The Nature Of Wisdom
The Nature of Wisdom
Tuesday September 9, 2025
We often misunderstand the true nature of wisdom.
This failure leads to some strange paradoxes:
Anointed, but foolish
Gifted, but corrupt
Mighty, yet a victim
Wise and disloyal
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 NKJV To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: [2] A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; [3] A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; [4] A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; [5] A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; [6] A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; [7] A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; [8] A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. [9] What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? [10] I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. [11] He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Timely Wisdom
Times and seasons change. That is a fact of life.
We make decisions appropriate for the time and season we are in. Or at least, we should.
1 Chronicles 12:32 NKJV of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;
Fluid Wisdom: Timely wisdom is fluid wisdom.
The decisions we made in previous seasons, especially when those seasons lasted a long time, can become habitual, almost instinctive. They might have worked for last season, but now our season has changed, we need to make new decisions. We know that to be true, yet at a visceral level we are still so stuck with our old ways and patterns of behaviour.
In previous seasons we used wisdom to reach the right decisions. In our new season, we need wisdom to chart a new course, but we often revert to habits and old patterns. We stop thinking. We stop listening. We stop seeking the Lord.
1 Kings 3:2-5 ESV The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD. [3] Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. [4] And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. [5] At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask what I shall give you.”
There Was A Time Of Ignorance, But No More
Acts 17:30-31 NKJV Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, [31] because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Titus 2:11-12 NKJV For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, [12] teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
Wisdom is the ability to know the difference.
Temporary vs permanent.
Mind vs heart.
Some things in life are meant to be temporary. It is not wise to make them permanent.
We must make the distinction between what the Lord tolerates and what the Lord celebrates.
Before the building of the temple, there were high places. God met with Solomon in one of such high places. Now years after the temple had been built, Solomon persisted in building and worshiping on high places. Things ended poorly for him.
1 Kings 11:1-8 ESV Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, [2] from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. [3] He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. [4] For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. [5] For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. [6] So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. [7] Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. [8] And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.
1 Kings 11:9-12 ESV And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice [10] and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. [11] Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. [12] Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
2 Samuel 12:24-25 ESV Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him [25] and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
True Wisdom is of the heart
Psalm 90:12 NKJV So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 ESV So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 LSB So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Wisdom is revealed not by know-how, which is mere intellectual competence. Wisdom is revealed by its values. Your values are directed by your heart.
Matthew 11:19 NKJV …But wisdom is justified by her children.
Matthew 11:19 LSB …Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Misdirected Wisdom: How wise men become fools
Mind vs heart.
Psalm 14:1 NKJV The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.
Wisdom is directed by the heart. Foolishness is not a matter of the intellect but of the heart. When a heart is rightly directed towards God, it becomes wise. When misdirected from God, when distracted by other things, the heart becomes unavoidably foolish.
Romans 1:22-23 NKJV Professing to be wise, they became fools, [23] and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man-and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
The role of the school is to train the mind but often they mess with the hearts.
Sometimes when Christins kids go off to school, they return home foolish, but with high diplomas and degrees.
Be careful who you open your heart to, because the out of the heart are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23 LSB Guard your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 ESV Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Let your professors train your mind for your profession, but do not open your hearts easily to anyone. Who has your mind can teach you. Whoever has your heart will influence you, change you and ultimately make you into themselves.
Wise in the head, foolish in the heart.
Solomon’s life was marked by grace. He was the son of David, through a relationship that couldn’t have started out in a worse way. Yet, because his father truly repented, the Lord loved him. How could Solomon, a man gifted with such great wisdom from the Lord, a man who enjoyed such an intimate relationship with God as to warrant two divine visitations, how could he have ended so poorly?
Two reasons are discernible, and both hinged on his failure to make distinctions. He failed to distinguish between what should be temporary and what should be permanent.
The high places were temporary. He made them permanent. His reliance on God should have been permanent. He made that temporary.
During the days of the high places, he made a series of poor decisions that spiraled and locked them and him into a permanent status.
The Spiral
Solomon stated by relying on God.
When God gave him wisdom, he changed from his reliance on God to reliance on his wisdom.
His reliance on his wisdom led him to make a political alliance with Pharaoh.
The political alliance was made permanent by marriage to Pharaoh's daughter.
This single act of disobedience, opened the door, making it easier for him to further disobey God.
He married more women than was allowed.
He married many of them from foreign countries, against God's commandments.
Clinging in love to his many foreign wives, his heart was no longer loyal to God.
His changing loyalties led him to build high places for foreign gods.
He reached the bottom at the height of his life. In his old age, Solomon, who was qualified to build his temple, began to worship foreign gods.
David was disqualified to build God a temple, but his heart remained PERMANENTLY loyal to God.
Solomon started with a humble reliance on God, but his devotion proved to be TEMPORARY.
1 Corinthians 4:5 ESV Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
Hebrews 3:12-14 NLT Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. [13] You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. [14] For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [13] But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. [14] For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Hebrews 3:12-14 NKJV Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; [13] but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. [14] For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,
Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; [24] But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.
God's blessings bring changes in our lives. We must discern what things are temporary and what things are permanent. We must also know the matters that require our minds and prevent them from captivating our hearts.
When God our financial status changes, we must be careful to keep our loyalty to God permanent.
When our influence increases, we must endeavour to stay under the influence of God's Holy Spirit.
When our understanding and wisdom increases, we must never trust in ourselves. We must never lean on our own understanding. In all our ways we must acknowledge God and ask Him to direct our paths.
Solomon’s wisdom proved to be his undoing. The problem was not his wisdom. Every good gift comes from God. He fell when he substituted his God-given wisdom for God.
Anointed, but foolish: Solomon
Gifted, but corrupt: Balaam
Mighty, yet a victim: Samson
Wise and disloyal: Ahithophel, Solomon
