Who was the wisest man in the known world between 970 and
931 B.C.? The Bible has something to say about that. In 1 Kings 4:29-34 God
explains exactly who that person was:
29 Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very
great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.
30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of
all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For
he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the
sons of Mahol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations.
32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs
were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from
the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he
spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. 34 Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of
Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Solomon sounds like a well rounded, highly educated, Renaissance
man. The Hebrew word used for wisdom in this passage means, in one sense,
“practical knowledge and understanding.” Solomon didn’t only know a lot about a
lot; he knew how and when to apply it. Sounds like the kind of person I want to
be.
Don’t be fooled. Having such wisdom does not mean always
getting it right. In fact, while Solomon used the wisdom God gave him to
develop Israel into a center of wealth, economic development, and leisure
activity, he didn’t necessarily apply the wisdom as God would have had him.
People in high places from all around the known world came to get advice and
counsel from Solomon, but he didn’t always give them what God would consider
most important. Solomon’s wisdom was leading Israel, and presumably other
nations, into a decline – a falling away from the one true God.
In New Testament terms, Solomon, with all his wisdom, was a
stumbling block causing people to do things in a manner not according to God’s
instructions. Luke 17:1-2 indicates there will be people who cause other people
to stumble, and there is a warning to such people. Such people usually have a
role that makes them an authority of some type: a teacher, a pastor, a business
leader, a small group leader, a counselor, etc. Woe to anyone who leads others
astray. Look at what Jesus says in Luke 17:1-2.
He said to His disciples, “It is
inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung
around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one
of these little ones to stumble.
I’m
sure no one sets out to cause another to stumble or lose their way in following
the commands of God; however, look at the passage. Stumbling blocks are
inevitable, and they will come through people. I do not want to be such a
person. So I consistently study and apply God’s Word to my own life, and
prayerfully do not give wrong information to others.
The
penalty for being the cause of stumbling blocks is high. Do everything you can
to avoid being the bearer of wrong information or teachings.
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