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| Volume 25 Number 5 May 2023 |
Page 14 |
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| Volume 25 Number 5 May 2023 |
Page 14 |
Roger Wright
“Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart” (1 Kings 10:24 NKJV). If you are looking for the prime example of wisdom in the Old Testament, there is none greater than Solomon. He lived a life of tremendous influence, wealth, privilege and opportunity. He accomplished great things, including the building of cities, expansion of agriculture, expansion of his kingdom, accumulation of wealth and, of course, erecting of the great Temple in Jerusalem.
Those things speak of great success, but what is wisdom? Wisdom is demonstrated in a number of different ways. Wisdom is the ability to solve great questions and understand great mysteries. When two women argued about whose son was alive and whose was dead, Solomon was able to use the compassion he knew was in the heart of the real mother to solve the mystery. The Queen of Sheba came and asked all sorts and questions of Solomon. He was able to answer them all (1 Kings 10:1-3).
Wisdom is the ability to apply one’s knowledge to real situations to accomplish great works. The Temple, Solomon’s palace, his stables, the treasure cities and all the works of his realm showed his wisdom (1 Kings 4).
Even more, wisdom relates to understanding who you are and where you belong in the sight of God. A wise person understands that all the success, wealth, power and prestige that one might attain is fleeting. We come into this world with nothing, and we leave with the same. In the end, the thing that matters more than everything else is the relationship we have with God, our Creator, our Savior and our Judge. To put God out of our minds is the height of foolishness. To leave God out of our daily lives is to rob ourselves of the greatest source of understanding and power in all the universe. To honor God with our lives each day is to display real wisdom.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
