Wisdom – and how to Operate It - Pt.2
ISAIAH 55:8-13
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (When the word of God is applied to any situation in your life, then prosperity and peace follows)
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree (When Eve applied her own reasoning and thoughts contrary to the word of God to a situation in her life, then what followed that was thorns and thistles and briers, so then if we could always place the thoughts of the word to every situation in our lives and operate by the word and not by your own reasoning, then instead of the thorns and briers we would see that there would come up fir trees and myrtle trees and blessings), and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
From last week we came to realise clearer that true wisdom is to be able to apply the word of God into every decision and situation in your life, but this will also often cause us to go against what would seem what is reasonable and logical to man.
But when we study the wisdom of God, we find out that it always goes beyond the rezoning of man, and often at the beginning it appears like the very opposite thing to do.
PROVING.HIS.WORD_ LA.CA V-18 N-3 MONDAY_ 65-0426
104 Now, when they come up in the month of April, when the waters was flying down out of the mountains, over the snowdrifts, and so forth, and looked like that God was a poor general, to lead His army right up to a place, He had them pinned off from the promised land. And the very time He taken them over, was going to take them over, it was the worst month in the year. The month that the Jordan was overflowing its banks, run plumb out into the fields. Why, if they was going to take them over, it would be in the summertime, when they could wade across. But He waited till the waters got deep. He likes to show that He's God. He likes to prove His Word, regardless.
By this we learn something of the ways of God – in that He does things at a higher level of thinking than what we would think by our own thoughts, and that is why the wisdom of God at the beginning appears to be illogical to man.
**And that also is why that when we pray; often things will go very different to the answer that we think of how God should answer our prayer, and many times we fail to understand that God has answered our prayer because of the way that God works it out, because to us it looks all wrong at the beginning according to our own reasoning.
PROVERBS 3:5-7
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (In other words, you cannot combine your own understanding with your trust in the Lord – the two do not mix)
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him (the word), and he shall direct thy paths. (This is how we are to operate wisdom in our lives, by applying the word to our choices of pathways in life)
7 ¶ Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
From last week… In the story of King Solomon’s judgement of the two woman both claiming to be the mother of the same living child, we find that at the beginning when the wisdom of God was told through Solomon to divide the living child with a sword and give half to each of the two mothers, it looked like the wisdom of God was actually very foolish to man’s reasoning and wisdom, but in the end we realised that how it was judged was a far greater and higher wisdom to that of man.
Last week we found out that there are two types of wisdom
1. The wisdom of man which is based on the knowledge and the reasoning from what he has learnt from of his past experiences and of worldly affairs and of the laws of science and logic and man’s education.
2. And then there is the wisdom of God which operates at a much higher level and is based at a faith level, and it almost always appears not to be reasonable and logical of what man’s knowledge and reasoning would dictate to him.
***So how do we operate in this realm of the wisdom of God??
I CORINTHIANS 2:4-8
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (God by His power can take what looks wrong by the wisdom of man and make it work out perfectly right)
6 ¶ Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
PROVERBS 2:6
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. All true wisdom comes from the Lord, and it comes by the revealing of his word that comes out of His mouth.
JAMES 1:5
5 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.
***True Godly leadership requires the wisdom of God that comes by the revelation of the word, not just the letter of the word, but by the spirit of the word, and that is why true wisdom is not something that you can learn by reading a text book.
Any decision that you make that is not a word based decision is simply not the correct decision and leadership of God for your life, and by a wrong decision (made by your own reasoning that is contrary to the word) you will never be led into prosperity and peace and true blessing.
I KINGS 4:29-32
29 ¶ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.
32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
When wisdom comes, then what follows that is Godly leadership and prosperity and peace.
Notice - War never brought peace to the kingdom under King David’s reign, but under Solomon’s reign peace came because God had a channel that His wisdom could be channelled through.
**This applies the same for a local church family.
Fighting within families and among family members will never produce peace – peace can only come when the word has the preeminence and is in operation within that family, and that is by the channel of the headship of the family.
If there is the channel of a Godly husband and father that operates his leadership by the word, then God can direct wisdom and peace through that channel to bring blessing and peace to the entire family.
*It behoves us men to step up to this responsibility.
Joseph was given wisdom to interpret the dream of Pharaoh, and what followed that was prosperity and blessing and peace, but in contrast, when Eve applied her own personal wisdom and thoughts and made a decision based on her own ideas that were against the word of God, then cursing and death and thorns and thistles followed.
