Friday 09 June 2023

Psalm 147

Background

Proverbs is one of the ‘wisdom’ books of the Old Testament (along with other poetic books such as Psalms, Job and Ecclesiastes). It is a collection of ancient sayings of the Hebrew Scriptures. For God’s people, wisdom has always been greatly prized. It was the gift King Solomon asked to receive at the start of his reign (1 Kings 3). In this chapter of Proverbs, Wisdom is personified as a woman. The chapter is worth reading as a whole, and meditating on the value and timeless nature of wisdom, while the verses in this passage concentrate on what Wisdom says about herself in relation to God and creation.

In verse 22, Wisdom is described as being created at the beginning of God’s work, the first of God’s creative acts; we might say ‘the firstborn of all creation’. This links us directly with a poetic piece from the New Testament and St Paul, who wrote the same about Jesus the Messiah (Colossians 1:15-20). We might also notice other resonances with Jesus in our passage today, not least verses 30-31, which talk of being the daily delight of the Maker, and sharing in God’s delight in the human race.

Yet it is the Holy Spirit who is most closely associated with wisdom in the Bible. Before Joshua led God’s people across the river into the Promised Land, he was filled with the Spirit of Wisdom (Deuteronomy 34:9). When the prophet Isaiah foretells a saviour to come – the ‘Root of Jesse’ – he describes the Spirit as being:

‘the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.’ (Isaiah 11:2)

A version of these words is used as part of the confirmation prayer for believers in our Methodist Service of Confirmation.  Notice that wisdom comes first.

In the New Testament, Paul prays "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him" (Ephesians 1:17), and in his list of spiritual gifts he mentions first of all ‘the utterance of wisdom’ (1 Corinthians 12:8).

So, wisdom flows forth from God the Creator. But is it to be identified with the Holy Spirit, or with Jesus?  Surely both!  And again, when we think of this Trinity of God, it is impossible to separate them.  What is true of one is true of all three.

To Ponder:

• Does our society value wisdom? Where (and in whom) do you find wisdom?
• What are the barriers to truly wise decisions being made?
• Are we sometimes in so much of a hurry to get things done that we don't allow time and reflection for wisdom to distil?  How can wisdom teach us patience?