And God said to Solomon: "Because . . . you have not asked riches or wealth or honor . . . but have asked wisdom and knowledge . . . wisdom and knowledge are granted you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor" (2 Chronicles 1:11-12).
THEME
WISDOM
When offered one wish, Midas, a legendary Phrygian king, asked that all he touched might turn to gold. His golden desire granted, Midas realized as soon as he wanted to eat that the gift was a curse, not a blessing. Although he got what he wanted, he didn't want what he got.
King Solomon also was offered one wish. But he did not waste it on a selfish, greedy request. Instead, he asked for wisdom that he might judge God's people justly. In requesting wisdom above riches, Solomon revealed right reasons for wanting to be wise. He asked not for his own benefit.
Wise people know how to learn; they never seek knowledge for their own sake. They know how to talk; they speak the truth in love. They know how to act; they pursue justice and evade evil. Perceptive people balance their words and actions. They say and do the right things at the right time for the right reasons.
The discerning person soon realizes that biblical wisdom is more about practice than philosophy. Wise people live skillfully. They apply heavenly counsel to earthly conduct.
In sending His Son to the unwise world, God applied knowledge. As Paul said, Jesus is God's wisdom applied to the world's problems (1 Co 1:24). We do not always think like God; but as His imagebearers by creation and new birth, we can be more perceptive. He left us with a word to the wise--imitate the life of Jesus.
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MAY 20
2 CHRONICLES 1:1-12
"Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people" (2 Chronicles 1:10).
A Persian philosopher, when asked how he had acquired so much knowledge, answered, "By not being too proud to ask questions when I was ignorant."
Even though Solomon was Israel's mighty king, he too was willing to admit his ignorance. But he wanted more than mere knowledge. When the Lord said to him, "Ask! What shall I give you?" (v. 7), Solomon made only one request. He asked for the insight and ability to judge God's people righteously. God gave him this, and He added wealth and honor as a bonus.
Solomon had his priorities right. He kept the people's welfare, not his own, in mind. Too often we want wisdom in order to achieve wealth and honor, but God doesn't work that way. He gives it to those who will honor Him whatever may happen.
Teenagers stand on the threshold of becoming adults and agonize over the question, "What should I do with my life?" Adults face job changes, family responsibilities, and many other far-reaching decisions. In times like these we need to search our hearts and ask, "Why do I want wisdom?" When we get our priorities straight, we can claim the promise of James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally . . . and it will be given to him." It's always appropriate to ask God for wisdom when our heart's desire is to honor Him and do what's right.
The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips (Proverbs 16:23).
Experts tell us that people often hide what they are trying to say behind a wall of words. This is a kind of doubletalk in which their words do not coincide with their feelings. Gerald Nierenberg, a New York lawyer, wrote a book about this problem called META-TALK: GUIDE TO HIDDEN MEANINGS IN CONVERSATION. In it he gives 350 examples of verbal distortion.
A communication consultant who holds workshops on this subject says many people fear that honesty in speech will cost them friendships, love, or respect. So they either keep their lips zipped or say something other than what they mean. Shyness, lack of self-worth, fear of displaying ignorance, fear of criticism, and fear of hurting someone's feelings also may impede honest communication.
Christians are not immune to this problem. Trying to be both loving and truthful can be extremely difficult. The Bible, however, provides a balanced and optimistic approach to this dilemma. Being honest with people may hurt, but if we speak kindly and with compassion we give them the support they need to face reality.
The third chapter of James indicates that divine wisdom can help us talk effectively, for it is "first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (v. 17). Believers who let these characteristics govern their speech will not have to hide behind a wall of words.
--M.R.D.II
Gentle words fall lightly, but they have great weight.
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MAY 22
PROVERBS 3:13-20
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil (Proverbs 3:7).
A cartoon in a New York newspaper depicted a young woman garbed in cap and gown, holding a diploma. With her head held high, she looks down her nose at Mr. World. "Well, what do we have here?" Mr. World asks in his cold, cruel, cynical way. "Certainly you know who I am. Cecelia Shakespeare Doaks, a graduate of Prestige College. I have my A.B." "How sad," replies Mr. World. "Come with me and I'll teach you the rest of the alphabet."
We wouldn't disparage the graduate for learning, nor downplay the desire to pursue an education. But four years of classroom instruction, even under the most competent teachers, doesn't make a student wise. The "school of hard knocks" often contributes more to wisdom than the "university of hard facts."
Get an education? Yes! But more importantly, seek the wisdom that is from above. The Scriptures tell us, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Pr 9:10). Knowledge is the acquisition of facts; wisdom is the right use of those facts. Even with the best education and the broadest practical experience, a man or a woman knows nothing apart from God. The Bible says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally, . . . and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). This kind of wisdom never leads to arrogance.
