1 Kings 4:30: “Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.”

July 7th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

In Solomon’s day, both the Babylonians and the Persians (who were to the east of Israel) were known for their wisdom. In general, the ancients were much more interested in wisdom than modern cultures. Today, someone with a quick comeback (a wise-guy like a late-night talk show host) is more admired than someone with wise counsel.

Acquiring information/data/knowledge is often mistaken for the ability to use that information well. The Bible asserts that knowledge alone is not enough to grasp life and live it with skill. Soaring divorce rates, broken families, runaway opiate use by teenagers, and suicide all underscore the need for something more—more than just more information. What we lack, what’s missing, the Bible says, is wisdom.

Wisdom is knowing and doing what is right. Notice it isn’t simply knowing but making right use of that knowledge. We can acquire a vast storehouse of information and still be unwise. In Scripture, the foolish man or woman is the one who fails to receive correction, either by ignoring it or outright refusing its counsel. Evangelist Billy Graham said it this way:

Knowledge leads us from the simple to the complex; wisdom leads us from the complex to the simple. Knowledge is horizontal. Wisdom is vertical—it comes down from above.

“LORD, give us Your wisdom today to heed Your counsel and walk in Your ways.”