Read Through the Bible 2020

This Week’s Focus Passage: Proverbs 8:30-31

‘I was daily his delight…..and my delight was with the sons of men.’

    When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; Then I was by him, as a master workman; And I was daily his delight, Rejoicing always before him, Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men.—Proverbs 8:27-31.

     These beautifully amazing words from the pen of the writer of Proverbs, are considered by many writers, even most of them, to be a striking description of our Lord Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate state. 

Indeed, Matthew Henry has written that, “The best exposition of these verses we have in the first four verses of John’s gospel. We heartily agree with him:

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.—John 1:1-3.

    Should this startle us even in the least; that God the Holy Spirit Himself caused John the Evangelist to duplicate in the book bearing his name the very same truths uttered many centuries before by Solomon the son of David, king of Israel? Are these same truths not dispensed by the same Spirit? Is it not a case of ‘line upon line’? As Isaiah has clearly stated the matter in Isaiah 28:9-10; Whom will he teach knowledge, and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little. It is a popularly repeated axiom among the educators of children, and yes men, that things are best taught and remembered when ‘repetition, repetition, repetition are used. Humans receive much more instruction from the living God, or from their being yet a remnant remaining in them of the image of God, than they willingly admit.

Paul, the apostle, has also granted his imprimatur to this truth. It is found in his epistle to the church of the Colossians, or to state in his own words, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ that are at Colossae. This imprimatur is found a number of verses later in the first chapter, where we may read of the Father, who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, 

whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.—Colossians 1:13-17. 

And Matthew Henry reminds us that, “The eternal Word had a being before man was made, for in him was the life of men.” The writer/preacher of the epistle to the Hebres begins his epistle/sermon with the following corroboration:

God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by diverse portions and in diverse manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us [again?] in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.  Why should this correspondence surprise us? Do we not read over and over in the Newer Testament how that it consistently corroborates the Older? Even when we limit ourselves to the Evangel of John, we discover this blest reality. 

John observes this corroboration nearly a dozen times, as follows: and they believed the scripture; as the scripture hath said; Hath not the scripture said; the scripture cannot be broken; but that the scripture may be fulfilled, repeated numerous times. What a joy to witness the consistency of the two blessed testaments of Jehovah.

    But to return specifically to our focus passage, how marvelous is it to see these asseverations of the mutual delight between the Father and the Son? And how moving to see the inclusion of their delight with the sons of men? Surely, we cannot attain unto the incomprehensible wonder of this delight. We often cry out with the psalmist and others in agreement when they have cried out, What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him; what is man that he should be clean [Job], what is man, that thou are mindful of him? [Psalms; iterated in Hebrews 2:6]. Does it not cause us to cry with them? Do we not often cry, why me? Oh, but that He would be so mindful of us; that He would so magnify us; that He should condescend to make us clean, even at the cost of the blood of His Darling Son? Without suggesting that the author of a popular song of the sixties was, or is, a believer, we nevertheless frequently adopt his language, when he wrote; “Why me Lord, what have I ever done to deserve even one of the pleasures I’ve known. Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do that was worth loving you, or the kindness you’ve shown?”  Of course we know that we have done nothing whatever to deserve anything short of eternity in hell. And we are made to recall the amazing grace that has saved us. We are reminded every day that the mercies of the Lord are new every morning, so great is His faithfulness. Yes, He has loved us with an everlasting love. Therefore with lovingkindness he has drawn us to Himself. Eternal love is the only reason that any among mankind are redeemed.

    Is it not even more moving to reflect upon this passage in Proverbs 8, and be made aware of the fact that the Father and the Son actually and truly delight in us? His delights were with the children of men and He was His Father’s delight. See the communion between the Father and the Son promised to all the faithful. In what many writers refer to as Christ’s High Priestly prayer in John 17:22-24, we may read, And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me. Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. What joy will there be when the sound goes forth, Behold, the Bridegroom, and we will be gathered to a communion at with the Father and the Son and God the Holy Spirit to delight in one another for ever. What a grand communion season that will be when we are gathered to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Let Hallelujahs ring for ever and ever from the Bride.

David Farmer, elder

Fellowship Bible Church