A Wise Man Once Said…

“For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.”  Proverbs 8:11

What is it that people want?  Money?  Fame?  Health?  Contentment?  Love?  Does anyone actually desire wisdom?  What is wisdom?  Wisdom is not just knowledge.  It is using the knowledge that one has in a smart, beneficial way that would produce the best and the most righteous, godly outcome.  Solomon, thought of as the smartest human ever to have lived, wrote that wisdom is better than rubies.  What can rubies, that is, valuables, money, wealth, do for one spiritually?  Physically, valuables can buy food, clothing, and shelter, and perhaps prestige.  (For some reason, affluent folks are seen as more important or on a higher level than the rest of us, but a person’s wealth has no bearing on how God sees each individual.  He looks at the heart because there He finds what “makes a person tick”.)  The possessions that one obtains by his or her money requires wisdom to manage and keep them.

When God asked Solomon what he would like to receive from God, he asked for an understanding heart to judge correctly among the people of Israel over whom he would rule (I Kings 3:5-12).  God granted his request, filling his heart and his mind with godly wisdom.  God also gave him riches for which he did not ask.  In a prior blog, I used the account of the two women, coming before Solomon, who were arguing over one baby as to his identity.  One baby had died, and the mother of the dead baby stole the other baby while his mother slept and tried to convince everyone that he was her child.  Solomon settled the argument by suggesting that the baby be cut in half with each mother receiving half of the baby.  The real mother spoke up and was willing to let the other mother have the baby boy to save his life.  Of course, Solomon had the baby returned to her (I Kings 3:16-28).  We learn later that people, even kings, from all over the known world would come to hear Solomon speak because of his vast knowledge and wisdom (I Kings 4:34).  Imagine being that wise.  It is a good feeling to know that, while none of us are of the same caliber as Solomon, those of us who know the Lord and live our lives in dependence upon Him, can and hopefully do make an impression among others who seek out our advice and counsel.  Everyone can benefit from the wise and righteous words of a godly man or woman.

The first mark of a wise person is the fear of the Lord, not like the unwise servant who hid his one talent because of his fear of his master (Matthew 25:24-25), but like the man or woman whose fear of the Lord is demonstrated by a reverential awe and respect for the God of the universe who is sovereign and has the right to reap where He hasn’t sown and gather where He has not strewn (Matthew 25:26).  Wisdom will profit one now and for all eternity, but wealth will be left at the grave.