WISDOM'S PREACHING
WISDOM’S PREACHING
JT I had the thought of wisdom in mind, and the only question was as to the connection in which we might take it up. I had thought of Proverbs 8 as a basis.
It is important, first of all, to consider the person through whom the subject is introduced here, that is, Solomon. He is presented in a double way: as David’s son, and as king; and what that sets forth in antitype is the power of God presented in Christ as Son; so before we have the unfolding of divine wisdom we must have the power of God in evidence. If sin has come in, and Satan has a footing in the world, we must have the overthrow of evil before there is the unfolding of divine wisdom. Evidently, too, power is required to carry out wisdom. Thus it is very significant that David is not the one to introduce the subject of wisdom, but Solomon. Solomon represents Christ as Son, and exercising the power of the kingdom as such. At the beginning of his reign he was especially marked by wisdom, so much so, that David entrusted various things to him on account of his wisdom. His kingdom was ordered in accordance with wisdom.
AFM Was there not a testimony to that in the two pillars erected before the temple, that is, as conveying the two thoughts of power and wisdom?
JT Jachin probably refers to God’s faithfulness — “He will establish”. Boaz is “strength”.
AFM We see peace established, and wisdom and power coming out in the kingdom.
FL I suppose wisdom is personified here.
JT After all the instructions in the book given for our extrication from evil, Wisdom gives an account of itself at the end. The instruction really [p. 212] begins in chapter 1, and has in view the conditions in which men are found consequent on the existence of evil. Finally, the full effect of wisdom will be manifested. We shall see that later in connection with the mystery. The wisdom of God is seen in the assembly now.
ARS Why does Wisdom wait until the end to give an account of itself?
JT It was there from the outset, only it did not formally introduce itself; it introduces itself and gives its own history in chapter 8.
ARS You mean that it was there, but there was not any eye to see it?
JT It was there from the outset, every divine operation has been in wisdom. It states that here, only it does not introduce itself formally till it has done its work; man would not have been capable of appreciating it.
FL I suppose the idea of wisdom here is divine skill and resource; it is always ready; it has its own designs and also the perfection of skill in carrying them out.
JT That is of great importance at the present moment, because the idea generally is that you are forced to adapt yourself to the conditions around you; but the wisdom of God is wholly independent of man, so that the saints are independent of man, because wisdom is always available to them. “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God”. The presence of the Holy Spirit involves that wisdom is here.
ARS “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.
AFM Will you distinguish between wisdom in its application to God, and Christ being made wisdom to us?
JT Christ being the wisdom of God is unlimited, but it could not be unlimited in its application to us.
[p. 213] Christ is made wisdom to us, and this signifies that we are wholly independent of man’s wisdom. One turns to the Lord in the sense of that.
ARS The wisdom of this world is foolishness, so that if we begin to adapt ourselves to the circumstances about us we are all wrong.
JT We are wholly independent of the world; because divine wisdom is available to us, Christendom is the result of adaptation to circumstances; they say they must do so and so because conditions have altered. Conditions have altered because of sin, but God’s principles have never altered, and He can carry out His principles without man. God is independent of man, as is shown in that Wisdom was there from the outset. He has allowed the power of evil to show itself first so that He might display His power to meet it in the unfolding of wisdom. I think it is of great importance to see that the man through whom wisdom has come is both king and David’s son. The combined power of evil was overthrown by David, the antitype of whom is Christ in His death and resurrection. Then in Solomon, who typifies Christ in resurrection, we have the full unfolding of divine wisdom; the scene is cleared of all impediments, and now God can carry out His operations.
