What is wisdom? Our Heavenly Father says that His wisdom is incomparable (1 Corin.1:25). I used to think that God’s wisdom was just about being wise in tough decisions and a gift only pastors and mighty servants of God would have. BUT the Lord was gracious to show me the depth of His wisdom, though incomparable, can be received. In fact, it is the desire of His heart that we would all live by His wisdom.
King Solomon was the wisest of all man (1 Kings 3:12, 4:30). God gave him measureless wisdom and vast insight because He was pleased with what Solomon had asked for – a discerning heart to govern the people and to distinguish right from wrong (1 Kings 3:9). Proverbs 10:13 writes that wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning and King Solomon lived out this truth in his wise ruling (1 Kings 3:16-28, 9:15-23).
Apart from discernment, God’s wisdom brought peace to Solomon. The Lord put Solomon’s enemies under his feet blessed him with peaceful relations with King Hiram of Tyre (1 Kings 5:3-4, 12). Proverbs 16:7 says that God makes people around us live at peace with us, even our enemies, as long as all our ways and deeds are pleasing to Him.
Solomon had wisdom in prayer. His prayer of dedication to the Lord (1 Kings 8:22-53) demonstrated humility before the Lord God Almighty. He confessed the sins of the people and cried out to the Lord for forgiveness. The Lord heard Solomon’s prayer and answered him, assuring him that there would always be a man on the throne of Israel as long as he and his sons follow His commands and walk in His ways (1 Kings 9:2-9). Solomon’s prayer reminded me of the time David cried out to the Lord after he had committed adultery. David cried, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Ps. 51:17) Coming before the Lord in brokenness and defeat is not going to bring victory. It is reveling in God’s promises that will do that; we must approach God with confidence in His promises (Heb. 4:16).
God’s wisdom didn’t stop at Solomon’s ruling and governing, it extended to his judgment in the economy, in trading and even raising the value of silver (1 Kings 9:26, 10:21-23,27). It was recorded that silver was of little worth in those times. Economic wisdom is still prevalent today as God plants people in the economic and finance sectors to make sound judgment. God Himself controls the economy and knows every detail of the business cycle and the rise and fall of prices. However, like Solomon, this blessing doesn’t stand unless one live in God’s righteousness – walk to God’s ways (Prov. 10:22, 15:6).
1 Kings 11 reveals Solomon’s disobedience to God when it came to foreign women. Because he didn’t follow God completely, God’s wisdom in him was brought to naught. Proverbs 9:10 teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 26 writes that the Lord gives wisdom; knowledge and understanding comes from his mouth. And proverbs 8:13 says to fear the Lord is to hate evil. Solomon loved his foreign wives and did evil in the eyes of God by worshipping their foreign gods (1 Kings 11:6). His fear of the Lord diminished and this displeased the Lord. As he didn’t follow God completely (v6), the blessings of wisdom were no more – peace turned into disaster (11:9-43).
Proverbs 10:27 writes “the fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.” This was what happened to King Solomon (11:14,15), King Jeroboam, Rehoboam, Abijah, Nadab, Baasha, Zimri, Omri and King Ahab. They did evil in the eyes of the Lord and their years were cut short. Conversely, Asa king of Judah feared the Lord (1 Kings 15:9-23). Because of that, he had the Lord’s wisdom and he lived in safety and at ease (Prov.1:33).
God’s wisdom is also about following instructions. In 1 Kings 17, about the widow at Zarephath, God’s wisdom was seen through Elijah as he followed God’s instructions to go to the widow’s house and he found favor with her (Prov. 8:32-36). God’s wisdom was also seen through the widow as she did what she was told. Though she said what she said in verse 18, she submitted and allowed Elijah to take her son. I believe that though she might not trust Elijah, she trusted in the Lord (Prov.16:20). 1 Kings 17:18 and 17:24 were trust issues with Elijah and not with God. Wisdom is about trusting in the Lord, not man, as we heed His instructions. This wisdom needs to be practiced. The widow, once wise, the next moment, allowed her emotions to take control, not heeding Elisha’s instructions. In 2 Kings 4:8-36, she insisted on following Gehazi though that wasn’t what Elisha instructed. And because it wasn’t God’s plan that she went along, her son remained dead. She must have realized the importance of heeding whatever Elisha instructed because the second time round, Elisha shut the door on them and she didn’t insist on staying with her child. Then, her son came to life again (Prov.19:20-22).
