Wisdom Comes With Responsibilities

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.

How Would You Answer?

I’m getting right to the point. God said to Solomon: “Tell me what I should give you” (1 Kings 3:5b CJB). God is saying to us, “Tell me what I should give you.” How would you answer?

Solomon answered, demonstrating three aspects we should use.  First, Solomon was thankful (vs. 6). He thanked God for all He had done for David including giving David a son to sit on his throne. Second, in verse 7, Solomon confessed his weaknesses: “So now, Adonai my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; but I am a mere child — I don’t know how to lead!” (CJB)

Finally, Solomon made his petition in verses 8 and 9:

Moreover your servant is among your people, whom you chose, a great people so numerous that they cannot be counted. ⁹ Therefore, give your servant an understanding heart able to administer justice to your people, so that I can discern between good and bad — for who is equal to judging this great people of yours?”

Solomon asked for an understanding heart. A heart that would be able to hand out justice, according to God’s wisdom, for the people God chose. Solomon wanted to discern what was good versus bad in God’s eyes. Solomon recognized he was not “equal” to do such judging on his own. He was concerned about carrying out the role God had given him and in taking care of God’s people as best as he could.

How would you answer? What would be at the top of your list? Would help for personal situations and needs or wants be on top? Picture yourself sitting in front of God. What would be most important to Him? Are those our day-to-day concerns?

God answered Solomon in verses 10-14, and the answer went far beyond the humble request of Solomon:

¹⁰ What Shlomo [Solomon] had said in making this request pleased Adonai. ¹¹ God said to him, “Because you have made this request instead of asking long life or riches for yourself, or your enemies’ death, but rather asked for yourself understanding to discern justice; ¹² I am doing what you requested. I am giving you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you, nor will there ever again be anyone like you. ¹³ I am also giving you what you didn’t ask for, riches and honor greater than that of any other king throughout your life. ¹⁴ More than that, if you will live according to my ways, obeying my laws and mitzvot [commands] like your father David, I will give you a long life.”

Solomon had focused his request on the things God would want. He focused on what would further the Kingdom of God. And God granted him his request – and so much more. This reminds me of Matthew 6:33 and Jesus’s instructions to His disciples:

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. (NASB).

God knows our needs and one of His promises in the New Testament says, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NASB). Both Solomon and Paul (the writer of Philippians) understood that by serving God and His purposes, their needs (and our needs) would be taken care of (added to us).
Do we understand this? Are we asking of God according to His purposes and to further His Kingdom?
How would you answer God’s question?

Truth Reinforced

Between 2 Samuel 15 and our Pastor’s church sermon from John 4, an vital truth can be seen (along with many other places in Scripture). Whether we look at the Old or the New Testaments, it is clear that God is not confined to a building, a tent, a city, or a country. He is not confined to the Ark of the Covenant.

Especially in the time of King David, many Middle Eastern religious beliefs had infiltrated the beliefs of the nation of Israel. I’ve addressed this before. The predominate view was that the gods were only present when and where the idols were present. As a result the various armies took their idols with them into battle. Most of Israel believed the same thing about the ark – God was only present when the ark was present.

So in 2 Samuel 15, David is being ousted as king as the people rallied behind David’s son, Absalom. As David fled, the priests brought the ark along. David responded to the high priest in such a way that showed David had at least an inkling that God was everywhere:

2 Samuel 15:25-26: The king said to Zadok [the high priest], “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then He will bring me back again and show me both it and His habitation. But if He should say thus, ‘I have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him (NASB).

David appeared confident that God could and would deal with him, no matter where he was and no matter where the ark was.

Jesus gives us this same message in the gospels. In John 4:1-42, Jesus does a very non-culturally appropriate thing. He has a conversation with a Samaritan woman. The woman asks Jesus where people should worship – on the mountain in Samaria or in Jerusalem. Jesus answers in verses 21 and 23-24:

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. . . But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus emphasizes that the place to worship God is not important. I need to remember this and focus on God wherever I go and whatever I am doing. God is not confined to my office in the morning or in church on Sundays. He is present everywhere at the same time.

Making Decisions

Recently I had the thought to revamp my weekly schedule. I came up with a “brilliant” idea all by myself. The goal was to make more time for writing. As I mapped out in my head what I was going to do, I made assumptions based on my superior intellect. I assumed I’d be stellar in my writing performance without the activities I was cutting out. One was an AA meeting at 8:15 on Monday mornings, and the other was my volunteer work at a mission in my town on Thursday mornings. As I said, I had it all mapped out in my head.

