There is a definite connection between God and the children of men: if you will, we are God’s work in progress. God is keenly interested; He is keeping an eye on us, as recorded in Psalms 33:13, "The Lord looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men". Note the hopeful allusion to ‘son of man’ as seen in the plural ‘sons of men’. Our attraction to the spiritual accomplishes within us that which is more nearly spiritual, as when gold is laid on silver. A transmigration of molecules takes place so that the silver is infused with the nature of gold. As we become more aware of the spiritual by way of infusion, we become more at ease with and more trusting of those truths unseen by the naked eye. The shared nature works confidence as seen in Psalms 36:7, "How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings." Some of us know what it is to be brought up with a childhood friend that carries over into maturity; or even a brother or sister that becomes a friend. Such relationships guide lives. I know that in some of my relationships, the other person was like a light house to a wayward ship. Such an influence they had on me that I took on many of their defining traits. I may still be somewhat of a wayward ship, but now I have my own spot light - and sometimes I shine it on others. I want to take a close look at a verse from the book of Proverbs. It is like a cupcake with sprinkles. We seekers love our sprinkles; they are the unexpected treats on top of something already dear to us. Count the sprinkles on Proverbs 8:30-31, "Then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; and my delights were with the sons of men". First of all, who does this verse refer to? It refers to Wisdom. Who is Wisdom with? Wisdom is with the Lord. Actually, the entire chapter is a necessary read, and I recommend it to all earnest seekers of truth. Wisdom is here presented as a feminine companion or sibling to the Lord, as if they were raised together the way children are raised. It is interesting that the term "brought up with Him" is used. It takes my mind back to a previously cited verse where God claimed that no God was ‘formed’ before Him. When we think of children being brought up, one of the expressions we resort to is ‘formative years’. Secondly, a relationship is described. It is sweet and impassioned: the Lord ‘delighted’; Wisdom ‘rejoiced’. The word ‘delight’ implies choice: wisdom was the Lord’s chosen favorite: she was His delight. Wisdom, then, rejoiced in that state of favor. This is the beginning of a tiered design. I say that for the fact that wisdom’s rejoicing "before" was a location that just happened to be in the inhabited climes of earth. Moreover, Wisdom’s "delights" (chosen favorites) were the "sons of men" (there’s that hopeful allusion to the son of man, again). It follows that the children of men will rejoice in that state of favor. How could we rejoice in things unseen? We are, after all, infused with those invisible glories. Finally, there are two thoughts arising from this verse: they may be no more than interesting asides. One is the word ‘always’: if it speaks of completeness, as in eternity, and we have yet to reach the end of the linear time line, then it is worthy of further investigation. It may only mean ‘at every opportunity’, else, it may reference a non-linear time line. The second thought is of the expression ‘habitable part of His earth’. To my mind, that sounds experimental, as in a colony: His part being an intrusion into an established hierarchy. What a nature we have! - that we are both ‘men’ and ‘children of men’; that within us is not only the loam of the beast, but the tended seed of Christ-likeness. It may be downbeat, as well a mighty good reason to yearn upward. See the sons of man in Ecclesiastes 3:18, "I said in mine heart concerning the estate (gift, endowment, inheritance, birthright, legacy) of the sons of men, that God might manifest them (the sons of man), and that they might see that they themselves are beasts". Of this dual nature, Psalms 53:2-3 has this to say, "God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back (to the loam of the beast): they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one". Dare we call man two-faced? Is ‘beast’ no more than hollow invective? Is it just primitive name calling, or is there any substance to the primal nature in ‘man’? Check out Daniel 5:21 for a reversal of nature, "And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart (his thinking) was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that He appointeth over it whomsoever He will". We see contemporary reversals of nature each time a man or woman returns to an addiction, or a destructive lifestyle. We see the beast in violence; we see the beast in ignorance. Beyond individuals, we see the forfeiture of our better nature each time society engages in war or terrorism. Within our dual nature, the thoughts of the beast may be found each time we imagine revenge: some one put the eye on the little lady; some one violated the turf; some one showed disrespect. Our son-of man-ness is so easily gained; how much more easily it is lost! Nature reversal is, moreover, a cycle that may quickly spiral out of control. It is an un-state. It negatively affects all things around us, and its origin may be found in the departure from rejoicing in the delights of Wisdom.See Joel 1:12,"The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men".
