our Wisdom was brought forth.

When the heavens of the earth were established...

When the sea was told where to stop its breakers...

When the foundations of the earth were marked and mapped out by God’s effective wisdom...

Christ was there beside Him.

The preeminent Son was the Master Craftsman, carrying out the plans of the Father with brilliant perfection and awesome results.

And as Genesis 1-2 is unfolding, what Proverbs 8 is telling us is that:

Christ was the delight of His Father

And Christ rejoiced in the Father’s work

He especially rejoices over the creation of the children of Man who inhabit the world.

For the Son knew that He would become a Son of Man Himself, in order to save those who sinned and need rescue from the Fall.

Application

This should change how we look at Creation itself.

A leaf is never just a leaf.

As you study its symmetry and design, you know— This was created by God through the power of Christ our Wisdom.

An sunset is never just a sunset.

God is the Creator of the Sky, the Earth and the Heavenly Bodies, like the Sun and Moon.

God is the Creator of the Horizon and time itself.

As you observe the sunset, you see more than pretty colors.

You see multiple aspects of God’s wise and ordered Creation coming together to give you a glorious snapshot of the skill of God’s Master Workman by whom it was made!

A day on the beach is never just a day on the beach.

As you read a book and enjoy the breeze off of the ocean, be reminded that the only reason the ocean waters don’t rush forward and swallow you up is because God has determined the boundaries of encroachment for any particular season.

Everywhere we look, we see the fingerprints of Wisdom.

And we understand that according to the New Testament, we are seeing the Fingerprint of Christ.

2. All of Life must be ordered by wisdom (v. 32-34).

Two Options That Don’t Compare

Understanding Wisdom’s claims and how they are found to be true in the Son of God, it makes the options in chapters 8 and 9 look silly.

Wisdom is calling out at the Crossroads to those who pass by.

Lady Folly is calling out to those who pass by.

They are after the same audience.

Proverbs 8:5 “O Simple ones, learn prudence”

Proverbs 9:16— “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

But Lady Folly cannot compete with what Wisdom has accomplished.

She shouldn’t even be an option.

In ch. 9, she essentially calls out and says, “I can offer you temporary pleasure at the expense of you giving up your integrity.”

That’s it.

That is her big seductive pitch.

Meanwhile, Lady Wisdom says, “I pre-date Earth and I am the very ancient Principle by which ALL OF THIS was created.”

Which one would you choose as a counselor?

Imagine you are facing the biggest financial decision of your life.

Someone you know pulls you aside and says:

"Look, I know a shortcut. It's a little shady, probably not totally legal, but you'll make quick money and feel better about things."

Temporary gain. Compromised integrity. That is the pitch.

Then you have a Friend sit down with you. And you find out:

He has decades of financial wisdom

Has advised Fortune 500 companies

Has never once given counsel that failed

Was consulted when the entire economic system was being built

In fact—the whole system runs on the Principles your friend brought forth

Which one are you going to order your financial life by?

It is a no-brainer.

We Must Order Our Lives by Wisdom

So then, we have to be ordering our lives by this very wisdom that God used to create the Cosmos.

To reject the Creation-ordering Wisdom of God for the folly of the world is to compromise integrity for temporary gain.

It is to say no to the eternal wisdom of God and to embrace some other sort of so-called knowledge that we think will make us happy.

When we choose the philosophies of folly over the wisdom of God, we usually do it because:

It encourages us to indulge in our sin

It makes us feel like we are important and significant and feeds our pride

It makes us feel RIGHT...and we all want to feel like what we are doing is RIGHT even if it isn’t

When we choose friends of folly over the wisdom of God, we usually do it because:

Those friends are offering us some sort of pleasure that we think we just can’t live without (especially with romantic friends)

Those friends also participate in folly, which makes us feel better about our decisions

Those friends don’t love God, so they will never point the finger at you for your sinful behavior

When we choose footsteps of folly (foolish actions) over the wisdom of God, we do it because:

We want instant gratification

We think holiness is too hard

We think the foolish sin itself will actually satisfy us, even though it never does

We have to reject this. Otherwise, we are committing moral self-harm.

Listen—THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS OPERATING ACCORDING TO THE WISDOM OF GOD!

This is how He set it up!

When we try to buck against that and order our lives according to anything other than wisdom, we are headed for trouble.

