Wisdom or Folly?

(1Kings 5:12) “And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him.

The thought of understanding and what does that actually mean is rather larger with me this morning. So much of our daily lives hinges on what we understand. Understanding determine the way we act and behave, it speaks volumes in reflection to our character and all that drives us.

Look at the ostrich; (Job 39:13-17) “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love? For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground, forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beast may trample them. She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers; though her labour be in vain, yet she has no fear, because God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding.”

The ostrich has no part in wisdom as she lacks understanding, why? The text tells us, “God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding.” A man, who does not appreciate that God sent his son to die for the sins of sinner, lacks understanding and he makes no provision for the second death. He does not realize that there is a judgement coming and that all who are not covered by the sacrifice of the blood of the lamb will be judged for their very own sin. The judge will be; the One who died for sin, conquering all its strongholds and power on a cruel Roman cross, on a hill called Golgotha. The Lord Jesus will be that judge! That is why the Lord Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. God must first give him sight to see before he can understand, that is the principle.

David’s son Solomon did not ask God for wealth and worldly possessions, but wisdom. “And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him.” I would like us to draw a parallel between wisdom and folly, the ostrich and Solomon. Firstly we must understand that we cannot be taught Godly wisdom in that sense, we must receive it from God. Yes I do agree that life and its challenges will aid in that process. All we need to do is look at Solomon’s life and it is easily seen that by trial he proved wisdom. However without God imparting a portion of His understanding even though we might have a doctorate in medicine or even theology for that matter we will not understand as we should. Let’s look at the ostrich; “God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding.” We must ask for it! (James 1:5) “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Solomon asked God and God gave him wisdom and understanding. We must ask in order to receive. “And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him.” I trust we will all be asking when we see the advantage of understanding.

Let’s look at a secular example that I think we could all relate to. As a child I can recall being told not to put my finger into a plug socket. Just the thought of a shock and what I had conjured in my mind on what that would feel like, kept me from doing exactly that. However for the sake of our illustration, if a toddler was not warned of the dangers of the jolt and they put their finger into the socket and were shocked and they survived the joggle, do you think they would look to make it a pastime on a daily basis, I think not! The lesson would have been learnt and the wall plug avoided. But they would have the knowledge that the socket carried a danger and with that knowledge they would then avoid the threat. They would now understand not to approach the hazard and avoid it at all costs. It is understanding that keeps us from erring in our daily lives. When we sin we be short of understanding, so if we continue to sin in a particular area of our lives we defiantly lack understanding. We must then ask God earnestly to give us understanding so that we do not fall into the trap of sin.

Proverbs is full of hidden treasure that is free to all who seek it out. “A foolish youth will often go to a harlot, like an ox to the slaughter, but the youngster who has understanding will avoid her house even if that means his journey would take longer. “And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, and, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtil of heart. So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goes after her straightway, as an ox goes to the slaughter or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;”

When we know to do well and we do not do it, whatever that may entail we act as a fool and it is evident for all around to witness. I only share this important truth with you as my life has had its measure of folly. Enough I say, we all need to put off childish things and stand up as men or godly woman and be countered. Yes, this is an ongoing battle the spirit and the flesh at loggerheads with one another, but will we resolve to apply this mindset to our lives? Yes we may fall but are we driven to seek forgiveness and seek out wisdom as if our lives depended upon it. They do you know! We are covered by the blood of the lamb, but will we now use grace as a license to sin, I hope not! For all that is proving is that we lack understanding. Let us be bold as we approach the throne of grace with determination, asking God with confidence to give us wisdom and understanding in whatever area we know we lack. Everything we need for this life and the life to come is available to all of God’s children, all we need do is ask. Let us stop wasting time on ill directed requests but rather find what is good, expectable and perfectly in accordance with God’s will for our lives. May we love one another as we love ourselves.

Signing off

Tyrone