The book of Proverbs opens with the means of extrication from evil; then in chapter 9 Wisdom builds her house; she establishes her system; but first there must be the complete extrication from evil. She tells us that she was there from the beginning, but the great point is that man must be delivered. In chapter 1 we get described a commercial combination for gain; see verses 11 - 19. There is “one purse”; the object is to acquire gain; “greedy of gain, they take away the life of the owners of it”; they take away the means of a man’s livelihood. That is just the principle of the great commercial [p. 214] corporations. Then in chapter 7 you have the religious power; there it is seduction; it is Babylonish in character; but here in chapter 1 it is the world in its commercial features. It is important to see that Wisdom foresaw the conditions which Christians would have to deal with. Here the speaker says, “My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path”, verse 15.
LTF Wisdom would keep a man outside of it all.
JT Wisdom is considering for you. It is not announcing itself here, but considering for you as having to do with these conditions. Then in verse 20 it preaches “Wisdom crieth without”.
CA Does not the thought of relationship come in? She addresses “My son”.
JT Yes, you cannot understand it unless you see that; Wisdom has to do with sons; you are exposed to these things, and Wisdom comes in for your help. These great trusts and their leaders would not commit murder in a literal sense, but they would think nothing of taking away a man’s means of livelihood.
HG Is Wisdom more than light?
JT It is light for a labyrinth; it shows you the way out.
RSS It is heavenly and divine light for your earthly path.
JT When Wisdom gives her own history we learn that she was there from the beginning.
ARS Wisdom shows the way out, but does it give you power to go out?
JT In applying it to Christians the power we have is the Spirit, and He is the power consequent on the overthrow of the power of evil. Solomon is king here. The one who speaks is king, and so he has all power. I have connected it in my own mind with the gospel and the assembly; the gospel is [p. 215] the means of extrication, and the assembly is where Wisdom is established and unfolded. In chapter 1, verses 20 - 23, Wisdom preaches: “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you”. In the last verse she makes a wonderful proposal. She proposes to pour out her spirit. Each individual must understand the working of Wisdom in his own experience, because we have to do every day with this complicated system of things. It is of all moment to see that power precedes wisdom. Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
JS Do we see Wisdom before power at the outset?
JT You must have power to carry out Wisdom’s plans. Wisdom was actually there before the power was manifested, but you must have the overthrow of evil, which requires power, before Wisdom can be unfolded; that is, power is known before Wisdom. But when Wisdom gives an account of herself, we find that she was there from the outset. Evil is overthrown for you practically to the extent to which you hearken to Wisdom and follow her advice; otherwise you are not practically free.
RSS What would you give as a definition of Wisdom?
JT I think Wisdom is the form that divine [p. 216] love has taken, in our case, for our extrication from evil. Divine wisdom is never haphazard. A human father is prompted by love, but he is not always wise. But God never did anything at all without Wisdom, therefore Wisdom is the form which divine love has taken, in our Case, for our extrication from evil.
RSS It is presented in Christ, so that He is said to be Wisdom.
JT The point is to see that God delighted in Wisdom and Wisdom delighted in men. I believe we fail to discriminate between expressions. God delighting in Wisdom is not exactly the same as God delighting in Christ, although Christ is Wisdom; and Wisdom delighting in man is not exactly Christ delighting in man; the thought is, that that order of being could not be improved upon, so that Wisdom’s delights were in the sons of men, not in angels. Wisdom has taken up an order of being as its ideal, and since man is that order he is the greatest created being, greater than angels. We must discriminate. You might delight in your child though the child be far from perfect, but if Wisdom delights in a thing it cannot be improved upon.
JP If you put “Christ” instead of “Wisdom” you put in an interpolation and hinder yourself.
JT The order of man that Wisdom has in view here is only seen in Christ, of course, but the point is that it is man, and not any other order of being. It is really “the sons of men”, man viewed in that relationship. The expression “sons of men” lends a peculiar lustre to the race that Wisdom is engaged with. They are in that relationship. There is nothing morally more beautiful than a son with a father.
JS In chapter 8 it is “my son”, and both the father and the mother are mentioned.
JT In chapter 4:3 we have the key to the instruction: “For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother”. One in that relationship is unfolding the subject, and it must apply to Christians, because they are the only ones in that relationship. I read this book as a [p. 217] son.
