Proverbs 8:30 Commentary and Bible Study

Most of the old writers would say, the most probable meaning of this is not so much a picture of a child brought up with his father, as a reference to wisdom as a master builder. The words ‘with him’ are supplied by the KJV for sense, and the words translated ‘as one brought up’ are better rendered ‘architect’ or ‘master-workman’. By wisdom, by his infinite knowledge, and his infinite power of design, God built the universe. Wisdom was God's master builder, and, more than that – it was daily his delight. Through the six days of creation, God's great delight was the exercise of his wisdom. If we may put it in human terms what could be more exhilarating for God. Let me use a human illustration. Many of us drive a car. Now you take it for granted, perhaps driving, to you, no longer is a pleasure, but you probably remember a time when it was your newest accomplishment, and you went through the phase when you were all fingers and thumbs and arms and legs, and nothing went right, and you were really in trouble controlling the vehicle. And then you got the hang of it, and you learned and you passed your test, and you went out by yourself, and went off down the road with a sense of exhilaration perhaps. Suddenly there was another activity you could add to your repertoire, and it gave you a sense of liberty: the exercise of an activity which you had newly learned. Well it is a feeble illustration, but can you imagine Almighty God, whose attribute is eternal wisdom, enjoying with pleasure the exercise of his mighty power in creation with all its intricacy. Why the power of the microscope cannot properly explore all the intricacy and the fine detail of God's massive creating power. It shows just some of the exercise of God's infinite wisdom and intellect, as God rejoices. That is the sense: God's happiness and pleasure, expressed in all his attributes. We get a little snapshot of how God's happiness and pleasure is exercised in the putting forth of his wisdom. And it is this wonderful wisdom of God that brings happiness to Almighty God, that God himself exercises, that pre-dates anything on earth; it is this that we have the mighty privilege of having some portion of when we come to the Lord. In the light of this, who would live for this world?