The Master Craftsman
Proverbs 8:22-31
Recently Patti and I took a glass blowing class. It was fascinating. The first thing the instructor did was to put his punty (the stick he uses to hold the glass) into an oven with 750 lbs. of liquid glass. Talk about intimidating. Step by step he showed us how to create our own work of art. In the end we had a beautiful, colorful fish made of glass. Not bad.
Then we stepped into the show room to finalize our paperwork and pay the bill, and we were blown away (pun intended) by the true works of art there. The glass studio was owned by a well-known glass artist and his creations were phenomenal. Suddenly, our little fish didn’t seem so spectacular. Not bad for our first try but certainly no work of art.
But the reality is that even the amazing creations we saw in that showroom pale in comparison to the world God has made. As a matter of fact, the glass creations were simply attempts to replicate the wonder of things the Master Creator has made.
This week I was having lunch with a friend of mine who is a scuba diver. We got to talking about the wonder and the mystery of the ocean. At one point he was 220 feet below the surface of the water. I can’t imagine. At some points the ocean is miles deep. That’s crazy to think about. Up until modern history most of the ocean was unexplored and even today there’s a real mystery to what lurks at the bottom of the ocean.
That means for thousands of years—the majority of the existence of mankind—all the beauty, wonder and majesty of the ocean was visible only to God. Why would God create all the colors and complexities of the ocean if no one could see it for most of human history? The simple answer because He likes it. He enjoys it. It gives Him pleasure. I believe He created it, stood back from it, and smiled.
God utterly delights in what He has made. He is the master craftsman. Lady wisdom reminds us that she was there when God created the universe. Then I was beside Him, as a master workman, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him. The term master workman means master craftsman in our language. The universe was created with great skill. God’s wisdom is seen in the breath-taking beauty and complexity of what He has made. Yes, the same lady wisdom that offers us the roadmap to skillful living.
There was a time when atheism wanted to claim science as the explanation for the absence of God. At times if felt like people who believed in God (theists) were put on the defensive. Today however, that’s turned upside down. Science has unveiled the incredible complexities of the universe to such a degree the idea that it all happened by chance is simply untenable. This idea is reflected in a recent book by Eric Metaxas entitled Is Atheism Dead?
The purpose for this discussion of a creator in Proverbs is to remind us that lady wisdom was there in creation every step of the way. From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest of times of the earth. Imagine, a God so complex and so majestic, the Maker of the universe, offers to be your personal counselor to mentor you in living skillfully in a fallen world. How can we not listen when lady wisdom calls?
This also give validity to the idea that there are moral and social laws in the universe that are as binding as natural laws. Of course, for this to true there must be design and intent to the universe, and so there is. We can no more ignore the Creator’s moral and social laws without consequence than we can His natural laws. Do we as a culture understand this? I think many do not.
What if an elementary school teacher sought to persuade these young children that gravity is a relative concept. She tells them it may be true for some of the children but not necessarily for others. She tells them the promoters of gravity do so because they want to limit our freedom. That’s why they push their agenda onto the children. Therefore, the children are free to decide for themselves if they can fly or not. She tells them that any of them are welcome to join her on the roof of the school building during recess if they want to try to jump off and fly.
Now obviously, no teacher would be that reckless to so confuse the children into thinking they can simply ignore the laws of nature without consequence. Right? Yet, this is what is being done in schools all over the country. As a culture we are acting like there is no Creator. Like there are no moral and social laws. Like we can ignore the obvious truth and do as we please. What’s worse, we’re doing this with our children. Come on kids, let’s jump and see what happens. Really?
Modern science has made the case for a Creator stronger than ever. God made the universe and lady wisdom was right there with Him as the master workman every step of the way. As a result, she is rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having her delight in the sons of men. Seek her. Love her. She delights in you but the question is will you delight in her? Remember, those who diligently seek her will find her.