Long.

Part One: Proverbs 8

1 Does not wisdom call,
And understanding lift up her voice?

2 On top of the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

3 Beside the gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

4 "To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.

In verses 4 "Wisdom" begins to speak. Between verses 4 and 21, Wisdom is addressing man, and it describes itself as: one that speaks of nobel things, speaks truth, is free from perversion, makes sense to those who find truth, is more valuable than gold and material wealth, can't stand evil, pride, arrogance, or perversion, provides counsel and soundness, is full of understanding and power, influences people...of influence, will be found by those that seek, gives riches that last, yields fruit better than money, and rewards those that love it.

Then in 22 Wisdom says of itself:

22"The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.

23"From everlasting I was established,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.

It continues basically: "I, Wisdom, existed before there were oceans or underground springs, before mountains or hills, before the earth, fields, or dust, before there were the heavens, or the skies were made, before water was separated from land, before the foundations of earth were laid." then proceeds:

30Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,

31Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having delight in the sons of men.

Wisdom then ends its discourse with "Therefore, listen to me and be blessed, don't neglect my instruction. When you find me, you find life, and favor from the Lord. When you ignore me, it hurts you. If you don't love me, you love your own demise."

Recap: Chapter 8 is a personification of Wisdom. There's a whole list of its attributes as well as the claim that Wisdom was present before creation, and after it took delight in the creation and in Mankind.


Part Two: John 1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

vs 4-14: John was sent by God to testify to the man who was the Light of Man that shines in the darkness. Some people believed this guy, some didn't. The ones that did, he gave the right to become children of God

14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

vs 15-18: John said the Word dwelt among folks and was full of grace and truth, and that this person of grace and truth is the Person of Jesus.

Recap: John opens talking about how "the Word" was with God during creation, and that it was God. It claims that "the Word" had both presence and a hand in creation. "the Word" then became a man full of grace and truth. John finally says that Jesus was the one full of grace and truth, and that his life made the glory of the Father known.

Part 3: The connection

Part 1: Wisdom personified and portraying itself to man, one of the main things it focuses on is that it was present for and had a role in creation (1/3 of the chapter sits on this).
Part 2: The first thing John does is talk about "the Word"'s presence and role in creation. Followed by the declaration that the Word became flesh in the form of Jesus.

Connection: Wisdom personified has presence and role in creation, and the Word has presence and role in creation. the Word is incarnate as Jesus. So moving backwards, Jesus is the personification, embodiment, incarnation of Wisdom.

Part 4: Implications

For Jesus: Ok, Jesus is wise. Duh, he's Jesus. But previously, that's pretty much the extent of the logic. But now its beyond that. And it actually has something of a basis in text instead of just well he's supposed to be wise because hes Jesus. He's not just wise. He's the physical manifestation of Wisdom. That's kind of crazy.

For Proverbs: Ok, Proverbs. Wise sayings. Is it more than that? If Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom, then everything in Proverbs that describes wisdom, doesn't just describe wisdom, it says something specific about the personal character of Jesus. All the places where wisdom addresses man, is a look at Jesus heart as he speaks to us. Each place where wisdom cautions someone to do or not to do something, is insight to the very things that Jesus urges us to or away from. It's no longer a collection of good advice. It's both an exposition of Jesus character and a snapshot of the heart that he has for us (take a look at the summary of Proverbs 8:4-21 again through that lens).

Final Recap: Jesus isn't just wise, he is the complete epitome of wisdom. Proverbs isn't just good advice, its a breakdown of who Jesus is, and his vision for the lives of those that really seek to follow him. I haven't landed on any actual solid implications of this other than its really cool, and adds some force to the teachings in proverbs and understandings of J.




and since this is already ridiculously long, couldn't hurt to add this too. this song is bomb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtaHywIx2Fg

Let me me be your lighthouse
Let me guide your hand
Let me be your shelter
For you...for you I stand

When you feel the dark inside you
and the wind and waves keep pushing you down
Feel the whole world pulling you around

Let me me be your lighthouse
Let me guide your hand
Let me be your shelter
For you...for you I stand

When you feel the dark inside you
and the moon and stars don't lead you nowhere
Feels like no one's watching up there

Let me me be your lighthouse
Let me guide your hand
Let me be your shelter
For you...for you I stand

Let me be the one.....standing when you come
Lay your anchor down and let me wrap my arms around you

Let me me be your lighthouse
Let me guide your hand
Let me be your shelter
For you...for you I stand
For you I stand
For you I ... stand

Here's to random things spurring lengthy discourses. Amen.