Wisdom

The Bible has a lot to say about wisdom.  I believe that wisdom is the most important thing (aside from Jesus Christ) that we should be asking for when we pray.  When God grants you wisdom, everything else seems to fall into place.  When is the last time you prayed for wisdom?  For me, it has been too long.  

If you've gone to church any in your lifetime, you've probably heard the story of Solomon.  In a dream, God asks Solomon "What shall I give you?"(1 Kings 3:5).  Solomon requests an understanding heart to discern between good and evil (3:9).  God is pleased with this request and goes above and beyond giving him wisdom.  The Bible says that Solomon was the wisest and richest man ever.  If you want to look deeper into the word "ever", it means EVER.  No man before or after Solomon has been richer or wiser.  Bill Gates? Chump change.  Sigmund Freud? Yawn.  

The Bible says that "all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart" (10:24).  Solomon is on top of a mountain.  Everyone wants to know him.  He has the world at his fingertips.  Check out the beginning of chapter 11.  "BUT, King Solomon loved many foreign women".  Solomon had a weakness.  His wisdom could not keep him from these foreign women and their foreign gods.  The LORD ends up getting angry at Solomon and tearing his kingdom away from him.  It seems to me that Solomon applied his wisdom to his kingdom and to foreigners, but forgot to apply it on himself.  If anyone has any insight into this, please let me know, because I am perplexed by this passage.  

One other passage worth mentioning is 1 Kings 12:8.  King Rehoboam consulted his elders, who were with his father Solomon and blatantly rejected their advice on a matter.  Verse 8 tells us "But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him".  When I read this passage, I thought about how stupid Rehoboam was.  Who would take the advice of peers instead of the wiser elders.  Then I realized the answer to that question....me.  How many times have I sought the advice from my friends without even considering a wiser option (no offense guys)? My friends, though they may bring a different perspective to the table, know just about as much as I know about any given subject.  Wouldn't it be more worthwhile to seek an older, more mature, Godly example?  God has provided me with plenty options, and I'm sure you can think of some as well.  Well you can probably predict the ending of this story.  Isreal rebelled against Rehoboam and he fled from his kingdom.  

I recently read the verse in Matthew where Jesus says "ask and it will be given to you".  How many times do we take advantage of this promise?  I want to challenge you to earnestly pray for wisdom right now.  See what God has in store for you! I'll quit this post abruptly so you can pray!