The Joy of Wisdom

Wise Word

I love reading the Bible chronologically! I hope many of the folks in our church are reading along with the plan that the Daughters of the Word group are using, which is posted in the bulletin each week. This week we are getting into the book of Proverbs. This is such a fruitful portion of Scripture giving helpful and practical instruction for those who are humble and teachable.

The reads for this week brought us all the way to chapter 8 of these wise statements. As I was reading, I was struck by something interesting that I would like for us to think about together in this post. Of course in the flow of Proverbs, Wisdom is personified as a feminine being. She is contrasted with the adulterous woman who calls on the young men to ruin their lives. She is also a helper and assistant to Yahweh. Surely, the point is that all wisdom belongs to God and comes from God. 

As she speaks of her relationship and work with God she also points out the great joy and delight that He has in her, that she has before Him, and that we should have through wisdom.

Divine Delight

In Proverbs 8:30, Wisdom states that she is “daily His delight.” Think about that! God who is all wise and omniscient delights in wisdom. So often one of the flaws that we experience in our finitude is that we are quick to become bored with what was so impressive when we first learned or experienced it. For example last year we had a total solar eclipse. It was anticipated and exciting! But as impressive and interesting as it was, I couldn’t help but imagine that if we had a total eclipse every day like we do have sunrises and sunsets, then it would just become a typical event. Even if it were only every week or every month, I expect that we would grow complacent. But God never grows tired of wisdom.

Notice, God is not described as simply satisfied by wisdom but is delighted by her. God is happy to behold wisdom rejoicing before Him. One application of this is that when we allow wisdom to teach us and direct our decisions and actions we can know that God is pleased because He delights in wisdom.

Wisdom’s Rejoicing

But it is not only God who is experiencing joy but Wisdom herself. She is said to be “rejoicing before Him,” this means in His presence (Proverbs 8:30-31). There is great joy in the perfect presence of God and Wisdom is not some somber stick in the mud but one who along with love rejoices in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Wisdom is happy to be in the presence of God.

But Wisdom is also rejoicing in the inhabited world. I think that one point of joy meant by this is that Wisdom is glad that the world is filled with image bearers of God and that the mandate given to Adam and Eve in the garden and again to Noah is being fulfilled (Genesis 1:26-28; 9:1-7). In this way we see the joy of wisdom in the fulfillment of God's will. Wisdom is actively delighting in the children of man.

Blessed Children

Don’t we all want our children to be happy? Wisdom goes on in our text to instruct us to keep her ways because in them we will be blessed (Proverbs 8:32-34). I think it is important to understand that keeping her ways is not just knowledge but the discipleship of following her instructions in our daily lives. The disciples literally followed Jesus, and the Apostles instructed the church to follow their way of life, not just know their doctrine (1 John 2:4-6). So let us not be mere students, but true disciples that follow the ways and wisdom of Jesus. ​

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