King Ahab did evil in the eyes of the Lord (1 Kings 21:25). However, the fear of the Lord and the wisdom of the Lord came upon him and brought him to humble himself before God (v28). The fear of the Lord taught King Ahab humility before God – and this is wisdom (Prov.15:33).
“Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.” (Prov.15:16) In 2 Kings 5:19-27, Gehazi, Elisha’s servant requested for a ‘love offering’ from Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Aram, after Naaman was healed of leprosy through Elisha the prophet. He did this behind Elisha’s back and this ‘wealth with turmoil’ brought a curse on himself and his descendents – that Naaman’s leprosy will cling on to him and his descendents forever (v27). The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom, not greed.
“The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.” (Prov.14:14) In 2 Kings 7:1-2, Elisha prophesied that God will provide for the famine in Samaria but the officer offered a faithless reply. Indeed, he was fully repaid for being faithless, he saw the prophecy fulfill but he could not receive God’s providence as well because he died (v17-19). Wisdom produces faith; a good man is a man of faith and he is rewarded for without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6).
King Hezekiah was another King who feared the Lord (2 Kings 20:2-3, Prov.14:2, 16). Unlike the field commander and King of Assyria, King Hezekiah lived by God’s wisdom. They were foolish in mocking God’s power, while Hezekiah exalted God by turning to him in prayer (2 Kings 18:19-25, 20:2-3). Hezekiah turning to the wall and praying pleased God because he was upright and trusted in God (prov.15:8, James 5:16, Ps.40:4). Proverbs 14:3 says “A fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.” King Hezekiah feared the Lord, he found wisdom and knowledge and understanding of the God he trusted. God added years to his life in his illness as he turned to the wall and prayed to God. Hezekiah’s wisdom rewarded him while because the King of Assyria mocked God, his Kingdom fell (2 Kings 19, Prov.9:10-12). Wisdom is being upright in ALL our deeds (THIS INCLUDES SPEECH!).
In 2 Kings 22, it records that King Josiah feared the Lord too. He inquired of the Lord because the people of his time did not obey the commands of the Lord and he was deeply grieved – he tore his robe (v11). Because he tore his robe and wept in God’s presence, the Lord promised that he will be buried in peace with his fathers and he wouldn’t live to see the disaster that He will being upon the people. In 2 Kings 23:29-30, King Josiah died under the hands of Pharoah Neco of Egypt in Megiddo. I struggled to understand how peaceful that kind of death could be – to die in battle, in the hands of the enemy. How then was he buried in peace? As I was reading Revelations from heaven by Rev.Steven Francis Das, I learnt that Megiddo is a Hebrew word which means to cut off and slaughter and many of the wars at that time took place there. God showed me through Proverbs 1:33 and Psalm 23:4 that King Josiah truly died in peace, though in battle, and in that horrible place. Proverbs 1:33 writes that he will have no fear of harm, and not that he will not encounter harm. Psalm 23:4 writes that God’s rod and staff will comfort him as he goes through the valley of the shadow of death. Like the qualities of a shadow, death can do no harm to our promised eternal life. King Josiah was assured of this promise of eternal life in the end and he had no fear of facing Neco and death because God’s peace was upon Him. He found God’s wisdom and hence God’s peace (Prov.3:13, 17).
Proverbs 2 advocates that we must accept and store up God’s commands, and then He will give us wisdom which will help us understand the fear of the Lord, obedience in keeping His commands. From God’s wisdom come many promised blessings and benefits. Through the fear of the Lord, a man avoids evil (Prov.16:6). The Lord desires that we ask Him for wisdom simply because He loves us and wants the best for us. Living by God’s wisdom is wisdom. Asking Him for wisdom is wisdom. God’s wisdom is a gift anyone can receive. When you’ve received His wisdom, don’t be like the widow, rather exercise your wisdom. Above all, fear the Lord always for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Got it? Or, rather, done it?
