By Jacob Lawrence
Wisdom can be a tricky topic for some to understand. Actually, I don’t think many people do understand it. Some think that wisdom can just be handed to them. This is not true. You must strive for it and ask for it.
What is wisdom? Merriam Webster defines wisdom as the “ability to discern inner qualities and relationships.” Dictionary.com defines wisdom as “the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action.” In the NT, the Greek word sophia, translated “wisdom,” refers to “the capacity to understand and function accordingly” (BDAG, 934). In summary, wisdom is the ability to have knowledge and know how to apply it and use it.
Before jumping into the study itself, let’s consider divine wisdom and human wisdom. We should already know that divine wisdom is much better than human wisdom. Divine wisdom is from God; human wisdom is not. God is perfect; man is flawed, and so also is human wisdom.
After the period of the Judges, Israel did what they thought was wise, not what God thought was wise (Judges 21:25). That resulted in their captivity a couple hundred years later (2 Kings 24:10-16; 25:1-10; 17:6-23). God had grown tired of Israel’s repeated sins and mistakes, so He punished them by sending them into slavery. Clearly, man’s wisdom is often inaccurate, flawed, and undependable. Even Solomon—the wisest man who ever lived, except for Jesus—warned against human wisdom (Prov. 3:7-8)! Yet, human wisdom can be upgraded into a form of wisdom that is trustworthy, i.e., through God’s divine wisdom (Jas. 1:5). While we do not inherently possess God’s wisdom, we can become wiser by following His will.
Let’s look at Jesus. He was God in fleshly form, so He had divine wisdom (Mark 6:1-2; Luke 2:52). Jesus possessed wisdom, and it continued to grow. Jesus was perfect. Obviously, no one but God is truly perfect. While Jesus was a man, He was also God—with a full measure of divine wisdom. So there are two types of wisdom: (1) flawed, human wisdom; and (2) perfect, divine wisdom.
Now that we have discussed the two types of wisdom, let’s consider what wisdom looks like.
Young King Solomon asked God for wisdom. This was a wise thing to do already. God told Solomon that he could have anything he desired. Solomon chose wisdom (1 Kings 3:3-15).
God kept His promise and granted Solomon wisdom. However, that wisdom was soon tested when two women came before the king, claiming the same child (1 Kings 3:16-28). How did he identify the actual mother? Solomon knew the real mother would do anything to see her son live, so far as to give her son up to a complete stranger. So Solomon easily identified the rightful mother. He judged wisely. Was it through human wisdom that Solomon found out who the actual mother was? No, it was through God’s divine wisdom.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were taken from their nation, cities, and homes, and exiled into a nation that knew not God (Dan. 1:1-8). Far from home, these four youths could’ve done anything they wanted and no one would’ve stopped them. However, they stayed true to God. This was wise; they knew about God and His laws and obeyed them when put to the test (Dan. 3:1, 8-18).
How do you think what the Bereans did was wise? The Bereans didn’t just take Paul’s words and blindly accept them. Instead, they studied to make sure that he was preaching the truth (Acts 17:10-11).
Peter and the apostles were being told to stop preaching about Jesus. So they listened and shut up, right? No! They knew God was more important than the men who wanted them to stop preaching. They knew what God wanted was what they had to follow—not what man wanted. This is a great example of wisdom; they listened to God rather than man (Acts 4:13-20; 5:23-29).
So, we know what wisdom is, and we’ve looked at examples of wisdom. So how do we get wisdom? We can find wisdom. However, only God knows where it is and decides whether to give it (Job 28:12-28). So how do we get it? We look for it in the right place (1 Cor. 1:18–31). We ask God for wisdom (Jas. 1:5). If we ask for it, He will give us an opportunity to grasp it.
Wisdom calls to us (Prov. 1:20-33), but we must recognize its call, and respond appropriately, if we hope to attain it. We live according to its teaching (Jas. 3:17). If we forsake wisdom, wisdom will forsake us.
So what is wisdom? Wisdom involves attaining knowledge and knowing how to apply it.
If we want to grow as Christians, we must beg for wisdom, as did Solomon. God will give it to us. When He does, we must recognize it, and take it. Once we take it, we must use it for good.
Remember the Bible examples which have been mentioned above, and act like them. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had wisdom and did good when surrounded by evil. We can do the same. The Bereans used wisdom to make sure Paul was preaching the truth. We must search the Scriptures as well. Even if it’s the same trusted preacher in the pulpit every time, we must search the Scriptures. This is especially if it’s a new (or less experienced) teacher in the pulpit. Who knows? He may knowingly or unknowingly teach error. Peter and the apostles had wisdom and used it, for they feared God rather than men. Wicked men could kill them, but God could send them to hell. In like manner, we must obey God rather than man.
Why should we want wisdom? With wisdom, we can grow more as Christians. There is more chance to do good when one grows in wisdom. It offers with more opportunities for service. Yet, without wisdom, there is no hope of spreading the gospel effectively. Do not let wisdom pass you by, for you may never get another chance.
Arndt, William. et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
“Wise.” Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wise.
“Wise.” Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wise
