Olney Hymns · Chapter
Wisdom explained
This chapter personifies Wisdom as an eternal attribute of God, present before creation and active in the formation of the world.
What happens
This chapter personifies Wisdom as an eternal attribute of God, present before creation and active in the formation of the world. It marvels at the divine love that, despite human sin and rejection, offers grace and redemption through Christ's sacrifice.
Themes in this chapter
Divine Providence and Guidance
Wisdom is portrayed as God's eternal companion in creation, working by 'weight and measure,' showing God's orderly and purposeful design.
Grace and Unmerited Favor
The poem marvels that God would love and die for unworthy sinners, highlighting the unmerited grace extended to humanity.
Characters to notice
- Wisdom
Personified as an eternal being, present with God before creation, and the source of divine order and grace.
- God
The Creator who built the mountains, spread the skies, and surveyed humanity with love before the stars existed.
- Jesus Christ
Referred to as the one who died for sinners, the voice that speaks in thunder, and the embodiment of divine love.
- Sin
Humanity's sinfulness is acknowledged, as they 'slighted' and 'nail'd' Christ to the tree.
Key passages
“Ere God had built the mountains, Or raised the fruitful hills, Before he fill’d the fountains That feed the running rills, In me, from everlasting, The wonderful I am Found pleasures never wasting, And Wisdom is my name.”
Before God created the mountains, hills, and springs, I (Wisdom) existed eternally with the great 'I AM,' finding endless delight.
This stanza establishes Wisdom's eternal existence and intimate association with God before creation.
“When, like a tent to dwell in, He spread the skies abroad, And swathed about the swelling Of ocean’s mighty flood, He wrought by weight and measure; And I was with him then;— Myself the Father’s pleasure, And mine the sons of men.”
When God stretched out the heavens like a tent and contained the oceans, He created with perfect order, and I was His delight, and my delight is in humanity.
This describes Wisdom's role in creation and its special connection to human beings.
“Thus Wisdom’s words discover Thy glory and thy grace, Thou everlasting lover Of our unworthy race! Thy gracious eye survey’d us Ere stars were seen above: In wisdom thou hast made us, And died for us in love.”
Wisdom reveals God's glory and grace, showing that God, who loves us despite our unworthiness, saw us before creation and made us with wisdom, even dying for us out of love.
This stanza connects God's creative wisdom with His redemptive love in Christ.
“And couldst thou be delighted With creatures such as we! Who, when we saw thee slighted And nail’d thee to a tree! Unfathomable wonder, And mystery divine, The voice that speaks in thunder, Says, “Sinner, I am thine!””
How could God take pleasure in creatures like us, who rejected and crucified Him? This is an incomprehensible mystery: the majestic voice of God declares to sinners, 'I am yours.'
This final stanza expresses awe at God's love for sinners despite their rebellion, culminating in the assurance of divine ownership.