To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding,
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity.
Proverbs 1:2-3
The question often asked is how Solomon received the wisdom of God? How did all that come about? What was the experience like? What was the process?
From the account in 1 Kings we find little to shed light on the specific details of that momentous event. What we do see is Solomon overwhelmed with the responsibility of leading the kingdom he inherited from his father David and recognizing he is but “a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in” (1 Kings 3:7). Then, in a marvelous way, God grants his request and gives him, not only a “wise and understanding heart” (1 Kings 3:12), but also throws in what Solomon didn’t ask for, “both riches and honor” (1 Kings 3:13) simply because He wanted to.
And from then on we see Solomon acting, sometimes, in the wisdom God gave him and, at other times, living like a rich, spoiled brat making “dumb as a brick” decisions for himself, his family, and the nation God trusted him to lead.
But how is that possible? How can a man given the very wisdom of God make dumb, lousy, selfish decisions? Didn’t God make Solomon a wise man when He gave him His wisdom? Didn’t God just zap him, like He did Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road, and turn him into something he wasn’t before? Or maybe God simply enhanced the wisdom Solomon already possessed? Maybe Solomon was already a wise man and God just gave him the 2.0 update? Plus, when God gives you or me His wisdom, does that mean everything we do or say is wise and from God? And if not, why? How can we, like Solomon, be given the wisdom of God and then go around making lame, stupid decisions? How is that even possible?
Solomon Was Not a Wise Man
Let’s nip this one in the bud right out of the gate. Solomon was not an inherently wise man. He was not one whose very nature oozed wisdom. How could he be? The decisions and choices he made as a father, husband and king are anything but wise and they reflect his true nature. When Solomon relied on the wisdom of God, he made incredibly wise decisions— some of which we still marvel at today. But when left to himself Solomon, like you and me, made decisions and choices according to his own nature, according to what he was made of on the inside. And for Solomon, his nature was anything but wise.
Just think, how wise was it as a husband to have 300 wives and 700 concubines? How wise was that? Think of the infighting within his own family. Think of how used and rejected his wives felt, not to mention the concubines. And this selfish, unwise decision to marry so many women wasn’t a momentary lapse of reason for Solomon. It wasn’t something he did and regretted later, vowing to never make the same mistake again. This pattern of thinking was habitual, ingrained, and occurred over a 1,000 times.
Then you have the children. Hatred, jealousy, bigotry, and bitterness was the rule of the day, so much so that the kingdom was irreparably torn in two after Solomon’s death by two of his own children. What does this show us about Solomon’s nature and core values regarding his responsibilities of being a father? Where’s the wisdom in any of this?
Finally, how did Solomon the spiritual leader do? Horrible. He allowed his many wives to desecrate the sanctity of his own home, the holiness of the Temple of God and the very nation by building altars to their foreign gods and bringing idolatry into the land. How could Solomon allow this to take place under his watch? How can one man be so wise and yet fail so miserably? Solomon’s true nature reveals the carnality, apathy, and weakness of Solomon the man, and not the inherent wisdom often attributed to him.
Wisdom is a Choice
The wisdom Solomon received from the Lord is the same thing you and I receive in Christ. Solomon received wisdom but you and I receive Christ into our lives, “who became for us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30). And then, once we’ve received Christ, it’s up to us to live and “walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). Like with Solomon, it becomes a choice. A simple, but difficult choice.
When we choose to live according to the new nature within us, according to the wisdom given to us by Christ and administered by the Holy Spirit, we will naturally make wise decisions. Why? Because we are “walking in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16) and have the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). But when we choose to go our own way, to call the shots as we see fit, or to live according to the flesh, we can expect our end to be the same as Solomon’s. Remember, it’s a choice, the exercise of our free will: to choose either the blessings of a life of submission to Christ or the heartache of a life brought on by the rebellion of our flesh.
It’s a choice— your choice. So choose wisely.
And once you’ve chosen wisely, your job’s not done. You still have to act on that choice. Look at the transition about wisdom in Proverbs 1:2-3.
To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding,
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity.
