Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31

Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? ²On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; ³beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: ⁴“To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. 22“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. ²³Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. ²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. ²⁵Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, ²⁶before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. ²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, ²⁸when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, ²⁹when 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, ³⁰then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, ³¹rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.

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On the 100^th anniversary of a church sanctuary, a time capsule was opened featuring a German Bible and a German hymnal, along with a local newspaper.  These items give us a picture of God working in and through His people: the Bible is the Word of God proclaiming salvation in Christ Jesus, the hymnal are the words of God’s people giving Him praise, and the newspaper represents words of the world from which God calls His people and sends them to proclaim His saving mission.  In addition to these items, a written prayer was found that future generations would hear and proclaim the Word of God, lift-up songs of praise to Him, and continue in His mission.

Our text from Proverbs is like finding a gem in a time capsule from the foundation of the world.  It gives us a glimpse of what was at Earth’s foundation.  The story of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 tells that God created all things out of nothing.  Our text reports that God was rejoicing before His work of creation.  This delight spread from God to His creation, especially to “the children of man” (cf. 31). Even before the world was created, God the Father delighted in His Son Jesus, the “Master Workman,” who was with Him before creation.  Jesus was filled with delight for all people, and that original delight did not fail after mankind fell into sin.  

God the Father still delights in His Son because Jesus chose to come humbly into the world to be born of a human mother in Bethlehem.  God delights in Jesus because He chose to die for your sin and rise for your salvation.  Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, God promises to bring you from this world into His new creation where you will sing an everlasting song of praise.

The most amazing thing about this passage from Proverbs is that it does not say we must pursue God.  Rather, it says God is pursuing us.  “Wisdom” (Jesus) calls to all people while singing a song of God’s delight.  Before we ever think of pursuing God, He has pursued us.  Before we find delight in God, He has already delighted in us.  

This proverb takes us to the beginning of time, showing us that because of God’s delight in His Son and the Son’s delight in us, we can faithfully look ahead to the end of time when we shall live with Him forever and ever.

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Cheyenne Wells, CO, 80810-0728

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