Wisdom demands that we re-imagine everything we think we know about God, including our relationship with God. Proverbs opens with two declarative statements, establishing Wisdom as a force, confident in the power of her voice and in her authority to command us to listen.
She is unapologetic in her assumption that we will bend our ears to her words; yet, she does not exercise power in an authoritarian fashion, lacing her words with the latent threat of punishment. Instead, her tone throughout the passage is jovial and determined.
She takes up residence at the places in the city where she is most likely to be heard by every single person, ensuring that no one can claim that her message is only intended for specific groups. She occupies the high places, the crossroads, the front gates, and the main doorways, effectively taking control of the town. She asks no one for permission to do so, yet does not use fear to cow people or to displace anyone. She simply exists in this place as if she is perfectly at home there.
She opens her mouth to speak, and the lectionary text skips over her first words in Proverbs Wisdom is herself the will of God for humans.
To this point in the text, Wisdom has spoken these truths declaratively, assuming our acceptance of her authority to make such proclamations. To do something with wisdom means that it was done with skill. Usually we are able to determine whether or not something was made by someone who knew what he was doing. For example, I am not an artist and have never tried to paint a picture. I do not know how to use oil paints, paint brushes, an easel or canvas.
The perspective and proportion of my painting would likely be flawed as well. However, if you had need of a drawing of your house and property for a mortgage survey, that would be a different matter, and people have paid for those drawings.
I have been trained for and have experience in that. You would be able to determine which of the pieces of work had been done with skill, or wisdom, and which had not. Is any skill evident there?
We can consider His works at any scale. What of the beauty of the earth as seen in the photographs taken by astronauts? I have in mind especially the picture taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts of the blue and brown Earth with its swirling clouds as it rose over the battered and desolate moon. At the other end of the scale, we can mention the intricate details and beauty of the single-celled creatures He has formed.
Even the crystalline shapes of the exoskeletons of the diatoms impress us with their exquisite design. Not only must we pay attention to what the Bible says, we must also think about what it does not say. This is important as the creation verses evolution debate continues. In this verse wisdom continues to be personified and says she was there beside God as He did all His work meaning that wisdom was beside God as a craftsmen or master workman. This would imply that God worked with wisdom to design and construct His creation.
For sure wisdom laughs with joy when it looks upon the abilities and capacities of the created beings God has made. If one does not obey, he has not heard what was said. Happiness results from fellowship with God. Certainly wisdom would be needed in those situations. Finally, the seven great pillars seem to be listed in James "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Then there are six outside pillars. One is peaceableness ; the next is gentleness ; then comes reasonableness "easy to be entreated". The next phrase, "full of mercy and good fruits," connotes helpfulness. The term for "without partiality" actually means humility , and then the final pillar is sincerity. Thus a life of genuine wisdom is a life founded upon the fear of the Lord and supported by genuine purity, peaceableness, gentleness, reasonableness, helpfulness, humility, and sincerity.
Such a house will never fall!
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