Whenever we think of,
or come across, the word wise or wisdom, our best specimen character
is none other than Solomon, the son of King David and Bathsheba.
Solomon was a young man
(only 20 years old) who was handpicked by his father, among all his
legitimate other brothers, to succeed him when he was already in his
deathbed. Very young then, he was charged with the responsibility
of governing one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the ancient Near
East, now known as Israel, a territory earmarked by God for his
chosen people. The domain or territory of this kingdom (nation)
extends from the Euphrates River to the border of Egypt.
The Bible tells us,
“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy
God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all
people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his
love upon you, nor chosen you, because ye were more in number than
any people; for ye were the fewest of all people”
(Deut. 7: 6-7 KJV).
With so much and very
heavy responsibility, Solomon young and inexperienced, needed
supernatural help. He must have prayed for divine help until he fell
asleep. In his deep sleep, he dreamed that God asked him. “Ask
what I shall give thee” (1 Kings 3:5 KJV). Solomon did not ask to
be healthy or wealthy or to have long life. He did not also answer
directly, but give some preliminary remarks or statements like a
lawyer preparing a memorandum to prove his case for submission to
court, as follows:
“6 And
Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great
mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in
righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast
kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to
sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And
now, O Lord
my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father:
and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And
thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a
great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give
therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people,
that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge
this thy so great a people?”
(vs. 6-9 KJV).
The Bible says, “The
speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing” (vs.
10).
God said to him,
“11 And
God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not
asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself,
nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself
understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold,
I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and
an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee,
neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.”
(vv. 11-12 KJV)
And the Lord God gave
him bonuses besides, as follows:
“13 And
I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches,
and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto
thee all thy days.
14 And
if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my
commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy
days.” (vs.
13-14 KJV)
The word translated
“understanding” in Solomon’s request (v. 9) actually means
“hearing” or discerning. God gave Solomon a hearing
(discerning) heart so he could judge the cases/problems of
his nation and people, and “discern between good and evil.”
This, in short, is the biblical definition of wisdom: knowing what
is good and bad, and choosing to do the good (1 Kings 3:9).
In the book that
Solomon wrote when he was already a young king, he said: “He that
answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto
him” (Prov. 18:13 KJV). In a modern translation it is worded:
“What a shame – yes, how stupid! - to decide before hearing the
facts!”. In our justice system in the Philippines, this is the
“right to due process”, meaning, hear first to know
the facts before you render judgment of acquittal or condemnation.
Wise men (which
includes women) hear God through His Book. They may
read other books, of course, but when rendering opinions or
judgments, they make their opinions or decisions and actions anchored
solely by the Word of God to be correct. There is no greater wisdom
than one coming from God which are now written in the canonized
Bible. The best and reliable human judges of today are those who
read and know the canonized Bible and apply what is in the Bible.
The apostle James said,
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
(like what King Solomon did), who gives to all liberally and without
reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). King Solomon
already knew this by revelation from God before James wrote his book.
How will we acquire wisdom? Ask for it from God.
READ, re-read, review, analyze and MEMORIZE the canonized Bible, more
particularly, Song of Solomon (which deals on love relationships),
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, so when the occasion or opportunity
arises, we can be guided by the wisdom coming from God. This is hard
work and requires much hours and days even months or years, but it is
extremely rewarding.
God bestows His wisdom
to those who consult God, or read the canonized Bible.
(FGBMFI Davao City
Chapter Bulletin, June 22, 2013)
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