We are lacing up the gloves for a fight we can’t win.

Even in this fallen world, God’s Wisdom is at work and His wise set-up is still in place.

For example— In God’s wise world, God will not be mocked and a man will reap what he sows (Galatians 6)

A man will answer for his life.

Pride goes before the fall—before destruction (Proverbs 16:18)

Isolation will leave you weak and vulnerable (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Hard work produces fruit and laziness produces nothing but ruin (Proverbs 6—the ants)

This is how the world works.

Some people think they can overthrow the system.

They think they can do whatever they want and not answer to God.

They pridefully think that their actions won’t have consequences

They think they don’t need anyone else

They think that they can be lazy and still be entitled to that which only comes from hard work

And then when people find out that living life that way leads to trouble, they often get bitter.

They believe the world is against them.

But in truth, they are living in a way that GOES AGAINST how the world works.

That is why it feels like the world is against them—they are pushing against the wisdom that God has used to organize it.

They are like a man standing in a park jumping with all his might.

You stop and you say, “What you are doing?”

He says, “Challenging gravity.”

You would walk away and think, “WHAT A FOOL! HE WILL NEVER WIN!”

So it is with the fool who thinks he can overthrow the Wisdom of God as a part of Creation.

The Blessing of Submitting to Wisdom

On the other hand, the blessing that comes from submitting to wisdom is found in v. 32-34.

Proverbs 8:32–34 ESV

“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.

These verses contain two Beatitudes, like the ones Jesus uses to open the Sermon on the Mount.

Beatitudes contain promises of blessings for those who are walking with God according to His wisdom.

Blessed are the meek, for they SHALL inherit the earth.

The first Proverbs 8 Beatitude teaches that anyone who listens to wisdom will be called blessed (v. 32)

That means they are happy or joyful in the Lord.

Their hearts have been warmed by God’s smiling favor.

Those who follow Wisdom’s ways will be joyful!

The second Beatitude is in verses 33-34 and it promises that those who truly HEAR Wisdom will be wise themselves (v. 33-34).

Hear instruction and BE WISE.

You can’t be wise without hearing the instruction.

Neglect of wisdom is the embracing of foolishness.

And embracing foolishness will ultimately lead to misery.

But when Wisdom is watched for and waited for with vigilance, it will produce lasting joy.

This second Beatitude should cause us to treat God’s Wisdom the way paparazzi treat celebrities.

We should hunt Wisdom down.

We should wait outside her door.

We should watch for her.

And as soon as we find her, we should come and sit at her feet.

Adherence to Christ’s Teaching

And for followers for Jesus Christ, who understand that strong association between Christ and Lady Wisdom, we know that the best way for us to order our lives according to wisdom is to submit our lives to the teaching of Christ.

We can see this in His opening and His conclusion to the Greatest Sermon Ever Preached.

Opening

The Sermon on the Mount starts with those Beatitudes we mentioned.

Jesus’ Sermon Introduction basically said: The foolish world says to live one way. But I call you do a life ordered by my Teaching.

THAT life will be a BLESSED life.

Then He goes on to teach them on how to live a righteous, joyful, God-honoring life that ends in eternal reward.

Conclusion

And then how does He end it?

He calls on the listener to make a choice:

Matthew 7:24–27 ESV

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Wisdom of God made flesh came to us and He spoke. He gave commandments to be obeyed in love.

And He says, “If you hear these wise words of mine and you do them—your life will be like a house built on a rock that withstands every trial and the judgment to come.”

But He warns, “If you hear these wise words of mine and you neglect them—your life will be like a house build on sand. And the flood of trials and judgment will flatten your house. And the fall will be GREAT.”

Back to Proverbs 8

So then, going back to Proverbs 8, you have Wisdom setting up the same dichotomy.

TRULY LISTEN to wisdom = Wise living and the blessing of joy that comes with it

NEGLECT wisdom = Foolish living and the ultimate destruction that comes with it.

Therefore, let us come to the feet of the One who was with God in the beginning and say, “Oh Ancient of Days—would you teach me now how to live?”

Let us watch at His Gates.

Let us wait beside His door.

We cannot afford to do less.

We cannot afford to spurn the voice of Wisdom.

We cannot afford to spurn the voice of Wisdom in Christ our Lord

Not if we want true blessing.

Not if we want true joy.

