Lesson 7 - Wisdom

 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.  This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.  For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (James 3:13-16)

This post is a short, humble investigation into the topic of wisdom as the Bible describes it.  I desire to be filled with wisdom in my own life but I often fall way short.  When I make decisions, I want to make sure I desire to seek His will and His plan for my life.  My problem is that despite that, I often develop my own plans for my life that are the result of a self seeking heart.  As I seek something for myself, I then rationalize it to be the will of God.  But as James so eloquently puts it in this verse, this is not true wisdom.  Just because a desire is in my heart, it does not mean it is from God.  I think often we get confused by the famous verse in Psalm 37:4 that says:

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

We focus on the second part of that verse without focusing on the first.  Delight yourself in the Lord.  If you are coveting something for yourself, are you really delighting yourself in the Lord, or are you delighting in yourself?

This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

James gives a great litmus test for heavenly wisdom in the verse that follows.  This wisdom is:

Pure.  Does not seek its own, but full of love
Peaceable.  It does not create conflict and is not argumentative.  It results in peace.
Gentle.  Not abrasive or in your face
Willing to yield.  Is sacrificial, willing to lose or let others have their way
Full of mercy.  Full of forgiveness without grudges.
Full of good fruits.  It results only in good things
Without partiality.  It is fair, without bias
Without hypocrisy. It is 100% authentic.  

These are all not only characteristics of heavenly wisdom, but characteristics of the Holy Spirit as well.  The two seem to be synonymous.  Solomon writes a lot about wisdom in the book of Proverbs (especially the first 9 chapters) and it becomes obvious while reading that he is not just talking about wisdom through our worldly lenses, but of the Holy Spirit that comes from God.  True wisdom is something that can come only from God.

Solomon writes:    


“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." (Proverbs 9:10)

"For the Lord gives wisdom..." (Proverbs 2:6)

Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians: 
 
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:17-18).

In other words, to have wisdom is to be filled with the Spirit of God. 

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon investigates wisdom and the meaning of life.  He witnesses all the vanity of worldly pursuits.  He seeks different things out of life: pleasure, labor, wisdom, popularity, and money.  He sees that all die in the end and leave all their worldly pursuits to others.  He sums up his masterpiece with these words:


Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.