As I said last week, last Tuesday I spent some extended time with God, reading His Word and asking for guidance. I also said that a key thing I received from that time was ideas about how, when, and who to be praying (basically it was before, during, and after I write). The other main lesson was that I should make writing (God’s calling on my life) a priority in my schedule. So I decided to schedule writing time into the time slots I freed up by skipping the meeting and volunteering. I should’ve prayed some more . . .

In 2 Samuel 6 we have the story of David moving the ark of God to Jerusalem. David also made some assumptions about how things should be done. He decided to move the ark the way the Philistines had returned it to Israel (that account is found in 1 Samuel 6). David did not even consider searching the Scriptures or asking the priests to examine the Scriptures to see if God had given any instructions in how to move the ark. As a result, tragedy struck and one of the attendants tried to steady the ark as the oxcart it was in looked like it was going to turn over. That attendant, Uzzah, died immediately upon touching the ark.

David decided to leave the ark in a nearby lodging of some Levites and go back to Jerusalem without the ark. The passage in 2 Samuel 6 says David was upset and frightened of God that day (vs. 8-9). He was afraid of what trouble the ark of God might cause for him and he didn’t want it in or near his capital city. After three months everyone was talking about how the people the ark was left with were prospering above and beyond what was normal. So David decided to move it again.

This time he must have studied the Scriptures and found the passages that explain how God’s ark is to be handled . . . using rods through the designed rings on the ark and having the Levite clan of Korhath bear the ark on their shoulders. It doesn’t say in the text that David did his research and/or consulted wise counsel, but he must have because he knew how to move the ark this time.

Back to my story. My scheduling plan was to take action without consulting God or wise counsel. But I paused – probably the Holy Spirit’s nudging – and sought counsel. My therapist and AA sponsor both told me the same things. Start with every other week so I can keep my accountability in AA and continue to serve world missions by the volunteer work. With further counsel and much more specific prayer, I freed up one day a week to devote to writing by going to the meeting and the volunteering opposite every other weeks. A much healthier plan than I thought should be done.

Are there areas or decisions or actions on which you need to be consulting God? I know there are many other situations in my life where I try to make the decisions for myself and the results do not work out as well as I thought. My goal is to seek God’s Scripture wisdom before I act.

Desirable Character Qualities

We are just about ready to “wrap up” 1 Samuel. Yet are we really? Initially the books of 1 and 2 Samuel were one book. The first half, 1 Samuel, ends with Saul’s death, so it’s kind of a break in the story. But 2 Samuel continues the story of David and Samuel’s prophecies regarding the kingdom of Israel and David’s reign. So, I’m looking forward to continuing the study in 2 Samuel.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. There are still two chapters in 1 Samuel to study and learn from. Today’s thoughts come from the first of those 2 chapters, chapter 30. This chapter covers what took place when David and his men returned to Ziklag after being turned away by the Philistine leaders when they were assembling to attack Israel (1 Samuel 29). They returned to a ransacked, burned down, and emptied Ziklag. The Amalekites had come and taken anything of value and the women and children. David turned to the high priest who was in their midst and consulted God about what they should do. After God answered some “yes or no” questions, David got the answer he needed and they set off after the Amalekites.

Long story made short, they caught up with the Amalekites, attacked and “not one of them escaped, except for 400 young men who jumped on camels and got away” (vs. 17 CJB). David rescued all the women and children and returned with the spoils and began to distribute the gains. He gave all 600 of his men a fair and equal share (although there was some controversy about it; see verses 22 – 24). He also “sent some of the spoil to the leaders of Judah who were his friends with a note” (vs. 26).

The note said, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of Adonai.” He sent the gifts to 13 specifically named places and “to all the places where David and his men had frequently visited” (vs. 31). In the commentaries I looked at (Matthew Henry and Tom Bradford) there were some agreement and some disagreement on the whys of the towns mentioned and chosen. Bradford asked the question, “Was this a godly process?” Maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t. We cannot really tell what David’s motives were from the passage; however, the towns were politically strategic for the most part and this division of the spoils was effective from an earthly perspective.

