The Gifts Part 4
Words of Wisdom and Words of Knowledge continued...
Solomon knew in his heart he did not possess the requisite aptitude to judge over God’s people, or rule over them. At the time of this prayer he was a young man, yet he was mature enough in his thinking to realize that he needed wisdom in order to rule. So rather than ask for riches or wealth which could readily be squandered, rather than ask for the life of his enemies which would have been a selfish thing to ask for, rather than ask for long life which can become empty and void without knowing what you’re living for, Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge which he realized would carry him throughout his days.
It so pleased God that Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge, that not only did God grant him these things, He added riches and wealth and honor to the list of blessings He bestowed upon him.
Wisdom is something we can grow in, wisdom is something we can increase in, but the gift of the word of wisdom is something that must come from God through the Holy Spirit. Even the Son of God increased in wisdom, albeit in His early years, but it was an important enough point that it was included within the pages of the Bible.
Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Moving on to the gift of the words of knowledge, one thing that it is not is a deep or profound knowledge of the Word of God obtained through diligent study. The gift of the words of knowledge is not, and cannot be the result of personal effort, or the result of diligence on the part of man. Since it is a gift, it is given of God; it is something that the Holy Spirit breathes into a chosen vessel, and not something that the man can accomplish through industry or exertion.
If we have indeed studied the Word of God with diligence as we ought, if we have meditated upon the Word of God as we ought, not for a day, or for a week, but for many years, and have accumulated knowledge of the Word and have perceived the deeper things of Scripture, it does not mean that we now possess the gift of the words of knowledge, it simply means that we were doing our duty in discovering Christ and the message of the cross through His word.
Yes, it is the duty of every believer to know the word of God, as is the duty of every believer to be diligent in presenting themselves approved of God. There is nothing more tragic than seeing professing Christians get stumped by unbelievers concerning certain Biblical truths. It is not something that happens once in a great while, but something that happens more frequently than we would like to admit, wherein men professing Christ have no knowledge of His word, and are unable to rightly divide it when they are called upon to do so.
From the ever famous preachers who attribute certain quotes to the Bible that were never in the Bible, such as the pastor who I heard say, ‘like the good book says, an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, or another who attributed Shakespeare’s ‘to thine own self be true’ to none other than Jesus, there are many so called representatives of the Bible who have no clue what the Bible really says concerning certain matters.
As I said, it is our duty to know the word of God, and be diligent in our study thereof, that we might rightly divide the word of truth, and present ourselves as workers who need not be ashamed.
2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
So to anyone that thinks they don’t have to study the Bible because when the time comes the Lord will give them a word of knowledge to put to shame those in opposition to their viewpoint, the Book that you’ve been putting off reading tells you that it is your responsibility to be diligent in presenting yourself approved of God, and to rightly divide the word of truth.
I can’t remember how many conversations I’ve had with believers who came up to me after church meetings, adamant that what I had said was not in the Bible until I would show it to them.
If you are going to talk about the Word of God, know what you’re talking about and don’t guess at it. Be diligent, take the time to read, to meditate, to understand and to accumulate the knowledge of the Word of God, and only when you have accumulated the requisite knowledge espouse on a certain topic, whether it be the seven seals, the seven bowls, or the seven trumpets.
No one can read the Scriptures on your behalf, no one can be diligent in seeking out truth on your behalf, no one can meditate on the deeper things of God on your behalf, it is you who must put in the time, it is you who must make the effort, and it is you who must be diligent.
Will God give greater insight if we meditate on His word, become diligent in the study thereof, and put in the time to know and understand scripture? Yes, because He is a good God, and when we seek Him we find Him, and when we knock He opens.
There is no such thing as a one sided relationship with God. We can’t expect God to perpetually attempt to draw close to us while we keep Him at arm’s length, nor can we expect Him to perpetually pursue us while we are constantly indifferent toward Him. If we truly love God, if we truly serve Him, if Jesus is truly Lord of our lives, then we will be diligent in discovering the entirety of Him in His word, and seeking out the deeper truths contained therein.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Some people can read and study the Bible forever and quote all the scriptures and yet never really understand it. Then a simple person, even a small child, might understand the deeper concepts. Wisdom is a gift, and God gives it to the simple and uneducated to confound the learned and scholarly.
ReplyDeleteIt is not so great either, because like it says in Ecclesiastes, the more wisdom you get, the more worries and less happiness you get. When your mind is occupied, your heart gets no rest.
Wisdom can also cause cravings for more and more wisdom. Solomon craved so much that he turned to the occult knowledge of the Babylonians and went bad. When you puff yourself up with knowledge, it doesn't really help you.
God judges the heart, and the heart acts without thinking. It may be good to know things, but having a good heart is better.
Faith is the best thing to have of all, and the more you have of that, the better. You can't really have too much of that. Then again, you need the discipline to act on your faith, which is hard work.
Wisdom is like having a library full of books. If you don't take what you read and put it to good use, it is just kind of worthless and collecting dust.