First we are “to know” wisdom in Proverbs 1:2 and then “to receive the instruction of wisdom” in the next verse. We go from knowing to receiving in the space of 20 words. One is an understanding of something and the other is a choice, literally an action based on that choice— the receiving of something found only in Him. We can “know” wisdom, or Christ, truth, right from wrong, good and evil, up from down, and all sorts of wonderful things, and yet still choose to live contrary to what we “know” and suffer, like Solomon, the horrific consequences of that choice. Or, we can know the truth and choose the truth and be set free by the truth (John 8:32). It’s really that simple.
Easy? No. Simple? Absolutely.
Wisdom is a Gift
In other words, the wisdom Solomon received from the Lord is the same wisdom available to each of us today by the residing presence of the Holy Spirit. And we already have in us, available to us, the same wisdom of God given to Solomon. How? By virtue of being “in Christ” who “became for us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30). The key to living in the gift of wisdom already given us boils down to what we do with that gift? Do we “receive (or choose to receive) the instruction (or, discipline, correction, chastisement) of wisdom” (Prov. 1:3) or do we hide it away and let it die from inactivity and lack of use? Jesus said we are the “light of the world” and He commands us to place that light, our lives, including His wisdom and redeeming power and grace in us, like a lamp on the table for the whole world to see (Matt. 5:14-16).
Remember, it’s more than just “knowing”— it’s “receiving” and having the discipline (instruction) to obey what we’ve received.
It Comes in One Package
Plus, it all comes in one package. Consider, for example, the passage in Galatians where it says the “works (plural) of the flesh are evident” (Gal. 5:19-21) and then goes on to list them, one by one: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, and the like. But these “works” or “deeds” of the flesh are freestanding, independent, and are not part of a combined package. You can have one or more of these but not necessarily all. You can commit, for example, adultery but not murder. Have hatred and selfish ambition, but not idolatry or sorcery. Why? Because the word “works” or “deeds” is plural, meaning many— that’s many individual works and not one work made up of many individual parts. Do you see the difference?
But the “fruit” of the Spirit is just the opposite. It’s singular, just one fruit, made up of a combination of nine different attributes: love (agape), joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). You get one, you get them all. They come in a package. It’s all or nothing.
And this is how we receive wisdom from the Lord. We receive Jesus, the one fruit, and all the attributes or the fullness of the Godhead that dwell in Him bodily. And we, being “in Christ” are complete in Him (Col. 2:9-10).
So you and I have the same Spirit, the same wisdom, made available and given to Solomon. All we have to do is rely on that wisdom, who is the residing presence of the Holy Spirit, for God’s wisdom to manifest itself in us.
Again, it’s just that simple. Difficult? Yes. But simple, nonetheless.
So What Happened to Solomon?
The same things that happened to each of us when we received Christ as Lord and the Holy Spirit came to make us His home, or to abide, in us. When He came, so did His wisdom. It’s always there, always available, always ready. Solomon received what we’ve received, but in part. He received wisdom. But we, on the other hand, have received Christ, who became for us “the wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30)— but also so much more.
We just need, maybe even more than Solomon did, to rest in His wisdom and to “walk (think, live, and choose) according to the Spirit, (why) and you shall not fulfill (like Solomon) the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).
Are you ready? Then let’s get started living in the inheritance and wisdom God has already provided us as “joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).
Getting Serious
1. Did you ever wonder how Solomon was given the wisdom from God? And, did you ever want to know how that same wisdom could be given to you?
2. Did you ever think the wisdom given to Solomon was something only given to special saints and not to ordinary, everyday people like you and me? And, if so, why did you think that?
3. How does it make you feel to know, or at least to entertain the thought, that you already possess the wisdom Solomon had by virtue of the Holy Spirit living in you? In fact, by being “in Christ” you possess much more than Solomon. How does that make you feel?
4. Let me ask this again: When was the last time God spoke to you through His Word? What was that experience like? How often does it happen?
5. On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate God’s wisdom in your life right now and in your decision making process? What was it yesterday? Are you growing in the wisdom of God? And, if not, why?
Next Step Challenge
Take your Bible and look up at least 25 passages where the term “in Christ” is used. What do they say about your life right now? For starters, you can begin with four verses from Romans provided below.
Romans 6:11 – Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God (how) in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (how) in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are (what) in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 12:5 – So we, being many, are one body (how) in Christ, and individually members of one another.
And how will you let what you’ve learned change your life from this point forward?
