A Craftsman

"When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man" (Proverbs 8:27-31).

In a poetic way, Proverbs teaches us that wisdom was a "craftsman" at the side of God when He was creating the world. This attribute of God is personified as a trusted assistant in the Lord's creative work. We are told that the Lord was wise in what He made.

To be "beside" someone is an indication of intimacy. We are to clearly understand that it was not wisdom who designed and created the world but rather God Himself. God wisely designed and created all things.

The results were magnificent. The results of His work caused wisdom to rejoice over the presence of the Lord, His creative work, as well as the children of man.

If we desire such rejoicing in our lives, we must have wisdom at our side. The great craftsman known as "wisdom" must be employed in our work. She must be present with us (beside us) as we live our lives. Simply put, if God involved wisdom in His creative undertakings, surely we mere humans need wisdom as well.