12/02/2019
Wisdom, it comes in two main flavors; earthly , and spiritual, and both of these have been given to us by God as a means of doing His business. The first is so that we can understand Him through His creation, and the second so that we might understand Him better through His Son Jesus, but in both cases we suffer as we gain in it.
“And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.”
Ecclesiastes 1:13 ESV
Being wise is not the same thing as being knowledgeable. Wisdom is the tool that God has given us so that we can gain in understanding by applying it to the knowledge we have already gathered, and in so doing further increase in our knowledge... and thus we grow in the opportunity to become wiser. It is a vicious never ending circle that much like a whirlpool spins faster as it approaches its core until at last it bends out from its apex and rejoins the periphery once again... growing larger in the process, but it is not always a happy endeavor.
“For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
Ecclesiastes 1:18 ESV
Wisdom is at once thrilling, and yet brings us sorrow as well because not all knowledge is good, and yet wisdom must incorporate the good and the bad as it spins in order for us to understand how all things are made to become good, just as our Father does... just as a whirlpool picks up all debris that floats nearby, and draws it irreversibly into its current.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 ESV
All things work together to produce a good outcome, and yet... not all things are good in and of themselves. An experienced cook takes bitter herbs, and blends them with the sweet, and uses the spicey along with the bland to produce a tasty dish. Using his wisdom, and the knowledge of taste, he understands how to combine flavors, but as he tastes this new goodness he also becomes less tolerant of many foods he once found wonderfully acceptable. In other words, we suffer in not being able to claim the ignorance we once found pleasure in, or return to an innocence we once knew... the whirlpool has formed.
“Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.”
Genesis 3:22-23 ESV
This is true of man’s worldly knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, such as the understanding we gained of atomic structure, and the Knowledge required to split the atom. Now we must live in fear, and depend on our own wisdom to prevent our own destruction... now we suffer. It is also true of our faith, and attaining spiritual knowledge, understanding, and wisdom just as we saw begin in Adam and Eve as they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now we must live in fear of sin and death... being wise enough to obey God’s Word, and accept His Son as our savior. Yet unlike worldly wisdom, we find our spiritual wisdom sent to us By God in the form of Jesus.
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."”
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 ESV
So in the world we have a worldly form of wisdom, but in spirit we have wisdom in Jesus Christ. On earth we live by seeking wisdom, while in spirit we live by seeking Christ. One exists before us, and the other abides within us. On earth we suffer in labor and childbirth, while in spirit we pick up our cross, and follow Jesus.
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for the wisdom you lead us to in our daily lives, and we thank you more for your Son Jesus Christ who instills in us your wisdom and provides us with righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Help us Holy Father to endure the challenges of obtaining knowledge, the pain of understanding, and the often unhappy work of managing them wisely. Lord, give us the intellect, and creativity we need to take the knowledge of the bad in this world, and to blend it with the immeasurable goodness so that all can become good. Your Son Jesus has overcome sin and death by His purity and Goodness... help us to become more like him as our knowledge and faith in Him grows. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is wise beyond description, and who makes all things good for us who love, obey, and worship you. Great are you who fills us with heavenly wisdom as we abide in Christ, and who sets the laws that govern the earth to guide our wisdom, and wellbeing there. Praised be your name for the overwhelming love you show us. Glorious are you for your mercy and grace by which the Redeeming Wisdom of Christ is applied to us. In this way, of love, and by your wisdom in Jesus, you have saved us, and for this we worship you now, and forevermore.
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
Romans 11:33-36 ESV
Rich Forbes