Wisdom is much more than knowledge plus experience. It has many descriptive adjectives including silence. The maxim that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt has been attributed to Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain and various others. Actually a form of this was written by King Solomon in Proverbs (17:28) and Ecclesiastes (9:7) many years earlier.
Solomon was deemed to be the wisest human who ever lived or ever will live by God Himself (1 Ki 3:12) (1 Ki 4:29-34). Notice that GOD GAVE Solomon wisdom (v 29). His wisdom was displayed to all when he asked that a sword be brought so that a baby, over whom two women were arguing, could be divided in half so that each woman would receive a half (1 Ki 3:23-28). The real mother begged Solomon to spare the child but the false one said, “Cut him in two! (v26) Solomon, of course, gave the baby to the true mother (v27). “The people who heard the verdict held the King in awe because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice” (v 28).
There is an abundance of earthly wisdom and often these “wise” people debunk and mock any suggestion of a creator God. But God will, “…destroy the wisdom of the wise…because He chose the foolish things of the world to shame (frustrate) the wise…” The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength (1 Cor 1:19-27) (1 Cor 3:19). Humans can only imagine, “…the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God …” (Rom 11:33). He exhibited this by sending Jesus who, “…has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor 1:30).
We can gain our own wisdom by asking God for it (Ja 1:5) (Eph 1:17). We can be sure that it is truly from God by, “…a good life, by deeds done in humility that come from wisdom rather than harboring bitter envy and selfish ambition, boasting and denying the truth” (Ja 3:13-14). As Jesus preached, “…wisdom is proved by her actions” (Mt 11:19). “But the wisdom that comes down from above is first pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable (NAS), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (Ja 3:17). We are told to be wise and use every opportunity to show it (Eph 5:15-16).
-Jim Bailey
Comentarios