The Wonder of Wisdom

Proverbs 8

One of the greatest Christian philosophers of the 20th century was Francis Schaeffer. He and his wife started L’Abri in Switzerland, a community seeking the truth and wisdom of God.

One of Schaeffer’s books is titled “He Is There and He Is Not Silent.” It’s a great book presenting various arguments for God’s existence. Within this book, he basically lays out the case for God and the Christian worldview from multiple angles easily comprehended by the average person.

Schaeffer writes this about truth: “The beginning for modern and postmodern people [all of us] is the existence of God and the existence of truth… There is nothing more practical nor more basic than the conviction that there is truth that can be known. Without this conviction life becomes more and more intolerable, and more and more filled with alienation, the more consistently we live with the loss of truth.”

Schaeffer is in many respects, echoing the words of Proverbs 8. There is truth and it can be known. In chapter 8, truth is seen as wisdom, and again, wisdom is personified as a woman*. Listen as Lady Wisdom issues her call and lifts her voice.

This call of the Woman Wisdom is in stark contrast to the verbal enticements of the adulteress of chapter 7. John Kitchen notes that the immoral woman asked for the love of the young man, but the end was death. The Woman Wisdom also calls for the love of the naïve, but the end of walking with her is life. The woman of chapter 7 is a woman of immoral character, while the Woman Wisdom is virtuous. The harlot is a liar, while Wisdom is full of truth.

Let us not miss the fact stated here: wisdom is ever speaking, calling, seeking, inviting, and demanding our attention! God is not silent. He does not sit by quietly, letting the world pass by until someone stops and give Him attention. He calls to us in creation, in Christ, by the Spirit through the Word of God, through our conscience, and in His providence. Our failure and foolishness are not for lack of His voice, but for lack of our listening.

Will you listen for the voice of God? Join us this Sunday as we look at The Wonder of Wisdom from Proverbs chapter 8.

We invite you to especially plan to come back this Sunday evening at 5:00 pm as we present our recent work in India. I am grateful for your support of international missions and through your giving and praying you are involved in one of the great works of God’s Spirit today. Please join us tonight for this celebration.

For His Glory,

Pastor Wayne

*Special note on Proverbs 8: John Kitchens in his fine commentary on Proverbs writes:

“Many have attempted to identify the personified wisdom of this chapter with the preincarnate Christ. The chapter presents wisdom as active in creation (vv22-31). Wisdom appears to predate creation (v23). Yet it is inappropriate to make this personification identical with the person of Christ. Christ, as the revelation of God’s nature, both embodied and revealed God’s wisdom (Matt. 11:19; 12:42; Luke 11:49; 1 Cor. 1:24, 30; Col. 1:15-20; 2:3). Thus, this personification of wisdom bears striking resemblance to our Savior. Yet, wisdom, despite the literary use of personification, is something God is, not a being in and of itself. That which is truly an attribute of God must itself be eternal, since God is a singular Being and no attribute stands alone, but is one with all God’s other attributes.”