“Who
has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the
earth? What is His name, and what is His
son’s name? Surely you know!” –Proverbs 30:4
(ESV).
Continuing in these days leading up to
Christmas to cite and examine some of the Old Testament prophecies concerning
the Messiah, I notice in the list of “Messianic Prophecies of the Old
Testament” [“Bible Prophecy” in Master
Study Bible. Nashville: Holman, 1981, pp. 1534-1536] there is only
one reference from Proverbs included about the Lord’s coming to earth. By far the most extensive Messianic
prophecies are contained in the Psalms and in Isaiah. I found it very interesting indeed that
tucked away in the book of wisdom literature, Proverbs, is this one reference
to the coming of the Son of God.
Looking more closely at this prophecy
of Jesus’ coming in Proverbs 30:4, and its evidence of fulfillment in the New
Testament, we see several points to note.
First, and interesting byline attributes the proverb to “Agur, son of Jakeh, the oracle.” Proverbs 30 is the only one credited to
this writer. Some scholars believe that
Agur was another name, or perhaps a nickname for Solomon. Still others believe Agur may have been a
trusted court counselor. Another theory
is that it was written by a wise man of a non-Israelite tribe who recognized
and wrote about the Lord God who would come to earth. Even though the author’s credibility for
writing cannot be firmly established, the fact that he recognized the truth and
wrote about it is of great significance.
Gems of truth about the Messiah lie in
this single verse. He is a resident of
both heaven and earth: “Who has ascended to heaven and come
down?” The poetic descriptions of
His work indicate that He was present in creation: “Who
has gathered the winds in his fists? Who
has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established the ends of the earth?” Then the writer of this proverb poses a rhetorical
question that has a very obvious answer:
“What is His name and what is His
Son’s name? Surely you know!” In many places in New Testament writings
the identity and relationship of Jesus to God the Father is made known: At His baptism a voice from heaven declared: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well
pleased” (Matthew 3:17). As He calmed the waves on the stormy Sea
of Galilee one night, His disciples marveled: “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark
4:41b). The New Testament references to
the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy recorded in Proverbs are too numerous
to cite in this short devotional. But
we, like the wise writer of old, are prone to ask our own rhetorical question
and then to reply, very positively: “What is His name, and what is His Son’s
name? Surely you know!”
Prayer.
“The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth!” Thank you, Lord, for this heart knowledge,
this mind knowledge, this soul knowledge.
We do not deserve this heavenly revelation but we are so thankful You
made the truth known to all who are willing to grasp its magnitude and accept
it! Amen.
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