JS In chapter 4: 7 we have “Wisdom is the principal thing”.
AFM I should like to understand a little more clearly why we cannot use the terms “Wisdom” and “Christ” interchangeably.
JT There are many things that you might predicate of Christ besides Wisdom, but Wisdom is specially brought forward to show that God is independent of man and you cannot improve on what Wisdom devises, so that if man is Wisdom’s ideal you cannot improve upon him. True wisdom has found its expression in a person, but in itself it is abstract; it is introduced here in this striking way to show that God’s operations cannot be improved upon. We may say that no attribute of God is personified but Wisdom, and that only emphasises that the operations of God cannot be improved by the innovations of man.
ARS I suppose that Wisdom and Christ cannot be made synonymous because Christ is really more than Wisdom, and you cannot head up all that He is in that term.
JT You cannot make an attribute cover a person. But God shows here that no human innovations are admissible. The greatest combinations of evil are overcome by Wisdom. From the outset Wisdom had set its heart on man; when Wisdom gives a full account of itself, we learn that man had a place with it, he was Wisdom’s ideal.
RSS Christ is the personification of Wisdom.
JT Surely.
RSS When the discussion was up regarding eternal life the question was asked whether eternal life was a Person or a thing, and the answer was that eternal life was a thing, only as personified. Scripture says, Be is it.
JP But not, It is He.
RSS No; Wisdom is an attribute [p. 218] here.
JT When Christ did anything Wisdom was doing it. Take a skilled mechanic at his machine: skill is working, but the operations are through his brain and hand. In Luke, for instance, I think you have the operations of Wisdom, but it is acting through Christ, and you could not improve on it. Wisdom was doing the things through Christ. Christ is God’s wisdom. What divine wisdom devises and accomplishes cannot be improved upon or added to.
RSS In this connection you defined Wisdom as the form divine love has taken for our extrication from evil. You speak of grace as the form divine love has taken in showing compassion on man, but I suppose that is a more limited thought?
JT One thought in Wisdom is exclusion: it cannot admit of innovation or addition. The thought of grace is moral greatness. You get an illustration of it at the end of Luke: “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached ... beginning at Jerusalem”. That is grace; it is moral greatness; God can rise above the greatest expression of evil.
RSS I suppose it is a more limited thought, but is there an analogy?
JT Both are found in Christ, but there is moral greatness in grace; no man is excluded. God is greater than the wickedness.
AFM Then we have Wisdom’s children.
JT There is nothing more interesting than the children begotten of Wisdom; we find one of them in Luke 7. Wisdom had taken form, and this woman was a product of it. Her conduct in Simon’s house in every way justified Wisdom, Every. Christian is one of Wisdom’s children.
JP It is a beautiful scene and accords with the passage: “in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence”, Ephesians 1: 7, 8.
[p. 219] JT The earlier chapters of Proverbs have in view the world in a general way, where sinners are, and our deliverance from it. In chapter 7 we have the religious world, and again, as in chapter 1, the appeal comes in to the “simple” one.
Ques Why is the religious world prefigured by a woman?
JT Because she has a husband, and the husband has gone on a journey and taken a bag of money with him. In chapter 1 the bag of money comes in as an important consideration; there is one common purse. But she is not concerned about the money; he has taken it with him; she is simply concerned to seduce and destroy. We have to meet that; there is moral destruction in her seduction. “Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death”, chapter 7: 24 - 27.
R.S.S. Who is the woman?
JT I think we are justified in connecting her with that which has proved false to Christ. We have in her that which is destroying souls. We find her counterpart in Jezebel and in the harlot that rides the beast in Revelation; it is really Babylon.
R.S.S. Where is it today?
