Christ, the Wisdom of God
Opening Prayer
Come today praising Christ, the One through whom all things were made, and who sustains all things by his powerful word.
Read Proverbs 8:22–36
22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26 before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29 when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.
32 “Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
34 Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
35 For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the Lord.
36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Today we scale the heights of Wisdom’s work, and it reminds us immediately of Christ’s role in creation.As we read this hymn to the role of Wisdom as God’s “right-hand woman” (30) in creation, and as the source of our continuing life (35), the Christian reader of Proverbs 8 cannot help but transfigure Lady Wisdom into Jesus Christ. The New Testament writers draw upon her role as the well-spring of creation, and mediator of the presence of God, and see her as prefiguring Christ (cf. Col. 1:15– 20), who “became for us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30), and who Luke describes as “filled with wisdom” (Luke 2:40). It is not unreasonable, then, to read this description of Wisdom’s role as revealer of God, active in creation, as a preparation for its full unfolding in Christ. So read the chapter again in this light.
There is no simple equivalence, though, for Christ is not a created being (22), but “the only-begotten Son of the Father,” and is the one through whom all things have been created. However, the same close attention to Christ is exactly what Wisdom calls for—find Christ, and you’ll find life and God’s grace, or favor (35). If Christ embodies all that Lady Wisdom is, then above all listen to him.
Apply
Today, watch and wait for Christ, and in him you’ll find life.
Closing prayer
Christ, I need You to be my wisdom. Fill me, renew me, guide me. Be my everything.
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