Wisdom is an essential part of our lives. We need wisdom to learn, to live, to work, to think, and to make decisions. A wise person is often better able to face the challenges with confidence and stability, have direction in life and achieve greater effectiveness in their work. By contrast, a person who lacks wisdom can easily suffer great loss because of poor judgment and wrong decisions.
However, where does wisdom, which is precious and has the power to change the direction of our lives, actually come from?
In the eyes of the world, people generally say that wisdom comes from life experiences and continual learning. Through studying the Bible however, we learn that God is the source of wisdom:
“He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens by His discretion.” (Jeremiah 10:12)
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
In this chapter, we read about Solomon, king of Israel, who was a man filled with wisdom. In his generation, there was no one comparable to him in wisdom, because King Solomon’s wisdom came from God. His wisdom surpassed the wisdom of the people of the East and of Egypt. Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs and composed one thousand and five songs. Kings from all over the world heard about Solomon’s wisdom and sent people to listen to his words of wisdom. (1 Kings 4:29–34)
At that time, the Queen of Sheba, who possessed great wealth, also came with a large amount of treasure to hear words of wisdom that came from Solomon’s lips. King Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing he could not explain or answer. When the Queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom, saw the palace he had built, his officials and servants, and the steps leading up to the temple of the LORD, she was filled with joy and praised the God of Israel. This is similar to Daniel’s declaration: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.” (Daniel 2:20)
In our walk as a Christian, we need more than worldly wisdom. More importantly, we need spiritual wisdom to discern what is sinful and avoid turning away from God’s righteous path. Spiritual wisdom can guide us toward eternal life. The apostle James tells us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5). For the mouth and wisdom given by God is which our adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist (Luke 21:15).
From this chapter, we see that the wisdom given by God surpasses all human wisdom. This reminds us that whenever we lack wisdom, we should ask of God.
