Many years ago, I was at what was called a ‘Holy Spirit Teaching Seminar.’ The main speaker was a great Australian Pentecostal leader by the name of Pastor Leo Harris. Amongst other things, he was teaching on the gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 12. What he said about the gift of wisdom really caught my attention. He pointed out that as the leader of a Pentecostal denomination, he would often get phone calls from ministers seeking his help. It was in such circumstances that he stated he needed the gift of wisdom so that he could give Godly advice to many a young pastor. I can’t remember anything else he said that day, but I never forgot the words he shared about wisdom. In the gifts of the Spirit, many people would often seek the more spectacular gifts, like healing, prophecy, or the word of knowledge. However, I realized that day that in addition to all the other gifts of the Spirit, a leader particularly needs to have wisdom. So, from that day onwards, I have often sought wisdom from on high.

WHAT IS WISDOM?

Let us look at wisdom from a Biblical point of view. Wisdom in the Bible is often coupled with knowledge.

Knowledge is concerned with information. It deals with facts; it relates to our intelligence. We are continually seeking knowledge. For example, we may ask someone what time it is. Colossians 3:3, speaking of both the Father and the Son, declares in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Wisdom is knowledge applied in the right way. It involves skill, insight, prudence, a right application of knowledge. It is intensely practical. Wisdom and insight can lead you to the true nature of things and people.

KING SOLOMON AND WISDOM

When one thinks of wisdom, one inevitably thinks of Solomon, the son of King David, the third king of Israel, who lived approximately 950 years before Christ was born. Solomon reigned for forty years and was only twenty years old when he became King. King Solomon actually asked for wisdom (I Kings 3). The Lord, in turn, told Solomon, “I have given you a wise and understanding heart.”Solomon had a reputation for wisdom, as seen in the story of the two women who claimed the same baby.

1 Kings 3:16-28 recounts the situation and King Solomon’s response. “Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.’ Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!’ But the other said, ‘Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him. So the king answered and said, ‘Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.'”

When the people in Israel heard about this judgment, they feared the King, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

WISDOM IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Let us look at another example of wisdom in the Old Testament. It is not directly described as wisdom, but that is what it certainly was. King David had committed a serious sin by committing adultery with Bathsheba. He then arranged for the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, to conceal his sin.

God told Nathan, the prophet, to go and confront King David. Now, stop for a moment. How would you feel if God asked you to do this? How would you respond? Nathan responded in obedience. Using wisdom, instead of speaking directly to King David, Nathan told him a story about two men, “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him”(2 Samuel 12:1-4). David was angered by the rich man’s actions, declaring, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity”(2 Samuel 12:5-6).

Then Nathan, with undoubted courage and wisdom, confronted King David, saying, “You are the man”(2 Samuel 12:7). King David was convicted by what Nathan said, more so than he would have been if Nathan hadn’t relied on wisdom from God in how he confronted David.

JESUS AND WISDOM

The wisdom of Jesus was foretold in Isaiah 11:2, which states,

“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”

Now, that is the character of the Lord. But, in His coming to earth as the Son of Man and the Son of God, we also can see that wisdom had to be developed in Jesus. Luke 2:52 speaks of Jesus when he was around twelve years old. “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, needed to increase in wisdom as He grew up.

You can then see wisdom operating in Jesus’ life and ministry. One example was when Jesus was asked a trick question, “Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not” (Matthew 22:17)? “But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.’ So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s'”(Matthew 22:18-21).

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT AND WISDOM

In I Corinthians 12, Paul details the gifts of the Spirit. The first gift mentioned is “the word of wisdom through the Spirit,” followed by “the word of knowledge through the same Spirit”(1 Corinthians 12:8).

We can see in these verses that knowledge is linked to wisdom. When one receives a supernatural word of knowledge, one needs wisdom as to how to put it into action. Also, we can see that in each case, it is through the Spirit. In other words, it is not just natural knowledge based on one’s life and experience; rather, it is a God-given wisdom that comes from on high.

ASK FOR WISDOM

Jesus finished the well-known Sermon on the Mount with the story or parable of two men, one foolish and one wise, stating, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ‘But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall'”(Matthew 7:24-27). We must be wise builders and build our lives on the rock, which is Jesus.

In Psalm 51:6, King David, following a time of repentance, declares, “You will make me to know wisdom.”

Proverbs 3:13 states, “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding.”

Proverbs 4:7 says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”

James 1:5-6 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. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting . . . “ In other words, it is up to us to ask for wisdom. 

If you need wisdom in how to relate to your children as a parent – ask for wisdom.  If you need help at work regarding how to complete a particular task – ask for wisdom. 

You can ask for wisdom in all areas of your life. So, let us seek wisdom that it might touch our lives every day as we seek to follow Jesus by the Spirit.