Wisdom and Knowledge

On a night when Solomon offered a 1,000 burnt offerings on a bronze altar before the Lord, God appeared to him and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” King Solomon asked God for wisdom and knowledge that would help him make good judgments for the people. God granted Solmon’s request. [1]

Solomon composed 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs [2] with his gifts of wisdom and knowledge from the Lord. Three of his compositions have been preserved for us in the Bible. He wrote Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs.

Wisdom and knowledge are the givers in Solomon’s proverbs. Foolishness is the robber.

“A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit. Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.” “A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident.” “He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly.” [3]

The fool has a self-defeating tendency to scoff. To scoff is speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way. The wise person invests himself in understanding things and then, holds onto knowledge he has gained for future use. The fool chooses the path of deception and cheating (sinful behaviors). He makes light of doing wrong. He assumes wrongly that his bad choices will yield good returns. He has no patience for honesty and integrity. He is impulsive. The wise person anchors his or her choices to the wisdom and knowledge of God that is recorded in the Bible, namely, to love God and love neighbor in all that one does. Goodwill!

God is wiser than anyone else. He knows all things. And what has He done for people? He has given His Son for us to be our Redeemer from sin’s captivity. In Christ, God has forgiven our previous bad choices (sins). God has made wisdom and prudence to abound toward us in Christ. God has made known to us the mystery of His will. The Creator reveals to us wisdom and knowledge that we could not grasp without Him. [4]

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the Word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” [5]

God gives His Holy Spirit to us who believe in His Son. The Holy Spirit is God with us and in us. The Holy Spirit is not a skeptic. He is not a scoffer. He is a confidence giver. He is a counselor. His presence in us is God’s way of affirming to us that we are on our way to the heavenly Promised Land. He is the guarantee of our eternal inheritance. The wisdom and knowledge of such an inheritance in Christ helps us to be patient and committed to making good choices.

The Holy Spirit led Paul to pray “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” [6]

Christianity is a revealed religion. People can read the Bible, quote the Bible and even teach the Bible, but only the Holy Spirit can reveal it so that it becomes alive and transformative. The Holy Spirit turns the lights on for us so that we believe and have zeal to build our lives on God’s Word.

Our Heavenly Father resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Jesus is now far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. All things are under His feet. [7]

Jesus holds the keys to the kingdom of God. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” The door Jesus opens no one can shut, and the door He shuts no one can open. Knowing that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life is the highest form of wisdom and knowledge. [8]

May the Lord grant to you, my dear friend, His wisdom and knowledge in Christ Jesus! Amen!

[1] 2 Chronicles 1:6-12
[2] 1 Kings 4:32
[3] Proverbs 14:6-9, 16, 29
[4] Ephesians 1:6-9
[5] Ephesians 1:13-14
[6] Ephesians 1:17-19
[7] Ephesians 1:20-21
[8] Matthew 16:19; Revelation 3:7; John 14:6