In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
—Genesis 1:1
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
—Proverbs 3: 19-20
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.”
—Isaiah 51:1
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
—James 3:16-17
Psalm 19 describes the power and wisdom of the Lord as seen in creation to lead the hearer/reader into contemplation of the wisdom and care of the Lord as seen in His word. Many other passages also use the technique of beginning with what is seen to reach toward the wise Creator and Teacher.
Similarly, the book of Proverbs uses many different poetic images to point to the Lord as the source of reliable wisdom. The eighth chapter contains an extended poem in which wisdom calls out an appeal to all who will listen. And creation plays a central role in that appeal.
Echoes of creation and the language of creation resonate from beginning to end in the Bible. When James writes of “jealousy and selfish ambition”, it is easy to be reminded of the temptation of Eve. The serpent implied that God had lied and was keeping from humans something that they could reach out and take for themselves: to be like God. And events go rapidly downhill from there, degenerating into “disorder and every vile practice”, including jealousy, murder, and vengeance.
Hearing those echoes helps us recognize the “wisdom from above”, demonstrated by Jesus, who did not regard “equality with God a thing to be grasped”.
There is great wisdom to be gained from Isaiah 51, beginning with the need to consider all of the wisdom of all of the Scriptures.
Wisdom from the Beginning
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
—Psalm 104:24
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
—Genesis 1:1
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
—Proverbs 3: 19-20
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.”
—Isaiah 51:1
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
—James 3:16-17
Psalm 19 describes the power and wisdom of the Lord as seen in creation to lead the hearer/reader into contemplation of the wisdom and care of the Lord as seen in His word. Many other passages also use the technique of beginning with what is seen to reach toward the wise Creator and Teacher.
Similarly, the book of Proverbs uses many different poetic images to point to the Lord as the source of reliable wisdom. The eighth chapter contains an extended poem in which wisdom calls out an appeal to all who will listen. And creation plays a central role in that appeal.
Echoes of creation and the language of creation resonate from beginning to end in the Bible. When James writes of “jealousy and selfish ambition”, it is easy to be reminded of the temptation of Eve. The serpent implied that God had lied and was keeping from humans something that they could reach out and take for themselves: to be like God. And events go rapidly downhill from there, degenerating into “disorder and every vile practice”, including jealousy, murder, and vengeance.
Hearing those echoes helps us recognize the “wisdom from above”, demonstrated by Jesus, who did not regard “equality with God a thing to be grasped”.
There is great wisdom to be gained from Isaiah 51, beginning with the need to consider all of the wisdom of all of the Scriptures.
From the beginning.