Thoughts for another day

July 24, 2013.

Today's verse: 2 Chron. 9:23. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart. (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further.  Thanks)

Wisdom is a gift only God can bestow and it comes with the ‘fear’ of the Lord.  Fear in this context is not as we do, let’s say, a powerful adversary or a dangerous situation, but awe birthed by reverence and the knowledge that here is something far, far greater than anyone’s grasp.  Yes, it’s when we revere God honestly with our hearts and give Him all that’s due to Him, that wisdom comes into us.  This wisdom isn’t seen nor can it be quantified or segregated into compartments like, wisdom for getting along with people, or wisdom to handle money issues, etc.  Unless of course it’s a gift that God gives which channelizes the wisdom He puts in us into a particular field for e.g. wisdom to counsel people, etc.

Now Solomon was given wisdom by God because when God asked what he wanted, he asked for wisdom and God gave him such wisdom, that no other human wisdom could even come close to his.  So great was his wisdom that once when he gave judgment the Bible says, 1 Kgs. 3:28, ‘All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered; and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to execute justice.’ Our Scripture today even says that all the kings of the earth sought to meet him to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart!  So one can imagine the kind of wisdom Solomon had which God gave him.

This gift of wisdom God gives must be put to right use, particularly to benefit people because that’s the main reason God gives wisdom.  We’re not to use it for our own gain or for flirting with danger for it can then have disastrous consequences as it did in the case of Solomon, who though walking in the light of God and using the attributes God gave him to the fullest, also surrendered his heart to his basic instincts and dabbled in a lot of sinful things before God, chief of which was marrying a large number of women and cohabitating with many more.  These women lured him to false gods and live an immoral and decadent life before God.  So too, if we disdain the wisdom God put in us and indulge in things that defy wisdom of God, we will face similar situations and be ruined.  Its better we use the wisdom God gives us to build up edifices before Him which will glorify His Name for a long time to come.