as for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. at the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before nebuchadnezzar. and the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like daniel, hananiah, mishael, and azariah. therefore they stood before the king. [daniel 1:17-19]
God’s wisdom is infinitely higher than the wisdom of men. even nebuchadnezzar, a mighty pagan king, acknowledges the wisdom that these boys had been given from God. and God gave them this wisdom for such a time as this! to be brought before the king, so that God’s wisdom and glory and might would be shown to be better. for his great name to be lifted high before all the world. his wisdom unexpectedly given, and faithfully used for his glory.
we have access to this wisdom. we have been given the entirety of God’s word and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, teaching us the word and how to live in it. we have the very words of Jesus Christ and the proof of his God-ness by his power shown in the resurrection. we can hold the wisdom of God in the palm of our hands! yet we often fail to understand the importance of this wisdom. so how important is this wisdom?
get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. do not forsake her [wisdom], and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. the beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. she will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” [proverbs 4:5-9]
this quote that king solomon, the wisest man ever to walk the earth [1 kings 3:12], gave to his son, was first spoken to him by his own father, king david, a man after God’s own heart. [acts 13:22] so a great king who loved the Lord with all his heart told his beloved son that the most important thing to gain in life is wisdom. so how do we gain wisdom?
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. [proverbs 9:10]
to gain the perfect wisdom from God, we must have a holy reverence for him. we must submit ourselves under the authority of his word. and we must ask! if we desire to have knowledge and understanding of the word, we should bring our desire before the only one who can fulfill it!
if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. [james 1:5]
when we seek the wisdom of the word of God, with reverence before God, it is not just his wisdom we seek, but God himself. we seek the knowledge of the Holy One. we seek his character, we seek the nature of his power and authority, we seek the goodness of his name, and we seek the pleasure of living in intimacy with him. then we will have insight. then we will have wisdom. but how will we know? what will God’s wisdom look like?
who is wise and understanding among you? by his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. but if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. this is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. but the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. and a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. [james 3:13-18]
because this kind of wisdom is from an overflow of knowing and walking in the Spirit, just like these young boys before a great king, our wisdom will point to a Father whose wisdom and goodness far surpasses that of any other. our wisdom will bring glory to his name because it came from his hand.
so get wisdom! get insight! and we will be a people who points to the infinite wisdom of an almighty God who wants to proclaim his glory through us, to the whole world.
~ arwen eastman