Christ in the Old Testament

Proverbs 30:4

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
    Whose hands have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is the name of his son?
    Surely you know! (NIV)

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 30:1-6 and John 3:1-21

Proverbs 30 was written by a man named Agur. He was the son of Jakeh and he had some weird thoughts that he wrote down in this proverb. That’s pretty much all we know about Agur. I’ve only prescribed the first six verses of this proverb because those are the only relevant ones to today’s topic. But feel free to read it entirely with the forewarning that there may be three things you understand and four that you don’t.

Agur begins his “inspired utterance” with the claim that he does not have wisdom or human understanding. He says, “I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One” (vs 3). This statement of humility sets the stage for wisdom to show up and reveal Jesus to us.

Let’s look at verses two and three in the NKJV:

“Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.”

What Agur is essentially saying here is that he doesn’t have wisdom because he hasn’t met him yet. Wisdom is revealed through God’s Holy One and Agur has no knowledge of him. Wisdom resides with the one “whose hands have gathered up the wind.” And only when God reveals His wisdom to us will we actually be able to obtain it.

Paul writes extensively about wisdom in 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 2. The essential point that Paul makes is that the wisdom of the cross trumps human wisdom. Paul opens his argument by saying, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). What appears to world as foolishness is actually God’s wisdom being revealed to us. If we are in Christ Jesus, “who has become for us wisdom from God,” (1 Cor 1:30) then “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16).

Jesus explains this to Nicodemus as recorded in John chapter 3. The wisdom of the world has corrupted us so if we want to see the kingdom of God we must radically humble ourselves. Jesus says, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). Being born again – born of the Spirit – starts with becoming a spiritual infant.

Jesus goes on to explain, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6). The wisdom of the world is obtained by being in the world and looking to ourselves for wisdom. But if we want to not only have salvation but have the wisdom that comes from God, we must humble ourselves and look to the Spirit for wisdom.

Stop here and recall that Agur has no wisdom because he hasn’t attained it from God’s Holy One. He then asks in Proverbs 30:4:

“Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
    Whose hands have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is the name of his son?
    Surely you know!”

Jesus then answers Agur’s question. Jesus says, “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man” (John 3:12-13). Jesus is revealing to Nicodemus that he is God’s Holy One. He is the one that possesses all knowledge and wisdom. He is wisdom.

Spiritual rebirth and ascension to heaven is only available through the humility of Jesus and belief in him. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “He [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name” (Phil 2:8-9).

Though Jesus was God, he humbled himself to become a man and purchase our salvation. He then was exalted to the highest place. So even though we are only human, if we humble ourselves and seek God’s kingdom first, then having the mind of Christ we will learn wisdom and ascend to heaven with him.

Today’s Prayer: Thank you Jesus for revealing the knowledge of God to me and providing a way to God through your humility.