I received an email from a chain restaurant back on 3.9.15
inducing me to celebrate my upcoming birthday at their establishment, “You’re
not getting older. You’re just getting hungrier” was my e-birthday card. Now
there is an illustration of wishing me a happy birthday with an agenda! “Spend” your birthday with us!
In spite of that clever marketing ploy, it did make me feel kind of euphoric!
Now I had a reason for my bulging belly – my age. The older I get the bigger it
can become; it all makes sense to me, now!
Another thing that comes with age is white or gray hair which
tells me I am getting older along with the wrinkles. I don’t recall ever
receiving a birthday card saying, “You’re not getting older. You’re just getting
prettier!” Now, what would work for me is one that said, “You’re not getting
older. You’re getting wiser!” Yeah, I could live with that one.
White hair was once associated with the accumulation of wisdom, but we know that is not always true. Even upstart intellectuals think if they get advanced degrees they are wiser than the average person, but we know that is not true either. Smart, rich, and savvy are not symbols of heavenly wisdom any more than their opposites. Having wisdom from above is a matter of the heart in response to the right kind of knowledge. For most of us, unlike Solomon, wisdom takes time.
Unfortunately, I have known white-haired people, educated people, or both who were still spiritually sucking their thumbs. Usually, all you hear from them are lame excuses of “I know I should be reading more or praying more, but nobody is perfect.” When I hear saints talk like this there are several possibilities they are declaring publicly.
White hair was once associated with the accumulation of wisdom, but we know that is not always true. Even upstart intellectuals think if they get advanced degrees they are wiser than the average person, but we know that is not true either. Smart, rich, and savvy are not symbols of heavenly wisdom any more than their opposites. Having wisdom from above is a matter of the heart in response to the right kind of knowledge. For most of us, unlike Solomon, wisdom takes time.
Unfortunately, I have known white-haired people, educated people, or both who were still spiritually sucking their thumbs. Usually, all you hear from them are lame excuses of “I know I should be reading more or praying more, but nobody is perfect.” When I hear saints talk like this there are several possibilities they are declaring publicly.
(1) A
failure to comply with the number one command in all of Scripture for all
saints – agape love for God (Mk 12:30). The heart is the seat of the intellect [Prov
10:8; 15:14, 28], the emotions [Prov 12:25; 13:12; 14:10, 13], and the will [Prov
5:12], and it is to be all invested in God (cf. Col 1:18; 1 Cor 10:31; Col 3:17;
Jn 14:15, 1 Jn 5:3, 2 Jn 1:5), we simply can’t keep what we don’t know! So, it
is readily apparent that there can be no application of the truth in the daily
routines of life if there is no knowledge and understanding of God’s Word,
right?
(2) Their
lack of knowledge indicates a failure to fear the Lord (Prov 1:7).
(3) They
are struggling with worldliness and not consistently applying the general
principles of Scripture to life’s innumerable situations because their
knowledge of the Lord is shallow (Psa 11:10; Prov 9:10; 23:17).
(4) They
are unwise in the ways of the Lord….
Indeed, this sounds unfairly
judgmental on the surface for we all probably do not read our Bibles enough or
pray as often as we should; we are sinners, but that does not excuse us in
violating God’s commands or in being held accountable. But when I hear excuses
like these, the Christianity 101 stuff, there is normally a life trend of not
doing those things. I have heard the same saints say this repeatedly!
What concerns me about this is the evident
lack of wisdom in life. When they talk of situations and their response to
those things, you begin to understand why they are running off the road into a
ditch. Generally speaking, we can be very knowledgeable and still be unwise,
but we cannot be wise without knowledge.
