What is wisdom? What’s the difference between being wise and
being smart?
Where does wisdom come from?
Why do we want to be wise?
How do we become wise?
Wisdom in the context of the life of Solomon:
After
David’s death, Solomon took the throne as King. (The Story Teen Edition pages
176-177) One night, in a dream, God appeared to Solomon and told him to ask for
whatever he wanted. Solomon approached God humbly, referring repeatedly to himself as “your servant”. He
admitted to being young and inexperienced. He asked God to give him a “discerning
heart” to be able to rightly judge and lead God’s people well.
What is wisdom? Wisdom
is a humble, discerning, and understanding heart that is able to distinguish
between right and wrong.
God
granted Solomon’s request and, being happy with him for not asking for honor or
riches, also granted him those very things, giving him wealth, wisdom, honor,
and longevity.
Where does wisdom come
from? Wisdom comes from God, the source of our morality and the only discerning
force between right and wrong.
Peace
came over God’s people and they prospered under Solomon’s guidance. Because of
the peace Israel was now experiencing Solomon was able to focus things other
than the protection of their borders. He accomplished much by way of diplomacy
and construction. Most notably, the Temple construction was started and
completed during Solomon’s reign.
Because of the incredible wisdom God had given to Solomon his people thrived
and his ruling over and guiding of them was just and pleasing to God.
Why do we want to be
wise? Wisdom is what guides us in the way of the Lord. Solomon’s prosperous
reign was due to his righteous living as a result of the wisdom God gave him.
Wisdom is what brings us closer to God and shows us how to live our lives in a
way that brings us closer to Him, and is pleasing to Him.
(The
Story page 191) People came from all over to seek out God’s wisdom, and the
answers Solomon could give them. They brought with them massive treasures and
huge amounts of precious materials to offer the King. It would seem that the
wisdom God had given Solomon was invaluable to those who would seek it, and
upon finding it, it led many to follow the way of the Lord. Over the course of
his life Solomon would go on to write many famous saying that are today
collected into the book of Proverbs.
How do we become wise?
Wisdom comes from God and is made accessible to us, particularly through two outlets:
Through God’s guidance
directly and through others who may be wiser than us.
How does God guide us?
1) God provided wisdom to Solomon directly. Do
you believe he does the same for us? How?
a.
God’s word is an incredible source of wisdom
that we have readily available and that we know to be living, active, and
transformational in our lives (Hebrews 4:12-13). How do we access wisdom
through God’s word? Read, study, memorize, collaborate with others on the same
walk as you.
How does God use
others in our lives?
2) Speaking of collaboration, God also provides
wisdom in our lives through other Christians. How is this evident in the story of Solomon?
a. Upon
recognizing Solomon’s incredible wisdom, people came from far and wide to seek
out his understanding. How can we follow this example?
What are some ways you have seen wisdom (your own or others) impact your life?
Take some time and pray for each other and your spiritual growth as it pertains to God and the wisdom he provides.
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