Though today's passage in 1 Kings is titled "Solomon's wisdom," (at least, in MY Bible it is!) the opening sentence shows us the root problem in Solomon's life. He made a marriage alliance with the Egyptian Pharaoh. God had specifically told the Israelites they were NOT to intermarry with surrounding nations, and what does Solomon do? He ends up marrying a handful of women from virtually EVERY surrounding nation! (And probably many distant ones, too!)
My Life Application Bible notes that Solomon did indeed receive a "wise and discerning heart" from God, as per his request, but he was not very successful in applying it universally to his life. He was obviously wise in governing his kingdom, but foolish in personal matters and running his household. "It is clear that God's gift of wisdom to Solomon did not mean that he couldn't make mistakes."
I think this is caution to us. Wisdom is great, and definitely something to be desired, but it's really only useful and beneficial to ourselves and to others if we live it out in practical ways. God will not do something for us that He has planned to do through us, so we need to rely on His grace to apply His wisdom to our hearts, which in turn, affects our actions.
I do love the opening to the book of Proverbs, though! Obviously written in the earlier part of Solomon's reign, while he was still devoted to following God, he seeks to impart his wisdom to others. The book is divided up into three main sections: wisdom for young people, wisdom for all people, and wisdom for leaders, and constantly exhorts listeners to stick to God's Word for wisdom.
I was actually thinking about that on my walk this evening and how much more likely we are to turn to a Christian self-help book on some subject than we are to dig into the Scriptures to see what God has to say about it. I guess that's probably because it's easier. We select a book based on its content; we know the whole book specifically addresses our situation or questions. We have to search if we're using God's Word! That takes up valuable TIME!! And sadly, if you're anything like me, you don't know your Bible well enough to even know where to START. Most of our Bibles don't come with a handy little index listing references for common problems and struggles in our lives.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with getting outside help. We shouldn't quit doing that, especially if we're seeking help from doctrinally sound resources, but we shouldn't let that replace a personal search of God's Word either. Over and over in Proverbs (and Psalms), the writers tell us that true wisdom comes from God and that His Word in our hearts is what will guide us through any possible situation or circumstance. I don't know about you, but I have lived my whole life "knowing" that...
...but obviously not really believing it.
I want to make a commitment to scouring God's Word for answers at least as much as I consult other resources. Sure, it'll take more time than just looking for a Revive Our Hearts broadcast or a John MacArthur sermon or a highly recommended book on Amazon, but true wisdom doesn't come easy.
And I believe it will be worth the extra effort.
Tomorrow's passages: Proverbs 2-4; John 19:23-42.
5 comments:
I noticed a couple of things as I read today...
1) Solomon kind of had an informal university going on while he reigned. I find it very cool that along with his wisdom in matters of governing his kingdom (even though he was sometimes foolish in his own life), he was also given knowledge about nature. It says he taught people about trees and plants, animals, birds, reptiles and fish. I wonder if nowadays in all our encyclopedias etc. we have amassed even most of the knowledge with which he was blessed?
2) I never took note before of the fact that Pilate wrote the sign saying that Jesus was King of the Jews - in three languages no less! - and it seems he didn't mean it mockingly. When asked to change it, he said "What I have written, I have written."
Tammi, great thoughts on searching for answers in the Bible rather than just seeking the nearest Christian self-help or topical book. I was under the impression a few years ago that I knew the Bible quite well, having memorized countless verses in Awana and Sunday School, hearing the stories in SS and church all the time I was growing up, etc. I am so amazed to discover over the past year and a half how much more there is to learn from the Bible, and how I could read chapters and chapters every day for the rest of my life and STILL find new things to learn from it.
I had noticed the "university" too Miriam - very cool!
Tammi - excellent point about needing to realize that all the wisdom in the world means nothing if we don't live it out practically in our own lives. Though to me that's technically what wisdom is - moving head knowledge into heart knowledge and action. And we need to remember that we've never "arrived" when it comes to seeking wisdom. If Solomon can "slip up" so majorly, whilst being the wisest man ever, so can we!
Great reminder about searching the Word for the answers we need. You can certainly never have too much Bible knowledge!
I've sometimes wondered why it's called "wisdom" in Solomon's case. He was obviously incredibly intelligent academically (a genius, no doubt), but Tammy, I'm with you ~ I've always thought the difference between knowledge and wisdom was that wisdom was applying the knowledge to one's heart and life. And clearly, Solomon didn't do that very well.
My guess is he had a combination of both. He obviously was very intelligent in every area. But only seemed to apply wisdom to certain areas of his life, or maybe even at certain times of his life. I wonder if he became over-confident in his own wisdom. He also seemed to take human wisdom into account over godly wisdom (like the decision to marry for allies).
I loved this:
"God will not do something for us that He has planned to do through us, so we need to rely on His grace to apply His wisdom to our hearts, which in turn, affects our actions."
Proverbs is my favourite book of the Bible. So many nuggets to chew on! More on that in my post tomorrow...
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