This also holds true concerning
biblical knowledge. Who has not heard of Solomon’s wisdom surpassing all of his
peers? Do you know the singular reason why it was so surpassing? It came from
above, “I [Yahweh, inserted] have given you a wise and understanding heart” (1
Kgs 3:12). So renown was his wisdom and magnificent kingdom that people came
from all around the world to see for themselves if the legend was true. Read
the experience of the queen of Sheba visiting the kingdom of Solomon (1 Kgs
10:1-9).
v1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame
of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions.
v2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great
retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and
when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
v3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there
was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to
her [Imagine meeting a man that could answer all your questions!].
v4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the
wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
v5 the food on his table, the seating of his
servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his
entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit
in her.
v6 Then she said to the king: “It was a true
report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
v7 However I did not believe the words until I
came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom
and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard.
v8 Happy are your men and happy are
these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your
wisdom!
v9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted
in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel
forever, therefore He made you king, to
do justice and righteousness” [Emphasis mine, this was Solomon’s desire, 1
Kgs 3:7-9; 2 Chron 1:9-12].
How did Solomon acquire such excelling
wisdom and exceedingly great understanding from God (cf. 1 Kgs 4:29-34)? He asked for it (“Give to Your servant an
understanding heart to judge…” (1 Kgs 3:9); “Give me wisdom and knowledge” (2
Chron 1:10)! It would be one thing to request this along with long life,
riches, and the life of his enemies, but it truly revealed a very strong and genuine desire to
be fair and just was more important to him than all of those other things
people lust after! Give kudos to David for being a godly mentor and example in
rearing up such a wise son. One thing is for sure; there is no effective
reverse psychology tactic to get riches and honor from God who happens to be all-knowing (omniscient). While I am
thinking of it; do we lust after wisdom like we do things? Do we seek to be virtuous
over possessions and power?
Anyway, God knew Solomon’s heart
better than anyone (Jer 17:9-10) that he had truly asked for “understanding to
discern justice” (1 Kgs 3:11) which is why God gave him riches and honor; he
would handle and respond to each wisely. Eventually, Solomon would stray. His life serves as an
illustration of God’s goodness and the gravity of rebellion for us (Rom 15:4).
Why can’t we ask God for wisdom like
Solomon? Doesn’t James, the half-brother of Jesus say, “If any of us lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach,
and it will be given to him” (Jas 1:5)? Aren’t we supposed to be wise as serpents
but harmless as doves in a world of wolves (Mt 10:16)? There is no doubt we
need wisdom from above whenever we “encounter various trials” (Jas 1:2, NASB).
This is a very good question, but one in
which the answer may prove disappointing if we are of an entitlement mentality,
something for nothing because we think God owes us if we just humbly “ask.” The
caveat is that with wisdom comes responsibility in applying the general
principles of Scripture to all of life’s situations; to whom much is given much
is required or the greater the privilege the greater the responsibility (Lk 12:47-48,
a fundamental principle of service); we don’t like that last part, with wisdom comes responsibility.
Wisdom enables us not only to know God’s
expectations in every situation (knowledge of His Word) but to execute God’s
will in the vast array of experiences in life for His glory (application of
that knowledge). Wisdom is manifested not by knowledge alone but by the
application of that knowledge through the right decision-making, choosing God’s will over disobedience. What makes Solomon’s
situation miraculous is that he ruled for 40 years from 971 to 931 B.C. The canon
of Scripture had not been completed until circa 94-96 A.D.
But I ask you; how do we make good spiritual decisions without knowledge of His Word? We might ask, “How do we execute ignorance
of God’s Word?” Far too often, we summon faith in the chaos of a sudden storm,
and there is nothing in the heart tank to sustain us. We have been running on nearly empty for far too long! How can the Spirit of God remind us of truth that gives direction and comfort if our heart is virtually empty of God’s
Word due to our neglect and selfish promotion of willful ignorance? How do we
seize His essentially unknown promises to us and avoid becoming angry at
God in the aftermath of a storm (cf. Psa 119:11)? The levee is bound to break.
God wants us to take hold of His promises,
and claim them as our own! He makes good on them, and we should make good use
of them. It’s easy to make good decisions during fair weather; the course is
clear and steady; life is good. But when the storms of life appear suddenly
from out of nowhere and the way is obscured by the darkness, and we find
ourselves exposed to jeopardy, our resolve to stand upon the promises of God
and execute His will in turbulent times is tested, sometimes severely. In
the sunshine or the darkness, wisdom is needed at all times for we are constantly in the throes of spiritual warfare. <><
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| To Part 2 |