JT In the huge religious system that is false to Christ. It is destruction to souls; it is devilish; there is no hope if one is caught in her snares. “For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her”, Proverbs 7: 26. The whole point is to hearken to Wisdom; she is endeavouring to save you. You hear the voice of Wisdom in the gospel; the gospel announces all the elements of deliverance. It is Wisdom’s voice.
HG-TH What about the “hidden wisdom” that we read of in Corinthians and Colossians?
JT That leads on to the other side, to the establishment of Wisdom. We come to this in chapter 9. The first thing is to see how adaptable Wisdom is to everyday circumstances. Furthermore, Wisdom is turned to judgment: “Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles and some of them they shall slay and persecute, that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation”, Luke 11: 49. There Wisdom is seen in judgment. Light had been presented to the world, and knowing full well that the world would reject it, the Lord declares that all the righteous blood, from Abel onwards, would be required of it. The way of righteousness is obedience, the contrary is lawlessness.
HG-TH In connection with what you were saying as to divine judgment, is it because all has been fully expressed in Christ?
JT It is because the full light of the Son has come out and has been rejected. Christendom in taking a worldly position has taken upon itself all the previous crimes of the world, so that all the guilt of the race will be meted out upon it. It is very remarkable that Wisdom is connected with judgment.
RSS What is the point of that?
JT That God would establish His own righteousness, and hence He acts judicially. He knew what man would do, but God acts wisely. It is Wisdom acting again. He sends the apostles and prophets so that His judgment might be fully justified. He acts wisely; Wisdom is seen in every act of His.
Another interesting thing is that discipline for Christians comes under the head of Wisdom, and I say that because the quotation in Hebrews 12: 5, 6 [p. 221] comes from this book. In these verses you look at a Christian under discipline. At times we almost wonder at the extremely severe discipline a man may be suffering, but it is the Wisdom of God dealing with a son.
RSS We see another side of Wisdom, it is spoken of as resource.
JT I think we have included that thought in that God is wholly independent of man.
RSS The wise man is the man with resource.
JT God cannot be baffled, nor can you baffle a spiritual man. It is very interesting to see how Wisdom began to show itself. David had called Solomon a wise man and had committed various things to him for that reason, but Solomon, in speaking of himself to God, says, “I am a child”, and he asks God to give him wisdom. God gives it to him, but He puts it to the test. The two harlots come before Solomon. No human wisdom could say to which the child belonged, but Solomon was not baffled, he asks for a sword and commands to cut the child in two. Wisdom knows the heart of a mother; it shows the resource of wisdom. Solomon’s wisdom took that form, he could tell the heart of a mother. It is seen perfectly in the Lord; He knew the heart of a mother, and at the city of Nain He had compassion when He saw the widow weeping, and He raised her son. Wisdom takes account of what is going on in the human heart.
RSS I should like to read from Ecclesiastes 11: 13 to end. “This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: there was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good”. I think that is an excellent illustration of resource.
JT It is a most touching allusion to the Lord in this world: He delivered the city, not by direct power, but by wisdom. Man was surrounded by evil and the Lord brought in deliverance. “Yet no man remembered that poor wise man”.
AFM It is seen, too, in the cases of Joab and Adonijah, 1 Kings 2.
JT There it is seen in judgment; they were really apostate; the incident can be taken to represent the apostate spirit in the last days of Israel. Adonijah says, “I will be king”, and Joab supports him; then Wisdom judges. It is very touching to see how it could also understand and relieve a mother’s heart. The woman whose child it was not represents the hardness of the natural heart.
HG-TH Having the Spirit is not enough of itself, but it is the divine capacity to answer to Wisdom.
JT Wisdom proposes to pour out her spirit upon you in chapter 1.
Ques Do you connect Wisdom with understanding?
JT Wisdom says, “I am understanding”.
JT Wisdom has reference more to how things are done; understanding is more subjective; it is a quality that you acquire by the Spirit. Abigail was “beautiful and of good understanding”. That is really the assembly; she is intelligent, by the Spirit, as to the mind of God.