We can see a change in the context of this chapter from verse 22 to the end.
“The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:... 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.”
We have here wisdom spoken of in such a way that it can only be applied to the Lord Jesus Christ, before He came into this world, before the earth and the heavens were called into being. He was from the beginning, whenever that was, as we read in John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” He was the Creator of all things, the Object and the delight of God.
He in wisdom prepared the heavens, establishing the clouds, bringing the earth into existence, and placed the bounds upon the sea that the waters should not pass His commandment. We are told that there is just the right proportion of sea and land upon this earth to sustain life, and we learn here who it was that determined all this. It was all ordered according to this divine wisdom in preparing it for man’s habitation. Here was to be displayed not only the wisdom necessary for the formation of all these things, but also where the love of God for His creatures would be displayed. He was the delight of the Father, and He rejoiced in the earth as it was prepared for man’s dwelling place, for “His delights were with the sons of men.” Many centuries were allowed to roll by before He came, “but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son” (Gal. 4:4). He came at the time appointed, to manifest the love of God to the sons of men, His creatures, who were under the power of darkness in this world, and to redeem them.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. We are also told that “Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it.” Eph. 5:25. He saw among the sons of men that “pearl of great price” and He was willing to give all that He had to obtain it. How wonderful it is to consider the love of God and of Christ in all this, and of how it is said of the Lord Jesus, “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2.
He had also at the same time to endure the hatred of man under the power of Satan. “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” John 1:10, 11. We can see then how little did men heed this call of Proverbs 8 to hearken to the voice of wisdom. But there were some who hearkened as John 1:12 tells us: “But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name.”
ML 10/08/1961