Divine Enigma
Wisdom is an interesting companion. Dictionary.com’s first definition reads as follows:
the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
More than just knowledge, rather erudition coupled with perspicaciousness. I think this is a good summation of Biblical God-Given wisdom as well. People all over the known world sought Solomon’s advice; it wasn’t just that he had unlimited knowledge, rather he knew what to do with it and how to apply it to everyday life. Proverbs 4 tells us that the pursuit of wisdom will cost all we have, yet the benefits far outweigh the cost. But the admonishments against trusting earthly wisdom are nearly as prevalent in scripture as the encouragements of seeking Godly wisdom. And when it comes down to it, I have no doubt that most Christ followers understand that our finite understanding is no match for Gods omniscience. James 1:5 tells us that God gives wisdom generously to all who ask it of him; knowing there is hope yet for my stupidity brings great comfort, because I’ve certainly made a few bone-headed moves over the span of my decision making life.
But don’t you love how God likes to throw a paradox into the mix every now and then? We can seek God-given wisdom for years, mature in that wisdom, and even have others hold us in high regard concerning our wisdom in various situations because we have sought God and held with faith James’ words, trusting their divine inspiration. We analyze situations with wisdom and understanding that God has blessed us with in order to make decisions that are most in line with God’s character… And God throws a wrench in gears and cranks out the next level of wisdom which we can never obtain or even begin to comprehend: Divine Wisdom.
It’s the proverbial exception to the rule, where every ounce of our Christian self says “no! this is not the way to do it!” but God answers with Job-like proportions “Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?” (Chpt 38) … in other words “What do you know of my wisdom? I have only given you a taste of my wisdom so that you may know that I am God… My foolishness is wiser than your wisdom and my weakness is stronger than your strength (1 Cor 1:25). What do you know of my wisdom?”
It’s not hard to humbly accept those words from the Creator of the universe, but it’s often difficult to realize that what appears to be a contradiction of Godly wisdom is simply God being God and using Divine wisdom that stretches beyond our understanding. Asking “why, God?” is a legit question, but for what its worth, you won’t always understand the answer…
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
Romans 11:33
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Wisdom is a wonderful thing and is necessary to get to the one conclusion we all need to find. That is, we simply must trust the Lord. The youngest of minds get this but for the rest we must grow our minds and learn over what can be long periods of time that we must trust. Some spend their entire lives working to understand while others simply trust. Which one do you think is getting more out of life. Your answer will highlight if you trust or not!
We have an example of people who had it all. A people whose relationship was built on trust. A people who knew God better than anybody else who has ever lived. A people so close to God that they could sit and talk with him. A people wiser than all of mankind together. Adam and Eve wanted knowledge…. how smart was that?
In this life it isn’t a matter of what we know but who we know!
Prov. 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
Jer. 9:23 ¶ Thus says the LORD:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
That’s the difference between earthly wisdom and Divine Wisdom. We search for it because we want to be in control, all the while God lets us do what we want because He knows He’s in control.
Couple of things…
First when you look in scripture, almost every translation of it, except for the NLT, the is no mention of earthly or Divine Wisdom. Just Wisdom from God or from man.
Second, God lets us do what we want because he gave us free will. Think about how sweet it is to meet somebody and have them choose to love you freely. Its not like owning a pet and letting them run in the back yard and then bringing them in to love on them and have the pet show me love. He wants a relationship with us. Hard to do that with a person you own or control.
A good way to think about wisdom is to simply change the word to “Moral” and not think of it as a intellectual quality. Let me illustrate…
I tell my son not to touch the hot stove and he does not because he trusts me. I have just imparted my Wisdom or “Moral” If he was to touch the stove without my warning he would gain knowledge and thus help him build wisdom “Moral” for him to use in his life or share with others to help save them the pain of the experience. If on the other hand I warn him of the danger and he chooses to touch anyways that makes him a “FOOL” He trusted his own Wisdom “Moral” over mine and thus creates a different type of wisdom.
In this light we can see how easily we can understand gods Wisdom versus Mans. Let me expound…
God tells us to love a woman and how we are to love that woman. He imparts Wisdom “Moral” for us to live by to help us and keep us safe. Now, we can clearly see with no debate what happens to men when we are left to our wisdom “Moral” when it comes to women.
The thing is that using both types of wisdom leads to the same Knowledge but not the same experience.
To be called wise was to say that a person was Godly because that person trusted the Lord.
It means something different if you need to experience all of the things on your own to come to same conclusion of what is freely offered, …FOOLISH
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom “Moral”, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Gosh, my brain hurts. I think we as humans make things too complicated sometimes. God loves us, period. Therefore, He wants us to choose to love Him back, but I guess my point is, that we spend a lot of time “expanding on principle” and searching for answers in order to find control in our own lives, and the answers to questions when He couldn’t have made it more simple. Why? Because we are human and flawed, and no matter how much we scratch and claw for independence, God is ultimately in control. If he weren’t, life would be a scarier place than I care to think of.
btw, there is no wisdom on earth. I believe all wisdom comes from God. I was being facetious but I guess it didn’t come across very well.