***So how do we operate wisdom in our lives? - By applying the word of God to every thought and decision and circumstance.
In all thy ways acknowledge HIM, (the word) and He shall direct thy path…
PSALM 119:103-105
103 ¶ How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
105 ¶ NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
***In the story of King Nebuchadnezzar – we want to see how wisdom comes to a person, and how it is removed from a person – it is always by obedience or disobedience to the word.
DANIEL 4:30-37
30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? (King Nebuchadnezzar thought that this great wisdom that he had came from within himself because of his own personal ability. But when Daniel gave the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great tree, God was trying to showed him that in order to keep his wisdom and prosperity he needed to acknowledge where all true wisdom came from, and so he was given a space of time to repent. But when he failed to repent and was still proclaiming to himself that his wisdom was by his own personal ability and not from the God of heaven, then that was when this channel of the wisdom of God was cut off from him)
31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. (Notice that both his wisdom and his kingdom departed from him both together, showing that wisdom and the establishment of a kingdom of prosperity and peace are connected together.
**Kind Solomon also had a great kingdom that was prosperous and at peace, and that was also because of the wisdom of God that was channelled into that kingdom through his ministry.)
32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field (his wisdom was reduced to the level of the thinking of a sheep and a cow – all that sheep and cows know how to do is to eat grass and to sleep in paddocks): they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
34 ¶ And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
Nebuchadnezzar was very gifted man. He was gifted with the ability to receive spiritual dreams, he was gifted with the ability to be a channel and to receive the wisdom of God, and God dealt with him greatly after this manner.
We know that the entire prophecy of the four gentile kingdoms that were to come in the future and that were written in the book of Danial came through the channel of this great gentile king Nebuchadnezzar. We also know that he was endowed and gifted by God with wisdom because he had built the greatest of all earthly gentile kingdoms – “Babylon”, and he was at the head of it, he was the head of gold, and blessing flowed into that kingdom because of his wisdom, he was even a king of kings.
DANIEL 2:37-38
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory (how had God given him that? – By gifting him with wisdom).
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
**But look at how this head of gold fell from wisdom. And look at how each kingdom after this head of gold kingdom was established less because of a lesser wisdom.
PROVERBS 24:3-5
3 ¶ Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
I KINGS 10:4
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
This exact same principle applies to us also, because true wisdom is to learn how to apply the word of God in every situation in your life contrary to the logic of man’s reasoning, we must realise that you cannot trust God and also trust in the reasoning and logic of man at the same time.
***Man is to be the leader of his house by the word of God, but when he fails to apply the word to his “kingdom” then the wisdom and the blessing of God begins to be removed from that man and he is left with just the perverted wisdom of his own foolish ideas.
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***When King Saul failed to apply the word to a situation in his life and he did what his own reasoning dictated to him, then we find that from that point on he begins to make more bad discussions and eventually his kingdom was taken from him.
I SAMUEL 13:5-14
5 And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.
6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
7 And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 ¶ And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.
10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.
11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;
12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
Look what sort of bad decisions that Saul continues to make…
I SAMUEL 14:26-30
26 And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.
27 But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.
28 Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint.
29 Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
30 How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?
Adam was the channel that God used to bring blessing and peace to the kingdom of the Garden of Eden, but when the reasoning of the wisdom of man was applied to their pathway, then everything that followed that family after that was a disaster.
Why is manhood so attacked and belittled in this day, especially by Hollywood?, it is because man is the channel that God uses to bring blessing to the people.
Why are woman in such leadership roles today, because that is what happened in Eden when Eve took over Adam’s leadership and made a decision that was based on her own reasoning and not by the word – and cursing and disaster and death and a destroyed kingdom followed when she operated by her own thoughts against the thoughts of God – so it cannot be any different with us today because God never changes His mind about His word.
***How do we operate the wisdom of God in our lives? We must first learn how to apply the word of God to every decision that we make, even if it seems contrary to our personal reasoning – that is how we apply and operate the wisdom of God in our lives.
It is not always easy to do, because many times we have to lay aside our own good judgement and the opinion of others in order to walk the pathway of truth and the word.
Our thoughts are to become His thoughts, and His way of thinking is to be in us, and then we will truly be able to operation the wisdom of God in our lives.
PSALM 119:104-105
104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
105 ¶ NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.