April 28, 2006 - I Kings 3-5 and Luke 20:1-26
Wisdom is a wonderful thing. It enables us to take the facts, and then, to understand what to do in any given situation. All true wisdom is God's wisdom, because God is all-knowing, and He has complete wisdom. For us to have wisdom we must know Him, and we must receive wisdom from Him. We can learn a lot about wisdom from this passage in Kings and the passage in Luke. How are you doing when it comes to wisdom in your life? Let the Lord speak to you about that today.
In chapter 3 we have good news and bad news about Solomon. The good news is that he asked God for wisdom, when God came to him and told him, he could ask for anything. This request pleased God so much that He gave him riches on top of wisdom. Of course, all of these blessings were dependent on Solomon being faithful and obedient to God.(v.14) The bad news is that Solomon did not apply the wisdom to his own life. He had married one of Pharaoh's daughters, and he did not put her away, once he received God's wisdom. It was against God's will for him to marry a pagan wife. Also, he worshiped at the high places instead of at the tabernacle of God. That was a compromise, and it led to him worshiping idols in the future. It is a shame that the wisest man in the world would not apply that wisdom to his own life. However, that is how it is with us, if we are not very careful. We can see the faults and mistakes of others, but we do not see our own. We need to ask God for wisdom and apply that wisdom to ourselves first.
Chapters 4 and 5 show us how Solomon's wisdom helped him to organize the government and to build the Temple. He knew he was being blessed by God and that he should build the Temple. It was good that he was faithful to the Lord in these ways. However, the seeds of compromise had already been sown in his life. He needed to uproot them, or they would lead to his downfall. The same is true with us. We can be wise, but if we compromise on what we know is right and true, it will cause us harm in the long run. Take some time to consider any compromises in your life and to repent of it.
Look at the wisdom of Jesus in Luke 20. Of course, Jesus was far wiser than Solomon, since He was God in human flesh. How did He use His wisdom? He answered a question with a question, when He was asked about His authority. That helped to put things in context. Then, he did not even answer the question. In that case that was the wise thing to do. We need to let God show us how to respond to other people in wisdom. Next, Jesus told a parable or a story with a truth. The Jewish leaders knew what He was saying. It made them mad, but they could not refute it. It helped the other people understand what was going to happen, too. Sometimes a story is the wise response to people. Finally, Jesus told them to pay to Caesar what was owed to him and to God what was owed to Him. What an answer to a difficult question. They wanted Him to choose between paying taxes and not paying taxes. They wanted to paint him into a corner, but He did not allow that. He replied in such a way as to show the reality. Caesar, or the government, does deserve taxes, because they provide services to us. However, God deserves so much more, because He is the ultimate provider of all we have. That is an insight that could only come from God's wisdom. Lets' pray for God to give us His wisdom each day and in every circumstance.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 6-7 and Luke 20:27-47.
In chapter 3 we have good news and bad news about Solomon. The good news is that he asked God for wisdom, when God came to him and told him, he could ask for anything. This request pleased God so much that He gave him riches on top of wisdom. Of course, all of these blessings were dependent on Solomon being faithful and obedient to God.(v.14) The bad news is that Solomon did not apply the wisdom to his own life. He had married one of Pharaoh's daughters, and he did not put her away, once he received God's wisdom. It was against God's will for him to marry a pagan wife. Also, he worshiped at the high places instead of at the tabernacle of God. That was a compromise, and it led to him worshiping idols in the future. It is a shame that the wisest man in the world would not apply that wisdom to his own life. However, that is how it is with us, if we are not very careful. We can see the faults and mistakes of others, but we do not see our own. We need to ask God for wisdom and apply that wisdom to ourselves first.
Chapters 4 and 5 show us how Solomon's wisdom helped him to organize the government and to build the Temple. He knew he was being blessed by God and that he should build the Temple. It was good that he was faithful to the Lord in these ways. However, the seeds of compromise had already been sown in his life. He needed to uproot them, or they would lead to his downfall. The same is true with us. We can be wise, but if we compromise on what we know is right and true, it will cause us harm in the long run. Take some time to consider any compromises in your life and to repent of it.
Look at the wisdom of Jesus in Luke 20. Of course, Jesus was far wiser than Solomon, since He was God in human flesh. How did He use His wisdom? He answered a question with a question, when He was asked about His authority. That helped to put things in context. Then, he did not even answer the question. In that case that was the wise thing to do. We need to let God show us how to respond to other people in wisdom. Next, Jesus told a parable or a story with a truth. The Jewish leaders knew what He was saying. It made them mad, but they could not refute it. It helped the other people understand what was going to happen, too. Sometimes a story is the wise response to people. Finally, Jesus told them to pay to Caesar what was owed to him and to God what was owed to Him. What an answer to a difficult question. They wanted Him to choose between paying taxes and not paying taxes. They wanted to paint him into a corner, but He did not allow that. He replied in such a way as to show the reality. Caesar, or the government, does deserve taxes, because they provide services to us. However, God deserves so much more, because He is the ultimate provider of all we have. That is an insight that could only come from God's wisdom. Lets' pray for God to give us His wisdom each day and in every circumstance.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 6-7 and Luke 20:27-47.