Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.  

Proverbs 8:30-31 

Christ is the creator. The Scriptures attest to this on multiple occasions. John says, ‘All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.’ The writer of Hebrews declares of the Son, ‘through Whom He made the worlds.’ With those statements in mind we turn to our text which is part of a passage with multiple references to creation. We read in the previous verse, ‘When He marked out the foundations of the earth.’ Our text follows with, ‘Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman.’ Thus the language of Wisdom personified is the description of Christ. This is the longer version of the truth that in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. If we would understand our origins, we must look to Christ. If we would interpret the course of history, we must look to Christ. If we would understand the course of the world and where it must ultimately arrive, we must look to Christ. No one else can offer us this depth and breadth of understanding. Christ was there at the beginning. He will be there at the end. He is full of the wisdom we need to understand what has been, what is, and what will be.  

Our Gracious God and our Creator, 
we rejoice that You have made all there is. 
We praise You that You uphold it with the word of Your power. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
 

When He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep, when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command when He marked out the foundations of the earth… 

Proverbs 8:27-29 

When wisdom speaks we hear the voice of Christ. As Solomon wrote of wisdom he personified her. In doing so, he wrote much of what we recognize as being true of the eternal Son of God. Our text is one from which we can draw clear references to Christ. We have been considering the verse from Colossians that tells us that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Therefore, if we discuss wisdom, especially wisdom personified, we must include Christ. It is one thing to speak of wisdom as an abstract concept. It is something else to speak of wisdom as a person. In our text, wisdom is speaking. In the larger context wisdom makes multiple references to the pre-creation situation. Our text refers to God’s preparation of the heavens and the acts of creation. Wisdom was there when all this occurred. According to John, the Word was there, active in creation. The writer of Hebrews, speaking of the Son of God says it was by Him God made the worlds. If we draw these references together, we conclude that Christ and wisdom are inseparable. When wisdom speaks, Christ speaks and vice versa.  

Our Gracious God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that we hear Your voice through Your Word. 
We praise You that all  
You speak is wise.  
 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice? 

Proverbs 8:1  

To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart.  

Proverbs 8:4-5

If all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, then we cannot speak of wisdom without speaking of Him. Proverbs 8 personifies wisdom. Therefore when we come to the passage Christ is here. Our text begins by speaking of wisdom crying out and lifting up her voice. The next two verses describe her as being ‘on the top of the high hill beside the way where the paths meet, and at the gates of the city.’ Thus, wisdom is everywhere a person might go. The second portion of our text articulates her invitation to all who will hear. Wisdom appeals to all to come to her, ‘to understand prudence.’ This reminds us of Jesus’ action on the last day of the feast of tabernacles, ‘On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’  The similarity between this incident and the description in Proverbs is striking. Christ calls us to come to Him. He declared that He came into the world, ‘to seek and to save that which was lost.’ To answer His call, to embrace Him as He offers Himself is to find the storehouse of wisdom. We find Him everywhere in the Scriptures and always to do us good. 

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You embody wisdom. 
We praise You that as we come to You, 
we learn to be wise.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning