The following is an excerpt from the book, My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs.

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old” (8:22). Wisdom is speaking here, reminding us that the wisdom we are considering is not the worldly wisdom of man. Therefore, the wisdom that we are to pursue is older than the world itself. It belongs to God, not to man; so we must look to God and to what He has revealed in order to acquire this wisdom.

“From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth” (8:23). There are three periods of time mentioned in this verse. First, there is the time before Creation (“from everlasting”). Second, there is the time of the Creation (“from the beginning”). Finally, there is the time in which man has inhabited the earth (“from the earliest times of the earth”) – which has been since the sixth day at the end of the Creation week, right before God “completed His work” and “rested on the seventh day” (Genesis 1:26-2:2). This means that divine wisdom predates any human society or culture. Man often takes pride in how the culture in which he is a part has grown and progressed throughout generations, gaining collective wisdom along the way. Much of this wisdom, though, is worldly wisdom. Godly wisdom came before all of this, and so it is independent of human reasoning. Therefore, what may be considered “common sense” or some enlightened realization by a particular society – even our modern society – is not necessarily true or wise. True wisdom existed since before Creation, during the Creation, and from the beginning of man. In the following verses, Solomon expands on these time periods.

You can read more comments on the book of Proverbs in My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!