Christ the Wisdom of God: No. 1
W. Clarkson Proverbs 8:1-21 Does not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?… Though it is not to be supposed that Jesus Christ was in the mind of the writer of this passage, yet as he does personify wisdom, and as wisdom was incarnated in that Son of man who was the Son of God, we should expect to find that the words of the wise man in the text would apply, in large measure, to the Lord Jesus Christ. They do so, and suggest to us - I. THE MANNER OF HIS TEACHING. (Vers. 1-3) He "spake openly to the world, ... taught in the synagogue, and in the temple," etc. (John 18:20; see Luke 4:15; John 7:14, 26, 28; Mark 6:34; Matthew 5:1, 2). II. HIS APPEAL TO ALL CLASSES AND CONDITIONS OF MEN. (Vers. 4, 5.) He came unto the world at large, to "draw all men unto him." None were, none are, so poor. or so rich, so ignorant or so learned, so simple or so subtle, so degraded or so refined, so spiritually destitute or so privileged, as to be out of range of his heavenly voice. All need his message; all are welcome to his kingdom. III. HIS MANIFESTATION OF THE TRUTH. (Vers. 6-8.) He came "to bear witness unto the truth" (John 18:37). He came to be the living Truth himself (John 14:6), so that the more we know of him and grow up into him, the more of Divine truth do we receive into our souls. IV. THE APPRECIABLENESS OF HIS MESSAGE. (Ver. 9.) When he spake with his own lips, men received his words, wondering at his wisdom and his grace (see Luke 2:47; Luke 4:22, 32; Matthew 7:28, 29). "Never man spake like this Man," said the officers to the chief priests (John 7:46). "The common people heard him gladly" (Mark 12:37). And now that he speaks to mankind from heaven, his message of truth and love is comprehensible to all who care to know his mind. To those who earnestly seek, the way becomes plain; to those who have "spiritual discernment," the deeper things of God are intelligible; to those who "know him," his dealings are seen to be right and true. V. HIS RESPONSIVENESS. (Ver. 17.) (See succeeding homily.) VI. HIS INCOMPARABLE WORTH. (Vers. 10, 11.) Jewels, compared with him, are empty toys; gold, compared with him, is sordid dust. So great is his worth to the hungering heart, to the suffering spirit, to living, dying man, that all forms of earthly good are not to be named or counted in comparison. VII. HIS SERVICE ISSUES IN THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE RECOMPENSE. (Vers. 18-21.) The fruit of the service of Christ is honour, joy (including peace), righteousness (ver. 20), the "inheritance which is incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away" (ver. 21; 1 Peter 1:4). - C. Parallel Verses KJV: Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? WEB: Doesn't wisdom cry out? Doesn't understanding raise her voice?