Lately, my quest for wisdom through the study of the book of Proverbs has run into a snag or two – well maybe more than a couple! I’ve been distracted with Deuteronomy and David, both of which have been enlightening, and aren’t all together all that divergent from the study of Proverbs.

In 1 Samuel, when David flees from Saul’s jealous rage, he goes to the priests at Nob, and there God provides for him the bread of the presence. The bread of the presence, a concept that even though I’m sure I’ve heard of it before, landed in my mind with such consequence that I can’t stop thinking about it.

The bread of the Presence:         The bread that was given to David by God

The Bread that was kept at the altar of God

The Bread offered at Wisdom’s table

The Bread of the Eucharist which is the body of Christ

The bread of Life offered by Christ

All of these “breads” are the symbol of God in our lives. We eat the bread that we may be at one with God, and that Christ (the Word, Wisdom) may live in us and we in him.

It’s interesting how in the study of scripture, the voice of Wisdom can be rather ADD, leading you in seemingly unrelated and opposing directions, only to circle back to the original thought. All the pieces are thrown at you in a whirlwind of ideas, like a fine tapestry that at first glance, tells a simple story, transforming into something else, when viewed at a middle distance, and changing again at close inspection, where it becomes evident that each of the individual threads has an entire story of its own, yet the ingenious way in which they are woven together is exactly what created the simple tale.

~SLM