Get Wisdom

What do you think of when I say the word “wisdom”? Do you think of an old man with a long beard? Or a fictional character like Yoda? We tend to associate wisdom with age. There is nothing wrong with this, except that wisdom doesn’t only rest with people who have been around for several decades. There are plenty of foolish elderly people out there. Not everyone will have wisdom in their old age because not everyone seeks wisdom in their lifetime. Wisdom isn’t something that just comes to us with age. Like most things in life, we have to intentionally pursue wisdom in order to gain it.

That is what this post is all about—going after wisdom like it costs all we have. But first, let’s briefly define it. Wisdom is understanding and prudence (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words). It’s the right application of knowledge. Proverbs 4:7 tells us: “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” That sounds awfully important. But where do we get wisdom? The answer is God. He is where all wisdom originates.

Seek God

From the Bible we learn that God is all-wise and all-knowing. His thoughts and His ways are far above our understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9). Psalm 147:5 says: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” And Job 12:12-13 explains: “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.” Wisdom belongs to God and comes from Him. Our search for wisdom lies in our seeking of God. He alone holds all of wisdom. If we get God, then we get wisdom. Let’s look at Proverbs 2:6: “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” This doesn’t say the world, man, or woman gives wisdom. It clearly and plainly says “the Lord gives wisdom.” We can’t find it anywhere else. Wisdom does not come from man. And the world does not hold wisdom, only God does.

What I want you to take from this is that God is the source of wisdom. And He willingly shares it with us, but we need to intentionally be seeking Him and asking for wisdom. This can be done by diving into the Bible and through prayer. We won’t gain any wisdom without first pursuing God and knowing Him more.

Revere God

So, how and where do we start? Proverbs 9:10 gives us the answer: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord. We start our pursuit of God by learning to fear Him. This is not a scary fear, but an honoring, respecting, and revering of God. The Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words defines this kind of fear as caution, reverence, godly fear, or holy fear. It further explains that holy fear is “that mingled fear and love which, combined, constitute the piety of man toward God.” When we revere God, we understand our place before God the Creator. Humility has a place in this (Learn more about humility in my post: The Perfect Character Quality). If we consider ourselves better than God and others, then it would seem we don’t have wisdom. Here’s another verse to help: “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 15:33). Knowing God teaches us wisdom and humbles us. Wisdom isn’t just knowing how to put knowledge into practice; it’s also understanding that we don’t know everything and move toward the One who does. How do we do this? By reading the Bible.

Obey God

When we revere God, we obey Him because we value the same things as Him. One thing God values is wisdom. Proverbs 8:10-11 tells us how valuable wisdom is: “Choose [wisdom’s] instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” In this passage is a warning for us not to pursue the things that the world holds valuable. The passage tells us “nothing you desire can compare with her.” That means money, sex, power, and whatever else you can think of doesn’t compare to wisdom. There’s nothing in this world that compares to the value of wisdom.

Remember, Proverbs 4:7 tells us that “Wisdom is supreme.” That’s a pretty bold statement, isn’t it? This verse goes a step further and says, “though it cost all you have.” Even if our pursuit of wisdom and understanding costs all we have, it’s still worth it. That’s saying a lot. So, we obey God by running after wisdom with all that we are because we value wisdom above all things.

Treasure God

When we value wisdom, we treasure God. We search for more of God like hunting for buried treasure. We don’t stop until we find and know more of God. Colossians 2:2-3 explains that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son. From this we know to seek Jesus if we want wisdom. Jesus is meant to be our treasure. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of wisdom. He is wisdom. How do we know this? By God’s Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 explains that only God’s Spirit can reveal this hidden wisdom that is in Christ. God’s Spirit provides us with the understanding of what God has done for us through Jesus and what we can receive in Jesus. His Spirit points us to Jesus by showing us how much we need Jesus.

Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of wisdom because He perfectly sought, revered, and obeyed God the Father during His time on earth. He did this through His sacrifice and death on the cross which perfectly followed the two greatest commandments—love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul; and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). Out of His perfect love for God the Father and for all peoples, Jesus willingly paid the price for all our sins. And God raised Him from the grave on the third day. Jesus fulfilled the Law because we couldn’t. And He made a way for us to have a new and better life by defeating sin and death. That is wisdom. Seek Jesus and we will find Treasure. He is a Treasure like no other.

Get Jesus.

Get Wisdom.