God’s commands and principles are not intended to limit our happiness but to protect us and lead to true joy and blessings. Wisdom is the ability to understand and apply those principles to our own lives. When we reject God’s wisdom, we often learn too late that doing things our own way or listening to the wisdom of fools leads to disaster and heartache. So, how can we recognize and avoid that trap?
Today’s Readings:
1 Kings 13 & 14
Psalm 69.16-21
Proverbs 17.23-24
John 12.27-50
Don’t Be Deceived by the Wisdom of Fools
1 Kings 13 & 14:
Peace, Favor & Prosperity
The book of 1 Kings opens with the impending death of King David, his son Adonijah’s attempt to seize leadership before he was even gone, and God’s intervention through the prophet Nathan. And instead, Solomon was anointed as king before his father’s death.
Solomon would rule for 40 years. And what a kingdom it was. 1 Kings 4 tells us:
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
And the nation, as a whole, experienced peace, favor, and great prosperity. Gold was so plentiful that it made silver almost worthless.
But his crowning achievement was the temple for the worship of the One True God. Its beauty and magnificence were almost beyond imagination (1 Kings 6-8).
Wisdom Ignored
But sadly, as I said yesterday, what started out so well didn’t end well. At the end of his life, after seeking God’s wisdom over riches, power, and fame, he began to ignore that very wisdom.
Against God’s clear commands (Deut. 17.14-20), he did things his own way and began accumulating great wealth and military might, relying on the same, and taking hundreds of wives and concubines.
1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2 from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart (1 Kings 11.1-3).
The wisest man in the world ignored God’s wisdom and disobeyed Him in the most flagrant ways. He eventually built altars to a variety of false gods and worshiped them himself. He thought he could have it all, God’s blessings and life on his own terms.
It seems almost unbelievable and is a testimony to the total depravity of human beings apart from God and His grace.
The Wisdom of Fools
As a result, God allowed the kingdom to be split after Solomon’s death under the rule of his son Rehoboam. But it wasn’t a case of poor Rehoboam suffering for his father’s sins. The catalyst for the split was his own foolish actions (1 Ki. 12.1-20). Instead of following wise counsel, he followed the wisdom of fools.
Rehoboam remained king over the tribe of Judah, what would be called the Southern Kingdom. But God gave the leadership of the Northern Kingdom to a man named Jeroboam and promised: “If you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you” (1 Ki. 11.38).
Among other things, that meant he was to follow the Mosaic law. While God divided the nation politically, the people were still to worship in Jerusalem, part of the Southern Kingdom. Instead, he too followed his own foolish ideas. Fearing defection, he made golden calves and built altars for their worship. And in chapter 13, God sent a prophet from Judah to him to warn him that he too would be judged (1 Ki. 13.1-10).
History Repeats Itself
It’s been said that those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Jeroboam became king because Solomon and then Rehoboam ignored God’s wisdom and in Solomon’s case, His clear commands. But foolishly, Jeroboam did the same thing.
We, too, have God’s clear instructions and His wisdom is ours for the asking (Jas. 1.5-8). He has illustrated the importance of obedience and the results of both obedience and disobedience, trust and failure to trust God (Rom. 15.4) throughout His Word.
So, as we read the Old Testament history books, it’s important to not just read for information but for understanding and with a willingness to apply the principles to our own lives.
But it’s not just the Old Testament narratives that warn and teach us. The book of Proverbs and all of God’s Word is packed with God’s wisdom. Today’s reading is a great example.
Proverbs 17.23-24:
Wisdom or the “Wisdom” of Fools
Verse 24 says:
Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth (v. 24).
A wise person seeks wisdom all the time and keeps it “in his sight,” right in front of him to guide him. He doesn’t have to go looking for it when he needs it.
The foolish person, on the other hand, chases after what may look like wisdom from all over the place. Maybe Oprah has it or I’ll learn something from my horoscope or from some co-worker whose own life is a mess.
Often he goes from person to person, looking for someone who will tell him what he wants to hear.
The “wisdom” of fools sometimes includes things like “follow your heart” or “do what’s right for you.” It basically amounts to, “Do what you want!” It feeds our pride, our greed, and our own selfish desires.
Sometimes the foolish person seeks advice from people who sound spiritual but are unbiblical and will lead him astray (2 Pet. 2.18-19).
Even the prophet who warned Jeroboam about God’s judgment fell victim to a false prophet. Foolishly, he failed to heed what God had already told him and died as a result (1 Ki. 13.11-34).
But if we are faithful to grow in our understanding of God’s Word by reading and studying it. And, if we walk in the wisdom that we have, God will give us more wisdom and understanding. And as we weigh every teaching and every bit of advice against Scripture, we will be better able to recognize lies when we hear them.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 69.16-21:
When Friends Desert Us
Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none (v. 20).
Sometimes even the best of people desert us when we need them most. When that happens, we must remember that God will never forsake or abandon us (Heb. 13.5). He is the one we must look to in our times of trouble. Though He may use people, we are not to depend on them, but on God alone.
John 12.27-50:
Are They Selling Their Souls for Political Gain?
Here in John 12 as the time of the crucifixion approached, the religious leaders became more determined than ever to put an end to this upstart Rabbi named Jesus. But two verses in today’s reading contain a strong warning for our time, as well:
42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
As anger and criticism of believers from many in our nation grow, each of us must decide how we will respond. Will we speak the truth, will we confess Him, or will we be more concerned about the praise of men?
And as I watch the political debate continue to heat up, I have to wonder about politicians who are calling for abortion right up to the moment of birth and beyond. Surely some among them know the truth even as they demand murder in the name of choice and women’s health. Are they willing to sell their souls for political gain and because they love “the praise of men more than the praise of God”?
We know that some like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea did come forward after the crucifixion. I pray that those who know the truth today will open their eyes and see the magnitude of their sin, repent, and speak the truth no matter the cost.
Closing Thoughts:
If you read along with me regularly, you know that we have completed almost half of the Bible. Have you noticed how frequently our Old Testament reading relates to the New Testament passage or to Psalms or Proverbs or vice versa? I’m continually amazed at people who doubt the validity of God’s Word. As we read more and more of His Word and get the big picture, we can see that it is one continuous story told by a variety of men over a period of several thousand years. They were guided and inspired by God in such a way that they wrote the actual words of God. No one but God could bring about such an amazing feat!
As the Apostle Peter said:
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1.19-21).
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about the importance of consequences in parenting, the trouble with America, the importance of godly friends, the cost of doing what’s right, the cost of laziness, and living based on the hope that is within us.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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