I have been pondering why we don’t seek wisdom. God’s wisdom is different than the world’s wisdom. Today’s worldly wisdom is upside down. We are told that your sex is not based on reality but on your feelings, and men can menstruate and get pregnant. I feel like I am living in crazy land. How about you? When you try to correct wrong thinking and speak the truth, you are vilified by foolish people. I don’t need to elaborate on the foolishness of worldly wisdom because it is so evident.
My website is about changing false, unhealthy beliefs to experience a new reality. So, what does the Bible say about wisdom? The Bible says a lot about wisdom and being wise. I want to learn more, so as I dig into the Word of God, I will share my findings with you in the next several posts.
The First Mystery – Why Is Wisdom Worth More Than Gold, Silver, and Jewels?
Proverbs 3:13-14 states, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.”
Proverbs 8:10-11 “Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.”
Proverbs 16:16 states, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”
Second Mystery – Why Do We Not Seek Wisdom?
Job 28:12-13 states, “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living.”
If wisdom and understanding are better than gold, silver, and jewels, then why do we insist on doing things in our own understanding? I must admit that I do not fully understand wisdom. Many verses encourage me to seek out wisdom and gain understanding, but how? I will answer these and many other questions in future posts.
Third Mystery – How do we get wisdom?
The Bible tells us several ways we get wisdom. Here are a few ways.
1Kings 10:24 states, “And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.”
Job 28:28 states, “And he [God] said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
What is the fear of the Lord? What is evil, and how do you turn away from it?
Fourth Mystery – How Do You Know You Are Wise?
James 3:13 states, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness [humility] of wisdom.” Are you humble? I know I fight pride regularly because it is an integral part of our sinful nature.
Proverbs 12:15 states, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” Do you listen to advice from those who are wise and follow it?
Ecclesiastes 10:2 states, “A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.” These are the words of King Solomon, the wisest man on earth. How is this verse relevant to today?
Fifth Mystery – What Are The Benefits Of Wisdom?
There are many benefits of wisdom, and I will cover all the verses describing the benefits in future posts. Wisdom finds favor with God and man because the wise person does what is right and has integrity. Someone with wisdom can look at a situation and determine what is right and just from God’s perspective, not a worldly perspective.
Sixth Mystery – What is Wisdom?
The best description of wisdom is found in James 3:13-17, which describes the difference between worldly wisdom and the wisdom from above.
13Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
15This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice [evil work].
17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Wisdom is not being jealous, having selfish ambition, boasting, and being deceitful, which is described as unspiritual and demonic. Yikes! Ask God to search your heart and mind to expose any jealousy, selfish ambition, pride, and deceitful spirits. If God reveals any of these in your heart, then repent and ask God to show you why you have that issue and let Him bring up any repressed memories. I explain how to be free from negative issues in my post called Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul.
James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”
Ponder each characteristic of wisdom. Where do you fall short? I fell short until I resolved the many issues from my traumatic childhood and adult life. Selfish ambition is when you want your way and think it is the best way, and you don’t care about the other person or their needs and desires. You become jealous when someone gets their way and prevents you from getting what you want or expect. Therefore, a person who seeks to be wise is also at peace with themselves and those around them. So, strive to be humble, gentle, and sincerely open to reason and other people’s ideas and desires. I can only imagine what the world would be like if everyone would get rid of their self-centered pride and arrogance, then humbly value others as more important than themselves. A wise person is humble and seeks to do good for others.
Check back to learn more about the mystery of wisdom. In the meantime, I pray that God blesses you richly and that you grow in wisdom and understanding.
All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family; hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected, and no part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.
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