Proverbs 8:30
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Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
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The LORD, Jehovah of the Bible, has infinite wisdom in Himself, from eternity. There is not, and never was, any limit to His understanding. We call His infinite wisdom, omniscience. Lady Wisdom, personifying wisdom in this chapter, was always with Him, for He was always the only wise God (I Tim 1:17; Jude 1:25).
There are seven pronouns here, representing two persons, one male, one female. First, the LORD is represented by "him," "him," "his," and "him." We see this easily from the preceding context, which speaks of the LORD possessing wisdom from the beginning (8:22) right down to using wisdom to decree limits on the sea (8:29).
Then we see Lady Wisdom, which is Solomon's personification of wisdom, who is referenced throughout this chapter by female pronouns. In our proverb, wisdom is identified by "I," "one," and "I." Consider also "her" in 8:1, "she" in 8:2, "she" in 8:3, and right on down to "me" twice in 8:36.
God inspired Solomon, as one of the methods of teaching wisdom, to personify wisdom as a woman, whom we should choose to hear and follow rather than the strange woman. Each reader must make a choice which woman he will follow and befriend. He frequently uses this figure of speech (1:20-33; 2:4; 3:15-18; 4:5-13; 8:1-36; 9:1-5). Please see the comments on 8:1, for a short explanation of this figure of speech.
Our proverb is often perverted to teach that Jesus is a begotten God - a secondary God generated by the Father. Heretics crept into the church 150 years after the apostles and taught that the deity of Jesus was derived from His Father. They held that Jehovah begat a Son in eternity by a mysterious process of generation. You can read this horrible blasphemy in John 1:18 of the NASV. Jehovah's Witnesses, blasphemous heretics that they are, love such a doctrine, for Jesus is only a subordinate God to them.
Jesus is not a begotten God at all. Jesus is the mighty God (Is 9:6). Jesus is Jehovah. Jesus is I AM THAT I AM. Jesus is the Everlasting Father (Is 9:6). Jesus is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:1,14). Jehovah never begat a God or a Son in His divine nature. Jehovah had a Son named Jesus, when He brought His power over the virgin Mary; it is this miraculous birth that makes Him the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Only after this birth, this incarnation of deity in humanity, did God have a Son (John 1:14,18). This is the great mystery of godliness, and we shall live and die by it (I Tim 3:16).
The most important message of the New Testament is that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and it is this precise doctrine we believe and defend. A derived, begotten, generated, or otherwise inferior deity from eternity is not the Son of God. The divine nature of Jesus was and is undivided, unbegotten, unoriginated, and ungenerated! He was and is the Word of God, without origin, begetting, generation, or any other manmade hallucination. He is Jehovah! Jesus is not an eternal Son! He is the eternal God! He became the Son of God by His glorious incarnation in the womb of Mary (Luke 1:35).
These heretics ignorantly reject the personification of wisdom in this chapter and other places. Our proverb is not speaking of God having a little boy playing before Him in eternity! Lady Wisdom is speaking, and she is figuratively describing herself as always having been with the LORD of heaven and earth. Read 8:21 again. Here it is: "The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old."
If our proverb is describing the divine nature of Jesus in eternity, as these false teachers say, then the divine nature of Jesus is female! For wisdom is a woman by personification throughout this chapter and the other places where Solomon uses the figure. If Jesus is presented here, then Jesus was just a spectator at creation (8:27)!
Enough with their heresy! What can we learn profitable for our souls? The glorious and infinite God delights in wisdom, and He has always delighted in wisdom, which is the power of judging rightly in any situation. From His holy example, we should pursue and rejoice in wisdom as much as He does.
Lady Wisdom rejoiced to see men created, and delights in serving them (8:31). Hearing her, watching for her, and keeping her ways will bring blessing (8:32,34). If we pursue wisdom, we will find life and obtain the favor of the LORD of glory (8:35).
Dear reader, what have you done this day to hear wisdom, to watch for her, and to keep her ways? Do you delight in knowing her? Life, blessing, and the favor of the LORD are waiting! What is more important to you than these wonderful things? If wisdom is important enough to delight the great God, why not you?
All the treasures of wisdom are found in our Lord Jesus Christ (Col 2:3). Though our proverb does not teach it, after the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ in Mary's womb, God our Father did delight greatly in His only begotten Son, the man Christ Jesus (Is 42:1). He publicly declared so at His baptism and at His transfiguration (Matt 3:17; 17:5). Do you delight in the Son of God?
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