But this explanation does not account for why David sent gifts to “all the places where David and his men had frequently visited.” We can note several character qualities of David from the distribution of the spoils whether to the significant political towns or the smaller places. These are character traits we should all seek to develop. I’m not going to elaborate on the four qualities (I think we all know what they entail), but I’m going to list them as Matthew Henry listed them:

1.  Generosity

2.  Gratitude

3.  Piety

4.  Consistent Policies

In each of these areas, in spite of David’s frequent disobedience to God’s instructions, we see qualities that we can implement into our own lives. I can’t decide which one I need to use today, but I will be looking this week for times when I can exhibit one of these qualities.

Honorable and Dishonorable

We like to think about David as this great man of God who is constantly seeking God’s will and doing exactly what God wanted him to do. We focus on the part where God says that David is a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22). What we forget is that David was a man like any other man. This means he was also sinful (Jesus being the only man who never sinned).

We tell the story of David and Goliath and how great David’s faith was (laying aside that he was seeking something for himself in the process). We tell the story of David conquering his tens of thousands (assuming it was all credited to God’s power). We tell the story of David choosing not to kill Saul because he was God’s anointed (but fail to realize that it was for his own protection he didn’t violate God’s laws).

In 1 Samuel 27, David does act honorably in some ways, but he also acts dishonorably in others. He is a man like every other man. Not all we do is good and not all we do is bad. David was honorable in that he took care of his family. In verse 3 we find David caring for his family and the families of his followers: “And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives . . .” He did not leave them defenseless in Judah with Saul on the prowl. Also, David moved his people away from the capital city of the Philistines to Ziklag where there was a greater propensity for the worship of the God of Israel (Ziklag had once been a part of the land God designated as Judah but the Israelites failed to conquer it). It was close to the boundaries of Judah and there were many Israelites living and worshiping there.

However, David was also ruthless and deceptive. He carried out raids on areas belonging to the Philistines yet told Achish (the Philistine king) that his raids were in the Negrev of Judah. David accumulated much wealth and prosperity through conducting these raids. David knew that Achish would approve of raids on Judah’s territories and highly disapproves of raids on his own people. Also, David didn’t just take the belongings of the towns he raided. He ruthlessly “would attack the land, leaving alive neither men nor women, but taking the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels and clothing” (verse 9). The reason he did this is clearly stated in verse 11:

The reason David spared neither men nor women to be brought to Gath is that he thought, ‘We don’t want them telling on us, saying, “David did so-and-so.”’

The key to this article is to highlight the fact that David was really not a better man than Saul (or us). However, there is a difference. It’s not David’s thorough goodness that separates him from Saul and others who are not approved by God; it’s his repentance before God. We also can be people approved by God by our repentance. That’s how we become honorable.

A Wise Woman

Returning to the study of 1 Samuel. We’ve been following the exploits of David as he flees from Saul. Saul wants David’s life. God is working in the wilderness to prevent that from happening. Picking up in 1 Samuel 25, we get a break from David’s ongoing struggles with Saul. It’s an interesting side story that shows us some of David’s characteristics (not necessarily positive) and the character of a woman who talks David out of doing something that could diminish David’s future reign.

So, David and his men (some commentators project 600 men by this time), are moving from one place in the desert to another keeping on the run from Saul. While they are out there, David’s friend and mentor Samuel dies. Samuel, who Saul probably still consulted from time to time, was a buffer of sorts between Saul’s irrational obsession to kill David and David who is not seeking to harm Saul in any way. As a result, David moves his men even further out into the wilderness. Lacking for provisions, David sends a few of his men to a very rich man near Carmel to ask for some provisions. This man’s name was Nabal (which means “fool” which will be shown to exemplify his character). The man refuses in a very rude and insulting way and David’s men return with the message.

David became incensed and told his men to ready themselves to go and slaughter every man in Nabal’s household. Here’s where we get to the wise woman. Nabal’s wife heard about the incident from one of the young men. Her name is Abigail (meaning “joy of her father). Abigail tells her men to assemble a large amount of food and animals without Nabal knowing about it. Abigail tells the men to take it to David and she would be following them shortly. Again, she did all this without tell Nabal (who was busy partying with the sheep shearers who were shearing his sheep).

Abigail, according to her word, got on a donkey and went out to meet David. She found him and his heavily armed men coming down towards her. She “hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground. Then she proceeds to ask David to let her speak, reminds David that he has not taken revenge into his own hands before, asks David to accept the gifts she has brought, reminds David that he is destined to fight the battles of the Lord (not merely avenge himself), and reminds David that God will arrange for him to be ruler over all of Israel.

