SUNDAY SERMONS

 

Wisdom

THE WISDOM OF CHILDREN

Patrick aged 10: "Never trust a dog to watch your food."

Michael aged 14: "When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don't answer him."

Joel, aged 10: "Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat."

Tammy aged 11: "When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair."

Arnold aged 9: "You can't hide a piece of broccoli in your milk."

Mitchell aged 12: "Don't sneeze in front of your mom when you're eating a cracker."

Michael aged 14: "Never tell your mom her diet's not working."

1 Corinthians 12:7-8   Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  8  To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  

What is Wisdom?

 

Dictionary:  Wisdom - 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.

scholarly knowledge or learning:

The Wisdom of King Solomon.

Solomon was asked to judge a case that had come through lower courts with no decision on what was right or wrong.

Two women had each given birth to sons within three days of each other. They lived in the same house. During one night the first lady had rolled over on her son and accidentally smothered him. She switched babies with the other women taking the living baby for herself and leaving her dead baby with the other woman. The mother of the living baby realized what was going on and took her case before Solomon. After hearing the arguments Solomon called for a sword. He ruled that the living baby would be cut in half and each woman would get half of a dead baby. The true mother of the living baby said do not kill the baby. So0lomon ruled that the mother that would allow the baby to live was the mother.

Where did His wisdom come from?

We find the Wisdom of Solomon in

2 Chronicles 1:1-11  Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.  2  Then Solomon spoke to all Israel—to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families—  3  and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God's tent of meeting was there, which Moses the LORD's servant had made in the wilderness.  4  Now David had brought up the ark of God … to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.  5  But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.  6  Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the tent of meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.  7  That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."  8  Solomon answered God, "You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.  9  Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.  10  Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?"  11  God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king,

 

I.                 What if God gave you a Blank Check?

a.  God gave Solomon a blank check for whatever he wanted.

2 Chronicles 1:7  That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

b.  If God handed you a “blank check”--if you could ask Him for anything and receive it, what would you pray for?

I saw a “prayer” on a T-shirt at the mall: “Lord, let me prove to You that winning the lottery won’t ruin me.”

c.   Our character appears in our choices.

d.  We could ask God for wealth, even though it’s no guarantee of happiness.

Ben Franklin remarked, “If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles.”

e.  God gave Solomon the equivalent of a blank check, and he responded spiritually, not selfishly.

f.     God gave Solomon what he asked for, and more.

A bit of history: Solomon, King of Israel, and son of King David, began his rule with an act of public worship where David left the Ark of the Covenant in a temporary shrine prior to its placement in Jerusalem. This is also where David held a national assembly where he, and now Solomon, spoke to Israel. The “Tent of Meeting” (vs 6) refers to the Tabernacle, Israel’s mobile sanctuary made of canvas, which was kept in Gibeon, regarded at the time as the religious center of Israel, till it was replaced by Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. I know what it’s like to worship in a tent, Whatever our sanctuary looks like, God is enthroned through the worship of His people.

Ps 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”

g.   Solomon realized the enormity of his position and the task before him; and so he asked God for wisdom, not personal gain.

h.  Solomon realized that God was the reason for his father David’s success.

i.      His desire was to honor God and serve his people.

II.              Wisdom is demonstrated in Wise Choices!

a.  If you’ve ever held a position of leadership, you can understand how smart Solomon’s request was.

b.  We’re in the midst of a presidential election campaign, and I often wonder why anyone would want the job!

In General Tommy Frank’s autobiography (American Soldier), he talks about the enormity of the scope of a Commanding General’s responsibility. Franks points out, “The Army doesn’t issue wisdom when it pins on the stars.”

c.   Solomon held absolute power with no checks to his authority other than God alone.

Solomon understood that God had put him in office.

d.  David stated, “the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord.”

Psalms 19:14  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. 

2 Chronicles 1:9  Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.  

III.          God keeps His promises!

a.  The mention of God’s covenant history with Israel is a reminder that God keeps His promises.

Much of the “wisdom literature” of the Bible is written by Solomon, for good reason. He experienced doubts and despair, chronicled in Ecclesiastes; he knew first-hand about love, in Song of Songs, and he understood life, shown by his portions of the books of Psalms and Proverbs.

b.  He was touched by God’s Spirit to share with us his wealth of wisdom.

There was a condition, however, to God’s response…Solomon had to live according to God’s commands, as had David.

Fulfilling his father’s last wish, Solomon gratefully built a magnificent Temple, the symbol of God’s presence, modeled after the Tabernacle, and publicly expressed his debt to God before the Ark with sacrificial offerings.

c.   What exactly is wisdom?

Wisdom is a very real and practical sense of what to do, how to do it, and why it must be done.

d.  Wisdom is more than common sense,

e.  Knowledge alone isn’t enough..

A person who is wise is someone with the uncommon ability to see what is happening, appraise what has happened, anticipate what may happen, evaluate various courses of action, then make a sensible decision, choosing the right path.

f.     But such discernment can’t come by one’s own resources.

2 Chromicles 1:10  Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

g.   Solomon opens the Book of Proverbs by declaring,

Proverbs 1:7, (the Message) “the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning” .

h.  If we don’t acknowledge God, we’re certainly not going to benefit from His guidance.

IV.         Does having wisdom guarantee that we’ll always act wisely?

a.  In the case of Solomon, it seems not.

b.  He certainly knew better than most, yet he acted foolishly.

c.   Even the best leaders have flaws.

1 Kings 11:3-4  He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.  4  As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

He had 700 wives and 300 concubines … Can you imagine buying that many panty hose?

Or having 700 Mother in laws?

In his day, it was considered important for kings to have a large harem; as the so-called “father of the nation” he was obliged to sire as many children as possible. Some of his wives were from neighboring countries, in order to form political ties. But he allowed his foreign wives to worship their pagan gods, which led him to accommodate idol worship in Israel.

d.  Solomon’s reign has been called the “Golden Age” of Israel.

e.  Solomon negotiated treaties with neighboring countries that insured economic stability and tranquility.

f.     He kept diplomatic and commercial lines open and maintained the peace.

g.   With Palestine being the bridge of a major trade route, Solomon had some leverage in forging trade agreements.

The visit of the Queen of Sheba (chapter 6) was an opportunity to showcase goods for trade. Yet the Queen could not help but be awed by the depth of wisdom Solomon held.

h.  This African Queen confirmed Solomon’s divine appointment in her praise of the God of Israel.

i.     Solomon was an effective leader, because he followed God’s leadership.

V.             The Benefits of Wisdom

a.  God gave Solomon great riches, though he didn’t ask for wealth.

b.  Jesus promises,

Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” .

c.   God will meet our material needs…but if we’re not content with what we have, we’ll never be satisfied even if we get what we want.

d.  Solomon’s name is a form of the familiar Hebrew word shalom, peace, and he proved to be a man of peace.

e.  Solomon had another name, given to him by Nathan the prophet, the name Jedediah, “beloved of God.”

f.     By any standard, Solomon was a great king. He was prepared for greatness by his priorities—by putting God first.

Do we desire God’s blessing? Do we seek His wisdom? Or are we going it alone in life?