In last week’s post we saw Wisdom dancing and laughing at the beauty of God’s creation, rejoicing like a child at play (Proverbs 8:30-31a).
This week we’ll conclude that delightful scene from Proverbs 8 by zooming in on what, in particular, elicited an even more joyous reaction from Wisdom. Because this is a truth wonderful and powerful enough to reshape both how we see ourselves and how we worship the One who made us.
Wisdom, as Proverbs 8:30-31 tells us, was both God’s instrument in creation and, in poetic terms, an observer of it.
Wisdom frolicked as she saw the beauty and precision of all that God was making. She clapped, she danced, she laughed, she personified pleasure as she witnessed God at work. She was happier than a child at play.
We looked at verse 30 last time from two vantage points – Wisdom’s Presence (30a) and Wisdom’s Pleasure (30b).
Today we conclude with Proverbs 8:31 as we consider Wisdom’s Perception. Verse 31 tells us that as Wisdom looked upon God’s completed creation she was, “rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.” (NIV)
Our attention is brought to two arenas in verse 31:
The first is creation completed, the second is God’s unique creation –
the one made in His image – man and woman.
When Wisdom observed God’s finished creation she“began rejoicing in His whole world,” the outset of verse 31 tells us. Again, the word rejoicing means “to laugh, to frolic, to celebrate, to dance.”
The picture is that Wisdom is standing back, taking in the beauty, the splendor of all that God has made and she can do nothing else but break forth in unbridled joy and pleasure and happiness. Poetically she is bouncing around like a newborn colt who has just discovered the spring in her legs!
What a beautiful truth for us to envision... and to celebrate!
As one observer noted,
“There is not one blade of grass and there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.”
But then something happens. Wisdom telescopes in and spots something on this home planet of ours. She sees, and instantly recognizes the distinction in something unique. She sees man and woman. At that point she has another spontaneous experience.
She was “delighting in mankind,” the text tells us. Again, as last time, we have a familiar word. The Hebrew word used here for Delight means to take extreme pleasure in something.
When she focuses in and sees the man and woman it’s almost as if her breath is taken. She sees instantly what God has done here. She recognizes at once the image of God in the couple.
This hits her differently. The pleasure is intense but the experience is more inward than outward. It’s almost as if she looks upon the couple and in awe responds with an astonished “Oh my!”
It’s as if Wisdom recognizes that creation has come to its close with a crowning glory – man and woman.
What should our own response be to this splendid cosmic scene laid out for us in Proverbs 8:30-31? Surely seeing this scene aright will have two effects on us. First it ought to fill us with wonder. I mean – what a scene is before us!
This should make our hearts leap within us when we see it... which will naturally lead us to the second response, that of worship.
Wonder and worship. They flow quite naturally from the beautiful truth of Proverbs 8:30-31.
Blessings,
Thrive Thought:
You were particularly crafted by the hand of God... and He rejoices over you.
We know Genesis 1:27 states that “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” And, of course, we know this references Adam and Eve in particular.
But do we realize that God also specifically made you and me, individually and uniquely?
Consider these verses:
Psalm 139:13: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Psalm 139:14: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Isaiah 44:24: “This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who made all things...”
And I believe we can rightly surmise that... as He did with Adam and Eve... after creating you and me, God saw what He had made, and said it was “very good!” (Genesis 1:31).
Proverbs 8:31 tells us that Wisdom delighted at the sight of humanity for she saw the image of God etched in each one of us. If Wisdom reacts to your existence with admiration and awe, what would it take for you to see yourself with even a fraction of that same holy wonder?
“I bear the image of God. I am His handcrafted joy.”
Mike and Susan, this was such a beautiful reflection. I especially loved the image of Wisdom rejoicing over creation and then pausing with even greater delight when she beheld humanity made in God's image. As someone with cerebral palsy, I know how easy it can be to focus on what our bodies cannot do rather than on the truth that we were intentionally handcrafted by God. Your reminder that God didn't merely create humanity in general, but formed each of us individually with purpose, was deeply encouraging. Thank you for pointing us back to the wonder that we are not accidents to be tolerated, but image bearers in whom God delights. That truth has the power to change how we see ourselves and how we worship our Creator.