“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he is saying that Jesus is the wisdom of the Lord. Jesus is the wisdom of God because Jesus is the Word of God, as John will later say – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14).
When Solomon talks about wisdom today, he too says that wisdom has existed from the beginning; and since Jesus is the wisdom of the Lord who is coming to earth in the flesh as the Word of God, Jesus has existed from the beginning as the Trinity, God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
- “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth…I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men” (Proverbs 8:22-31).
Solomon goes on to say “For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 8:35). So if Jesus is the wisdom of God, who is coming to earth later in the Story in the flesh to deliver the Word of God, a person obtains wisdom by studying and obeying the Word of God. Therefore, Solomon instructs us not to be lazy in this pursuit:
- “Wise people store up knowledge” (Proverbs 10:14)
- “The labor of the righteous leads to life” (Proverbs 10:16)
- “He who keeps instruction is in the way of life” (Proverbs 10:17)
Christ followers are active in their quest to know the Lord! They work diligently to receive His commands and store up knowledge so that they are walking in the way of life. Solomon, and later Peter and the author of Hebrews, will all agree that we must be diligent when following the Lord:
- “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Proverbs 10:4).
- “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge…For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).
- “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Being diligent means showing care or conscientiousness in one’s actions; nothing lazy about it! So let’s continue to diligently seek the Lord and His ways through His Word. Keep reading!
(Proverbs 8:1-10:32)
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Chronological Bible in Layman's Terms 