--R.W.D.
The heart of education is education of the heart.
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MAY 23
PROVERBS 17:27-18:4
Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace
(Proverbs 17:28).
In 1972, two oil tankers collided under the Golden Gate Bridge, spilling 840,000 gallons of crude oil into the bay. Dying birds, fish, and seals began washing up on the shore. The tragedy prompted a man who lived near the bridge to live a simpler life that would use less natural resources. First, he began walking everywhere. A year later, he decided to stop talking in an attempt to call attention to what was happening to the environment. During the next thirteen years, he talked only once: he called his parents to tell them his plans to begin a walking pilgrimage. Through nonverbal communication, he conveyed the idea that the longer he maintained silence, the more he could listen to what other people were saying. Furthermore, as a result of his silence, the press began to take note of his cause and his message.
What this man discovered holds true for us. Talking less can help us not only to hear more but also to be heard more. Often our silence on a subject is more eloquent and noteworthy than any words we could say.
Solomon emphasized this truth repeatedly. The wise person hears and is heard because he knows both when to talk and when to remain silent. And he has a way of speaking even when he says nothing. There is wisdom in talking less in order to say more.
--M.R.D.II
Silence can be beautiful; don't break it unless you can improve it.
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MAY 24
1 CORINTHIANS 6:1-11
God is love (1 John 4:16). "Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).
In a children's story popular during the middle 1800s, a small boy disobeyed his mother by taking a piece of cake when she wasn't looking. The book referred to him as "mean," "contemptible," and "without one particle of honorable or generous feeling." It asked, "And can anyone love or esteem a child who has become so degraded?" A description of "the deceitful child" at the judgment of the great white throne followed, and we learn of his harsh sentence, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mt 25:41).
Unwise Christians get like that. They emphasize God's wrath so much that they lose sight of His mercy. On the other hand, some put so much stress on God's love that they lose sight of His holiness. Neither extreme is healthy. Wisdom keeps truth and love in proper balance.
The story disturbs me because it gives a distorted view of God. It was right in warning against disobedience, but it said nothing about forgiveness. How unlike 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. There we see the solemn warning about unrighteousness and immorality followed by the words, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified" (v. 11).
We must take seriously God's holiness and wrath against sin. But we must not forget His love and grace. We will live right and guide others correctly only as we gain wisdom and learn to hold the truth in balance.
--H.V.L.
We must be careful not to teach the wrath of God apart from the grace of God.
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MAY 25
2 PETER 1:1-11
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God
(2 Peter 1:2).
An early evening thunderstorm provided the setting for the most beautiful rainbow I'd ever seen. But when I tried to describe it to my wife, I became thoroughly frustrated, for its beauty defied my words. In an attempt to understand what I had observed, I read an article in the encyclopedia. It explained that a rainbow is an arc showing the colors of the spectrum, which is a display of light separated according to wavelengths. Each wavelength consists of a different color. Therefore the rainbow appears as a band of colors. The article increased my understanding, but it offered only cold facts. It didn't capture the rainbow's glory. Abstract knowledge adds to my intellectual understanding, but only seeing its beauty can reach my emotions.
Second Peter 1 mentions two different kinds of knowledge. In verses 5 and 6, the author used a Greek word for knowledge that means the abstract information needed for spiritual growth. But in verses 2, 3, and 8, he used the Greek word that denotes a more complete, practical knowledge of Christ, which is actually the goal of such growth. These two terms differ in the same way that reading about a rainbow differs from seeing its beauty. Job spoke of that distinction after his testing when he said to the Lord, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You" (Job 42:5). As you increase your knowledge about God, pray that you may also grow in your knowledge of God.
--M.R.D.II
True wisdom starts with a heart full of faith, not a head full of facts.
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MAY 26
2 PETER 1:1-14
Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge
(2 Peter 1:5).
In an interview at Santa Monica College a few years ago, a student told me that he was extremely interested in finding out all he could about religion, that he enjoyed studying it, and that he was looking for truth. When I questioned him further about his desire to learn so much about religion, he explained that he wanted to expand his education. His curiosity drove him to find out what motivates religious people, but he said he was not the kind of person who gets up in the morning with a desire to do the will of God.
We are like this student when we want to learn more about the Bible for some reason other than to know God better and to do what He wants us to do. The apostle Peter said that we should increase our understanding for one primary purpose--to bring our faith to maturity. Our goal in pursuing knowledge should be self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, which are marks of a wise Christian. This progression toward maturity results in a full experiential knowledge of Christ (v. 8).
God doesn't ask us to increase knowledge for the sake of knowledge. He asks us to grow in our understanding so that we can become God-centered, loving, productive people.
--M.R.D.II
Unless it leads to wisdom, knowledge can be dangerous.
