When Solomon was offered the opportunity to ask God for anything he wanted, he didn’t ask for gold, fame, or pleasures. He asked God for wisdom. According to 1 Kings 4:29, God granted his request. It says, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men…He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.” In Matthew 12:42, Jesus confirms the Old Testament historical account of the great wisdom of Solomon. In this quote, Jesus also commends the Queen of the South. He says, “The queen of the South…came from the ends of the earth to hear the Wisdom of Solomon…” We also read about other kings and queens coming from long distances to hear the wisdom of Solomon. There were no airplanes, trains, or automobiles in those days. Solomon didn’t have all the technological advances that we enjoy today, but he had something more important. He had divine wisdom. The wisdom that Solomon offered was the most desirable thing in the world. Today, it seems like “information” is the most desirable thing. Information and knowledge without wisdom is a dangerous brew. Tom Morris says, “Knowledge without wisdom, just like action without wisdom, can take a person, or an organization, off the rails as quickly as anything. Because of this, as well as for many more reasons, we ought to be hiring for wisdom, training for wisdom, promoting wisdom, and encouraging it in every way we can in business, politics, and our personal lives. Any other course is, of course, unwise.”[1]
We don’t have to travel vast distances to get advice from the wisest man who ever lived. We need only open our Bibles to the book of Proverbs. Both wisdom and folly call out to us every day, according to the first ten chapters of Proverbs. Every day, we need to seek its advice. We will face many decisions each day of our lives that demand a decision in the form of a thought, word, or action. What Timothy George said about the Bible as a whole is especially appropriate for the book of Proverbs. He writes, “The Bible is a living book. You cannot read it and put it down the way you might the sports page or a Stephen King novel. It addresses you, provokes you, questions you, commands you, and calls out to you. It has your number.”
During the course of the book of Proverbs, Solomon promises his readers something special. Proverbs 8:34 says, “Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.” Proverbs are not “promises.” They are general observations of truth to which one might point out that they don’t always come true. It’s clear that the Bible does not guarantee a life without trials. Jesus told us that in this world, we will have trials, but to take heart because He has overcome the world. Job shows us that even the righteous sometimes suffer. Yet we cannot deny the truth that those who align with truth are more likely to experience success than those who are foolish. In that sense, wisdom can rightly speak of the benefits her lessons bring.”
[1] The Dangers of Knowledge Without Wisdom — Tom Morris (tomvmorris.com)