Wisdom is more precious than gold (Proverbs 16:16). Yet it seems that many more people are seeking gold than wisdom. Why is this? What exactly is wisdom, and how can we acquire it? Then, once we have found wisdom, how should we put it to use? Our answers to these questions can make the difference between life and death, health and illness, prosperity and poverty, strife and peace—for us individually and for those around us.
Seeking Knowledge
Throughout the nearly 6,000 years of recorded human history, men and women have sought understanding and truth. Yet the vast majority of people have rejected the real source of all right knowledge—God's word. As a result, modern civilization rests on a foundation of sand.
Jesus Christ explained what will happen to those who neglect His wisdom. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew [the trials and tests of life] and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall" (Matthew 7:26–27).
By contrast, if we start our search for truth and knowledge by looking to God's word, our foundation will be sure. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7).
Christ explained that He is the fountainhead of truth, and is the "Rock" upon whom we should build: "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock" (Matthew 7:24–25).
Jesus of Nazareth, in the beginning, was the Word, who was with God and was God (John 1:1). Since it was He who inspired the Old and New Testaments, the entire Bible consists of His "sayings." During His confrontation with Satan, Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God'" (Luke 4:4). This is the essence of true wisdom!
The Apostle Paul tells us where to find that Rock upon whom we should build our spiritual house: "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:1–4).
Yet most of mankind has lost its way, having rejected the knowledge and wisdom revealed through God's word. The prophet Jeremiah understood that without God's word to guide us, human beings cannot find truth or lasting success in this life or in tomorrow's world: "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).
When human beings reject God's revelation, they fall into wickedness, influenced by Satan, the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), who wants to destroy our incredible human potential by preventing us from being born, at the resurrection from the dead, as the spiritual children of God. Yet we are without excuse if we do not acknowledge God's existence, and obey Him: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things" (Romans 1:18–23).
Science, in and of itself, is a method for acquiring knowledge. It can be used for good, or for evil. True science can help us appreciate the world God has made, and to understand it within the limits of our finite physical nature. But in recent decades, we have seen how false science has been used—just as this passage from Romans explains—to deny God and, through the false theory of Darwinian evolution, place mankind on the same level as the "creeping things."
What does Scripture say about those who deny God as the Creator? Are they wise? No! "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good" (Psalm 53:1).
Sinful mankind reasons that if there is no God, there is no punishment for sin, and human beings can live as they wish. "Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, 'You will not require an account'" (Psalm 10:13). God's people know that we will be held accountable for our choices, and He has given us the right to choose either wisdom or foolishness.
We Must Choose Wisely
God has granted each of us free moral agency. We must ultimately choose, individually, whether to obey God or to follow the ways of Satan the devil. Obedience to God leads to love, peace, generosity, service and outflowing concern for those around us. Satan's way leads to vanity, lust, jealousy and greed—and ultimately to eternal destruction. These two ways are contrasted in the scriptural account of the two trees: "And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9).
God explained to Adam that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was "off limits" to him, and Adam passed this knowledge on to Eve after God created her. Now God could test their obedience, so He allowed Satan to tempt them: "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die"'" (Genesis 3:1–2).
Eve understood what Adam had told her; she told Satan of the instructions Adam had relayed to her from God. But she did not believe God's warning. "Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'" (vv. 4–5). Eve was tempted by Satan's assurance that she could become like God by disobeying Him. "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate" (v. 6). Though Adam had warned his wife of God's prohibition, he still chose to disobey his Creator. "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings" (v. 7).
Perhaps we sometimes want to condemn our father Adam for his weakness. But have not each of us— even after learning of God's laws— occasionally taken a "bite of the fruit" ourselves, willingly, hoping that what we do in the dark will not come into the light? "Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, and their works are in the dark; they say, 'Who sees us?' and, 'Who knows us?'" (Isaiah 29:15).
Truly converted Christians understand that, once they have a calling from God, His eye is upon them for judgment. "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:15–17).
No Sins Secret from God
After Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to hide themselves from God (Genesis 3:8). As Christians, we understand that it is not possible to hide our sins from the One who created us. When we sin, God is faithful to forgive us, if we sincerely turn from sin and ask for His mercy. "And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:3–4).
We cannot hide our sins from God, but perhaps we think we can hide them from the people around us. What does God say about this? "For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops" (Luke 12:2–3). Even if we can hide our sins from others for a short while, God's word explains that our efforts will not bring success. "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). Our Father is always watching diligently for opportunities to correct His children in love, and to bless us if we heed His wisdom. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
God's wisdom is available to those whom He calls, who put forth the effort to seek it. Along with fasting, prayer and meditation, Bible study is one of the tools He has given to help us grow in wisdom. Regular Bible study is essential for a Christian who hopes to grow in godly wisdom, and it is vital to set a consistent pattern of study. Many in God's Church have found it helpful, along with their regular Bible study, to take time each day to read one chapter from the book of Proverbs, and to meditate on how we can apply it in our lives. On the first day of the month, read Proverbs 1, then continue on each day until you are reading Proverbs 31 at the end of the month. Repeat this process every month, and over time you will find that each reading will give you new insights you had not seen before. You will gradually see that you are, in fact, growing in godly wisdom!
The lessons, laws and principles we find in the Bible are a vibrant communication from our Creator, who earnestly desires to share His spiritual knowledge and wisdom with you and with me. Through Christ living in us, God is instilling His very nature in each of His begotten sons and daughters, providing us access to the wisdom and the power we need to succeed in our struggles against the pulls of Satan, self, and the society in which we now live. With His Spirit, instilling in us His wisdom, we can succeed! "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:1–4).
In the final analysis, only the wise will be saved. Those who have wisely taken advantage of the opportunities God has offered to receive His Spirit will be given eternal life. "The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, [those who unwisely refuse to repent, when they have received correction and the knowledge of God] but He blesses the home of the just. Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools" (Proverbs 3:33–35). The prophet Daniel was told that in the end-time, "Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand" (Daniel 12:10).
Many whom we once called our brethren no longer follow Christ, nor seek His knowledge and His wisdom. We who have remained faithful must not let our guard down and grow lax. Satan knows he has but a short time left to try to turn us astray, so we must take seriously the admonition to: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 5:8–11).
Are we gaining wisdom? Are we studying the Bible, and meditating on what we study? Are we taking the time to pray, each day, to our Creator who wants us to use His wisdom in every aspect of our lives? If so, we are heading on the right path toward gaining the precious knowledge that will guide us safely along the narrow way into the Kingdom of God. "When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness" (Proverbs 2:10–13).