The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
Wisdom: A Blessing or a Curse
- Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
- Psalms 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.
- Proverbs 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
- James 1:5 If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not and it shall be given him.
The Request
Wisdom is more valuable than gold or silver! How can such a priceless treasure be obtained? The search for wisdom begins with a fear of God. Not a shaking in your boots, kowtowing fear, but a remembrance of His presence and realization that your sin is a serious offense to Him. Solomon saw in his father David a healthy fear of the Lord. Do others desire to follow the Lord by what they see in us? The search for wisdom was not meant to be a prolonged journey. Wisdom is simply there for the asking. Yet the idea is not “Okay, I’ve asked for wisdom so now I can go out and make as many decisions as I want because I have wisdom.” Asking for help and asking for wisdom are similar. You ask when you need it. This process makes us dependent on someone else, which was God’s point. Solomon was not great because of the astounding wisdom “he” possessed. He was great when he used the wisdom God gave him.
The Gift
Wisdom is given liberally. A rich father who gives liberally of his wealth does not hold back from supporting his children but freely offers aid when the situation arises. Whenever and whatever the need, he gives without complaint because he shares a strong bond with his child. God does not dangle wisdom just out of our reach. We ask and he gives it to us. For us to reject God’s wisdom is foolishness. Maybe Solomon after a while thought,” I’ve got this wisdom thing down. I’m getting pretty good at judging these people.” His wise decisions and judgments were well-known throughout the land, even spreading to countries as far as Sheba. Could it be that Solomon in his pride stopped asking God for guidance as he made each decision? Though before we look down our noses at Solomon’s failure, let’s stop and analyze the method we use in making decisions. Do we make choices after seeking God’s face and will, or do we rush ahead and do what feels good, looks good, or makes the most logical sense? The reality is we either use God’s wisdom or abuse it. So is knowledge wrong? God created our minds with a desire to know, right? Is using good judgment acting apart from God? How can knowledge be corrupt?
(to be continued)
Very well said. No matter our age we should desire to learn and trust that which is right and pleasing to God. The pride of life will try to set in and we will become puffed up should we take credit and receive applause for making right decisions and judgments as though we had the answers all along because we start to believe ourselves to be wise. So this is the time to give the Lord our praise for His willingness to guide us tn the way we should go and testify to His kindness and truth about the matters we are dealing with.
Be aware that we can so easily fail as Solomon did when we turn aside and attempt to run things our own way apart from depending on the Lord.
Unfortunately Solomon continued to lack good judgment near the end of his life. Upon Solomon’s death, the son he chose to put on the throne caused a huge split in the kingdom due to an unwise judgment by following the advice of some friends who were mean spirited. They had no compassion for the people whom Solomon taxed greatly to receive relief from these burdens. Israel was pulling apart from within. This is my opinion on the situation that took place because God seemed to be left out.
Hoping many young people read your article and look to God and not to the trinkets or frail pleasures of this world for fulfillment. That this world and all it offers is perishable.