James 3:17 (NLT translation) “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.”
Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
Because King David’s son, Solomon, was faithful and pleasing to God, God said he could ask for anything and it would be given to him.
Solomon could have asked for a long life or riches, but in 1 Kings (3:9 NLT) he said, “Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong.” God was pleased with this answer and gave him wisdom.
Solomon’s wisdom helped solve arguments. One case Solomon judged involved two mothers who had each given birth the same week. One baby had lived but the other had not. Each woman claimed the living baby was hers. Which one was lying? To determine the real mother, Solomon made an outrageous suggestion: to cut the living baby in half and give a part to each mother! Of course he would never have done this – it was just a wise strategy to reveal who the true mother was.
One mother begged him not to harm the baby and to give him to the other woman. Solomon knew that only the TRUE mother would say this in order to protect her baby, so he gave the baby to her. Solomon’s ability from God to make good decisions with justice became known throughout Israel.
How can WE be wise?
Being wise is more than just being smart. It means learning from our mistakes and using better judgment the next time.
Wise Christians read the Scriptures and study the lives of the people in the Bible. Solomon says in Proverbs, (Prov 1:5, NIV) “Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser…”
We can be wise by not thinking too highly of our abilities. Proverbs (3:5 Holman Christian Standard Bible) says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;”
When we have difficult problems to solve, we can go to others who have more experience than we do. This could be a relative, teacher or church member. We also shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions if we don’t understand something.
Finally, we can follow Solomon’s example by praying to God for wisdom and to understand right and wrong.
So, what is wisdom? The quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgment. We can study the Scriptures and ask for advice from wise people we know. Just like Solomon, we can ask God to help us have an understanding heart.
This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com
