King Solomon praised about gaining wisdom.
Proverb 4:7 Wisdom is supreme—so acquire wisdom, and whatever you acquire, acquire understanding!
Solomon was the King of Wisdom so whatever he said must have come out of his great wisdom and we should think in the same way. Therefore, we also must make effort to gain wisdom and understanding. But then what is the true wisdom that we must gain? This is a tricky question because so many people have different opinions about the kind of wisdom that they think is important.
Wisdom for our Life
We can happen to meet many books and newspaper articles on the wisdom we should have for the benefit of our life. And they are talking about a wisdom to teach us how to save money, how to have great connections, how to gain fame, how to be productive, and so on. To achieve all these things we definitely need a certain kind of wisdom. However, are they the true wisdom we should gain or are they the true wisdom taught in the bible? It cannot be because the same Solomon, who once gain all those things through his wisdom said that those things are meaningless and chasing after the wind.
3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. 4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.From the Book of Ecclesiastes Chapter 2
With his wisdom he gained whatever a man seeks after such as fame, wealth, power, knowledge, etc. For everything he had done, however, he concludes that everything was meaningless. Through this we can see that the true wisdom we should strive for is not in these worldly things we are seeking after. Then where is the true wisdom? What is the wisdom we should gain?
The Wisdom that Matters
We can find an answer for this question through a testimony of a man who once had great wisdom in the eyes of people, but threw them away after realizing a more important wisdom that matters. Paul once boasted about his worldly wisdom, which was not untrue considering the education he received before his conversion. We can see a glimpse of his wisdom and education through a passage about him before his conversion.
The intellectual and moral endowment of Saul was of the highest order. The sharpest thinking was blended with the tenderest feeling, the deepest mind with the strongest will. He had Semitic fervor, Greek versatility, and Roman energy.
He received all the education a person could receive to be a learned man in those days. He was educated in many different languages including Greek and Hebrews and he seemed to have received formal education on the Greek philosophy and literature. Also, he received a very strict education on the Scriptures as a member of Pharisee. On the basis of this educational background he could boast about his knowledge and wisdom of the time.
Philippians 3:4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
To those who boasted about the prominence and superiority of their own physical life, he argues that he has more to boast about for his family background, educations, and the Roman citizenship given by birth. Even though he had all the more reasons to boast about himself because of his surpassing educational background of the time, however, he said that he considered all those worldly things as “rubbish” after he realized the Christ.
Philippians 3:7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him.
Even though he once had all the wisdom people desired for, later he threw them away to gain a better wisdom. Then to him what was the greatest wisdom?
1 Corinthians 2:6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it.
What is the wisdom of God which people of the world could not understand with their wisdom of the world? Even though many had wisdom and understanding in the perspectives of man, they could not understand this wisdom of God. They were blind and deaf to this wisdom. What is the wisdom of God, the mystery of God which had been hidden since the creation of the world.
Colossians 2:2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
The true mystery or wisdom of God is Christ who can give us salvation. However, people of the time-even though they had wisdom and understanding-could not understand this wisdom of God, Christ, and they rejected him because he was considered foolish in the wisdom of the world. To them Christ was a person who tried to save others while he did not have power to save even himself. That is why to the Gentiles or Greeks who sought wisdom in those days Christ was a foolishness. But to Paul who came to realize the true wisdom of God, Christ was the true power and wisdom that we must seek after even in the sacrifice of everything else.
How to Gain this Wisdom
Then how should we be educated to gain this wisdom? Can we learn this wisdom in the books, in the library, in the universities or in a TV talk show? Where should we go to get this wisdom? This is not a wisdom which can be gained in the ways of the world. If then, there would be many scholars and philosophers who are filled with the wisdom and giving graceful teachings about the wisdom of God, revealing all the mystery of Christ. But there is none, which proves that there is no one who gained this spiritual wisdom.
If this is the case, how and where can we get this wisdom of God?
2 Timothy 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In this verse we can see the true wisdom and the source of this wisdom. The true wisdom is the one that can lead us to salvation and this wisdom can be acquired only through “the Holy Scriptures” or the bible. The bible is a book given by God to teach us in every way and by every means about the wisdom of knowing who the Christ is and how we can receive salvation. For this purpose, the bible gives us many things-examples, prophecies, parables, types, evidences, so that we could be “thoroughly equipped” with the knowledge and understanding for our salvation.
Conclusion
God who appeared in the flesh was a great test of wisdom of God and almost everybody failed even though they had wisdom in the worldly standard. It was because we need a different wisdom than the wisdom of the world to know Christ. The bible says that the Christ will appear again for the second time. (Hebrews 9:28) When he does, again he would be a stumbling block which tests the wisdom of each man and many will fall down because they trust on their own wisdom rather than the wisdom of God coming from the bible.
To know the second coming Christ we must get rid of our own thoughts and opinions, but listen to the words of God in the bible.
Job 22:23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent 24 and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, 25 then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.
The bible teaches we must get rid of our wisdom and knowledge and then God will become our wisdom and knowledge which will surely lead us to salvation.
Now, to fulfill the prophecies of the bible the Second Coming Christ has already come to give us salvation. Let us believe in the name of Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem. Please get rid of the wisdom and understanding you have had until now, and return to God and God will be your wisdom.