And not if we want true life.

—> TO the Final Point

3. True Life is only found in Wisdom (v. 35-36).

Life or Death

To understand this, we will take a look at the final two verses of chapter 8.

Proverbs 8:35–36 ESV

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.”

If you find wisdom, you find the Favor of God and you find life.

If you do not find wisdom, you have harmed yourself.

And your neglect of wisdom would actually communicate a love of death.

A dangerous, toxic love that will take a soul right to Hell.

That is indeed how high the stakes are when it comes to God’s Wisdom—it is life or death.

It is blessing or cursing.

But how does the theology of v. 35-36 really work?

Wisdom and Salvation By Grace

v. 35 says whoever finds me, finds life.

This is spiritual life that is being talked about.

We know that because it is connected to favor from God.

Now here is the thing—in the Scriptures, God’s favor comes to us by grace.

If it were left up to us to MERIT God’s favor, we would never obtain it.

Without His help, we would never be able to please Him in our fallen flesh.

We need God to do a work of grace in us if we are going to find His Wisdom.

This is exactly what the Lord does.

Here is what Paul says about SALVATION BY GRACE:

Romans 11:6 ESV

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

God’s Word reveals His Wise Plan of Salvation.

God sent forth His Son, born of a virgin, born in the fullness of time...

To comes and live a life of Perfect Wisdom...

He shows us the Wisdom of Proverbs in flesh and bone in His perfect life of reverence and righteousness

He is the Picture of Wise Living that Brings God Honor

And then, in an act of sacrificial love, Christ our Wisdom was crucified in the place of sinners and took their punishment for their sins.

1 Corinthians 1:23–24 ESV

but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

And then Christ rose from the grave victoriously over sin and death.

And if you turn from your sin and turn to Christ and trust in Him for salvation, then you will be spiritually resurrected by the same power that brought Christ from the grave.

Colossians 2:12 ESV

... you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

And for those who have been spiritually resurrected—even when you die, you do not really die.

Your soul goes to be with the Lord.

Your body goes to the ground like a seed.

And one day, the same Resurrection Power that saved you will raise your body up—and body and soul, you will dwell on the New Earth forever.

That is the Gospel. And it teaches us that Proverbs 8:35-36 is dead-on in its accuracy.

If you find Wisdom—If you find the Son who was was in the beginning and He was God and He was with God...

You find life.

You find God’s favor.

But flip-side of this coin is that if you reject Wisdom—which means you are also rejecting God’s Wise Son and His atoning work of salvation...

You are committing harm to your own soul.

You do not find life—you love death.

For in your rejection of life, you are proving your love for folly.

And folly is death.

For the beginning of folly is to lack a fear of God...and that is how the road to eternal judgment begins.

1 John 5:12

1 John 5:12 ESV

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

This is the New Testament parallel to the end of Proverbs 8.

Christ the Son IS God’s Wisdom to save.

Do you have Him?

Do you show that by obeying His commandments because you love Him?

Behold—you have found life!

But if you to not have Him—

You do not have life.

So then, from Old Testament to New Testament, the choice is clear:

Life is found in Wisdom. Life is found in Christ, the personification of Wisdom. The Treasury of Wisdom. The perfect, saving display of Wisdom.

He was there before the creation of the world, God’s Master Craftsman.

And now, He longs to save you and make YOU God’s Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, so that you would walk in the good works of wisdom that He has plotted out for you.

Any choice that rejects Christ is one of Folly.

And Folly leads to death.

Conclusion

As we close, consider a building project...

Imagine a guy coming into a room and saying, “So what are the choices?”

He is told, “We have a blueprint here that is perfect.”

He says, “Who drew it up?”

He is answered, “THE Master Architect Himself.”

And then imagine that man crumpling it up and throw it away and saying, “I have a better plan.”

So he builds it his own way and it collapses.

No one feels sorry for that man.

He had the blueprint.

He has access to the brilliantly WISE mind of the Architect.

He rejected it

People would look at him and say, “What a fool.”

Well friend, understand that WE ARE THAT MAN, if we do not humble ourselves and submit to God’s Wisdom.

Do not reject His Wise Word

Do not reject His Wise Plan of Salvation

And do not reject His Son

He brought about creation from nothing.

Certainly, by His grace and power, He will bring wisdom to your foolish life.

Do not reject Him today.