I looked down at those pieces of wood in front of me. Somehow, they were going to come together to make a small decorative planter. Every student in that freshman woodshop class had a project due at the end of that quarter. In those days, freshman shop class involved spending a quarter in each of the schools shops, including the drafting room. Before we could build our project, we had to make a blueprint. We were to follow the blueprint in cutting, drilling, gluing and putting together our projects.Every building project begins with a blue print, which serves as a guide. Whether it is a house, furniture, an airplane, or a car, there are blueprints that engineers created for builders to follow. If not, the results could be disastrous. No one wants houses falling in or planes falling out of the sky. The engineer knows his trade, so his instructions need to be followed.
Listen to the engineer who helped build the universe...
"I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion ... When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed, When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth; Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having my delight in the sons of men. Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways" (Prov 8:12, -27-32).
Wisdom is personified here as a "master workman" that helped God construct the universe. Wisdom is the co-engineer and designer of the universe. There is an order and design to the universe. The message in the book of Proverbs is that there is also a moral design to the universe as well. A wise person will study and understand the blueprint for life created by the engineer. Whether it is building a family, building a business, or building a nation, there is a design to follow. Wisdom says, "By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly" (Prov 8:15-16).
Since all of the world is a creation of God by wisdom, then all parts of our lives need to be built upon godly wisdom, not earthly or natural wisdom. Godless natural wisdom will fail because it disregards the blueprints for creation. There is a design for which to build marriages, practice medicine, engage in business, government, and any other activity we engage in on God's earth. If we build while disregarding wisdom who designed not only the physical order of the universe, but also the moral and social order, then our project may wind up collapsing. One only need to look around to see evidence of this happening all around us. Therefore we need to pursue godly wisdom and build our life in accordance with her.