What is Better Than Wisdom?
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
“That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask. What should I give you?” And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and you have made me king in his place. Lord God, let your promise to my father David now come true. For you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people, for who can judge this great people of yours?” (2 Chronicles 1:7-10)
“When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, and unlike his father David, he did not remain loyal to the Lord.” (1 Kings 11:4-6)
When the Lord allowed King Solomon to ask for whatever he desired (2 Chronicles 1:7), Solomon missed the best thing he could have ever received.
Oh, sure, Solomon followed his father’s (King David’s) advice to seek wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-6), but having wisdom alone was no guarantee of success.
Every time I read through the Bible and reach the account about Solomon’s life and his unmatched, divinely-granted wisdom, I’m gob-smacked that he spiraled out of control so quickly and horrendously during his life, especially in his latter days. Judging by his Proverbs, King Solomon knew how to avoid adulterous women (physical adultery). Still, he yielded to idolatrous women (spiritual adultery per the Lord) during his reign and really messed things up.
It’s a classic case of starting strong and then stumbling, almost to the point of losing his relationship with the Lord. Because of his folly of marrying a harem of foreign women (how ironic, eh?), Solomon’s heart was led astray into idolatry (1 Kings 11:4). The Lord’s judgment for Solomon’s sin was to split the Israelite kingdom in two: the northern ten tribes of Israel, and the southern tribe of Judah with the Levites.
So, what went wrong?
The Lord knew His people would eventually ask for a king. Therefore, He set down guidelines to keep any future monarch within His covenant boundaries. The Lord commanded that every Israelite king was not to 1) accumulate horses, 2) wealth, or 3) wives. These three things are common causes of temptation and self-exaltation for leaders: militarism, self-reliance, and personal pleasure combined with forbidden political alliances. Power, pride, and pleasure—the three putrid diseases that infect our state and federal governments today.
As a counterweight to royal temptations, Israel’s king was to write a personal copy of the Lord’s commands (the Torah) and keep it next to his throne, reading it constantly to keep himself in line with the Lord’s will. This habit was supposed to daily replenish the well of knowledge of the Lord and divine wisdom that Israel’s king would need so desperately to lead his people as the Lord would. Imagine if every politician today had to type out the entire Bible as a requirement for holding office. What a difference that would make.
However, that’s not a guarantee of faithfulness to the Lord. Sadly, the wisest man in the world did the dumbest thing. Solomon broke the three “Do not thus” rules.
Undoubtedly, wisdom is a powerful thing that every person desperately needs. Where does wisdom, the ability to properly and righteously apply knowledge (information), come from? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). But again, having wisdom is no guarantee for faithfulness to the Lord. Case in point? Solomon.
After reading about King Solomon’s terrible stumbling once more, I began to mull over what I would ask for if I were in his place. A mind of wisdom? That would be great, but from Solomon’s experience, it’s obviously no assurance of faithfulness to the Lord.
Aha! Faithfulness! How about asking for a heart of faithfulness? That, too, would be great, except scripture tells us “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Our faithfulness to God will always be challenged because our hearts are all too willing to chase after our desires. This faulty heart syndrome is why the core of the New Covenant is a heart transplant, so to speak. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26; see also Jeremiah 31:31-34). But even though we get a heart that is motivated and wants to follow our Lord’s will, we still are led astray by our desires. Don’t deny it. You know darn well what I’m saying.
So I asked the Lord for help. “What would be the best thing to ask for that would keep me aligned with You?” The reply came quickly.
A steadfast will.
The consistent and firm ability to force my mind, heart, and desires to stay committed to His will, and thus, prevent me from straying.
I’m becoming more convinced that wisdom and faithfulness are essential. But without the will to follow through, we’ll all stray as Solomon did, and our world will fragment due to an unrestrained will to follow our Great King.
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He didn’t ask for wisdom as He faced His Father-ordained mission, for He knew His Father’s wise plan to open the way of salvation. “While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised’” (Matthew 20:17-19).
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He didn’t ask for faithfulness, for He had always remained faithful to His Father throughout His earthly life. “I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).
What Jesus asked for in the Garden of Gethsemane was a steady will to remain faithful to His Father’s wise plan. “Going a little farther, he fell facedown and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39).
A steadfast will that’s able to keep our minds, hearts, and desires in check at all times.
That’s what I need.
That’s what we all need.
As I see it now, a steadfast will is greater, stronger, and more beneficial than all the wisdom in the world.
Father, give us the same will that Your Son had to steadfastly commit ourselves to You and Your plan for each one of us, as we strive to live wisely and faithfully daily.
Sources:
Why did God limit Israel’s horses?, biblehub.com/q/Why_did_God_limit_Israel_s_horses.htm
Deut 17:17 on wealth power limits?, biblehub.com/q/Deut_17_17_on_wealth_power_limits.htm
What is the significance of the name Faithful and True in Revelation 19:11?, gotquestions.org/Faithful-and-True.html
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Shining the Light of God’s Truth on the Road Ahead
Pastor Jay Christianson
The Truth Barista, Frothy Thoughts