Wisdom

The kingdom of Israel had just experienced a very traumatizing thing, although in those days it was not uncommon for there to be a fair bit of drama moving from king to king. Some context here will serve to establish a foundation.

David is now old and advanced in years, having already pronounced Solomon as his successor – one of his rebellious sons, Adonijah decides he is going to insert himself as king! Imagine the uproarAs has already happened so many times before the voice of the Lord is intentionally ignored (1 Kings 1:9-10, 1 Samuel 22:11-19). David, being revered among the people, is so frail he must be personally attended 24/7 and now Adonijah is threatening his father’s posterity as king at his weakest moments. Understandably Nathan (the prophet) and Bathsheba (David’s wife and mother of Solomon) represent the nation’s concern over this grievous sin. To really have a grasp of the enormity of this situation and the injury it surely will bring to the kingdom as well as God’s name is hard for a 21^st century person. It is easiest for an American believer to liken it to the entire governing structure being overthrown in a one-week span, a new (unknown) leader (somehow related to the president) to be self-inserted, and to turn on any news source and see scrolling on the bottom of the screen issues arising from the man’s life which reveal unspeakable pride and self-centeredness regarding his agenda for the nation. Ok, now we have a fair reckoning of the grand nature of this scheme of Adonijah’s.

David meets and destroys this diabolical plan by making it crystal clear that Solomon is God’s chosen king after him. So, here is Solomon, barely 20 years of age, the kingdom has just a short while ago been in an absolute uproar, and now his father is dead. It is no wonder that in 1 Kings 3 we see God visiting Solomon in a dream in which he asks God for wisdom. So, why wisdom? Have you ever given yourself the permission to question that decision of Solomon – or did you just chuck it out the window and say, “isn’t he the guy that had 700 wives and 300 concubines? Should I really listen to his wisdom?”

The next issue a heart must wrestle with is the transcendence of this story in general. If 75% of the Bible is communicated via story should I not reckon this to have a direct bearing on my life and ministry for the King of Kings? The obvious Sunday school answer is “yes – this matters” (see Prov. 4, especially verse 5). God wants me to get wisdom. First of all then, what is wisdom? Wisdom, as it appears in this text, could literally be rendered “a hearing heart” tuned to the voice of God.

“A hearing heart.” I could simply publish this article and stop at a hearing heart and have a captive audience (myself included) who hangs on the meaning of those words in the here and now. Our culture simply DOES NOT get this, yet it is vital if we are to be a people for God’s own possession to do his good, pleasing and perfect will. The heart, as Luke 6:45 speaks of, is the absolute control center from which our decisions, emotions, and words (among many other things) flow. When Jesus, in the Gospels, really wants to drive a point home he will often say something like this: “he who has ears let him hear… (insert life altering and amazing teaching).” He is not simply asking if they are listening, he is begging a heart-oriented response to the words he is about to say. Why? Suppose you have all the wisdom in the world in your mind but never carry it out? What good is it? Not a mite of good – anyone will tell you that (as will James 2:14-26). So, reckon now in your heart of hearts, wisdom is a heart thing and MUST BE intensely practical (Solomon’s rule with the 2 prostitutes in 1 Kings 3:16 as one example of practical wisdom).

Where did Solomon get derailed then? It would appear, from sheer biblical evidence, Solomon certainly did not have a perseverant wisdom. Does this mean I cannot, nor should not hope for it in prayer? My answer to the earnest reader of this is “no.” You should hope for it in prayer and seek it through your interaction with the Scriptures. What is the key or where shall I have perseverant wisdom?

Wisdom being heart-oriented must have its beginnings, and its sustenance, in the FEAR of the Lord. Fear of God is rooted in a few different Hebrew words meaning, “reverence, dread and terror.” There are many elements to FEAR, more than I am listing here but I use these three because they are most commonly used throughout the Old Testament and would have been closest to Solomon’s understanding of FEAR as used in Proverbs 1.

Ask yourself a simple question, “do the three words above represent my view of God on a regular basis?” Furthermore, name at least two benefits one receives from having this view of God (see Matt. 10:28, II Cor. 5:11, 7:1, Eph. 5:21 for some clues). Fear is filial, rooted in God’s father-type love for mankind and therefore always has hope tethered to it.

In closing, I urge you to consider that wisdom is only as good as the fear which precedes it. Solomon begun this way, but soon was swayed by the sweet tasting delicacies of affluence, lust, and authority (also known as money, sex and power). God will not deny you if you ask for wisdom. Make no mistake, however, FEAR is essential and gives you the “hearing heart” tuned to God’s voice which is wisdom’s happy home.