CHAPTER ELEVEN
Wisdom
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
(Prov. 4:7)
These words were written by Solomon, son of David, King of Israel, the wisest man who ever lived:
And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
For he was wiser than all men;
(1Kings 4:30-31a)
As king, he had a country to look after, a country peopled by what God called a ‘stiff-necked’ race (Ex.33.3). Running a country is very much like running your business, with the same problems, the same principles, the same profit and loss strategies. Money is needed to build schools, maintain an army, and sustain a national welfare program, so the acquisition of money to do these things is of the utmost importance. The norm in Solomon’s day was to conquer and claim the wealth of the conquered, but as history has shown, sooner or later you come up against someone who is stronger. Upon Solomon’s accession to the throne, God gave him a choice:
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. (1Kings 3:5)
And Solomon chose a different course, he chose a direction some in his day would have considered foolhardy because it was alien to their culture. The convention was to seek wealth, power and might, but Solomon decided upon a new approach:
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? (1Kings 3:9)
And because he displayed humility, acknowledged his weakness and chose wisdom above the conventional tools of wealth and power God added:
And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
(1Kings 3:13)
Solomon, even at this early stage of his career, realized that money in itself was not enough. Money might blind for a time, might hold back and delay problems for a while, but sooner or later its brightness wanes, sooner or later it is not enough, and sooner or later you come up against someone who has more. Solomon understood that money remained a tool to be used, but with wisdom at his disposal he had a far more powerful and valuable tool, a weapon that not only affected men’s bodies but also their minds. The same could be said of a mighty army. If Solomon had the most powerful army on earth and did not use it wisely, it would achieve nothing. We have seen enough evidence of that over the centuries.
But we are ordinary people; Solomon was king of God’s chosen people, elected by birth to rule, something not likely to happen to the vast majority us. So how are we to get this wonderful gift called wisdom? Is it not just for the cleverest and brightest amongst us, for the chosen few? Can we not find it in books and schools of learning? These are questions that have been asked since biblical times:
But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
(Job 28:12-29)
Solomon summed this all up:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
(Prov. 9:10)
And the preacher had this to say to those who seek wisdom:
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy:
(Eccl. 2:26a)
Wisdom comes from God. It is He who gives it to those who acknowledge and fear Him, who walk in His way and obey Him. Through wisdom Solomon acquired great wealth. His fame and status spread throughout the earth and the elite of the world sought his counsel. As a result of the wisdom given to Solomon, Israel became exceedingly rich and powerful, was respected and achieved the pinnacle of success. These are all things we desire for our businesses and with ‘wisdom as the principal thing’ we can expect it. But the advantages of wisdom do not end there. For those who seek wisdom:
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
(Prov. 3:13-18)
add to that:
She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
(Prov. 4:9)
Long life, riches, honor, pleasantness, peace, happiness, glory, what are we waiting for?
Business success is counted in assets versus liabilities. There is no getting away from that fact. Nobody does business to give money away, business is about profit. Wisdom makes the acquisition of such profit that much easier but it also gives us so much more. Godly wisdom makes all of this a foregone conclusion, success is guaranteed and the best part of it is that it is just a short prayer away:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (Jam.1:5)
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, with the faith that You hear my prayers, and because I know that You hear, I believe and I receive. You have offered us wisdom and promised to give it to us freely. I ask now that You please give me that wisdom, that I may walk according to Your will in all my dealings, that my business will be an asset to your Kingdom. Amen.