David recognizes Abigail’s wisdom and withholds his might from harming Nabal. God did avenge this affront to David within a matter of days. Nabal dies after what looks like could have been a severe stroke. Then David marries Abigail.

Were it not for the wise actions of Abigail, it is possible that David would have carried out his plan and murdered all the men in Nabal’s camp. How would the people of Israel have viewed David if he had done so? Would David remain a king after God’s own heart or would he have forfeited God’s blessing on him? We don’t know how things would’ve turned out, but things would have been different.

Spirit of the Law

In 1 Samuel 21 we see several acts of deception. David misleads Ahimelech, the high priest, by telling Ahimelech that he is on a mission from Saul when he was really fleeing Saul. The high priest was suspicious of David’s actions and motives for coming to the temple, and David lies to him in several ways. Later in chapter 21, David feigns madness to mislead Achish the king of Gath (Goliath’s hometown).

Is telling lies okay with God? Tom Bradford, a commentator, indicates that there is a place for lying, although it is still sin to do so. There are several times in Scripture and throughout history where sinning seems to be okay, however, it is not an example we should follow on a regular basis. Bradford gives the example of Corrie Ten Boom who hid Jews and lied to the Nazi’s in order to save lives. She was disobeying the authorities God had placed over her instead of serving the political policies of her government. Was Corrie wrong to do that? Bradford says that we must not go against the spirit of the Law to fulfill the letter of the Law. Obeying authorities is the letter of the Law. Loving people is the spirit of the Law.

Another commentator, Matthew Henry, put it this way: “Mercy is to be preferred to sacrifice.” He also shared a passage in Matthew 12 where Jesus uses David’s act of deceiving Ahimelech as acceptable because, “I [Jesus] desire compassion, and not a sacrifice” (Matthew 12:7). Henry points out that ritual observance must give way to moral duties.

Knowing this, we must not deceive ourselves into thinking that it’s okay to sin if we think we are doing it for the greater good. David’s deception with Ahimelech led to disastrous consequences. 1 Samuel 22:21-22 tells us what happened: “And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. Then David said to Abiathar, ‘I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have brought about the death of every person in your father’s household.’” All the priests in Nob were killed by Saul and his men for entertaining David.

Whatever the reason for our sin, as noble as we think it might be, it may lead to terrible results. Only God can know what the greater good is, and it’s only by earnestly seeking Him that we have a chance of making the right decisions. Let us not fool ourselves and excuse our sin as being the right thing to do without consulting God and His Word for guidance. Whether it’s telling a “little white lie” or disobeying government authorities, we need to seek out God’s will.

Seek Wisdom

1 Samuel 9 gives us the account of the future king of Israel, Saul, meeting Samuel for the first time. Although Samuel’s circuit, described in 1 Samuel 7:15-17, brought Samuel close to where Saul lived, it seems from the text that Saul did not know of him. At least Saul did not recognize Samuel (1 Samuel 9:18).

This tells me something. It appears that Saul was not interested in spiritual matters. It appears that Saul did not attend any of the events hosted by Samuel or in Samuel’s honor when Samuel was nearby. We can’t tell if this meant that Saul was totally oblivious to God and His teachings, but it may be indicative of the state of the general population of Israel at the time.

Later, Saul is looking for some lost donkeys. His father had sent him on this mission. After a few days, when Saul and a servant had not yet found the donkeys, Saul was ready to give up. Granted, he did not want to be gone even longer and cause his father to be concerned (vs. 5). That’s to be admired; however, there is no record of Saul and the servant praying for guidance. Saul especially seemed to rely on his own wisdom and skills, and became discouraged when they could not find the donkeys.

This man that God picked to be king is not noted for his wisdom, virtue, leaning, or piety. No real accomplishments are even mentioned. Saul was probably around 40 at the time of these events, yet did not have servants of his own to send to find the donkeys. He was also still under the leadership of his father (this may have been cultural). It does not appear as though Saul had any distinguishing characteristics of a good leader. What Scripture does record are Saul’s physical characteristics, those characteristics that would appeal to the people as being someone fit for a king (vs. 2). Those are the characteristics that the kings of other nations displayed, and the people of Israel wanted a king like the other nations.

Back to the story of Saul meeting Samuel: While Saul was not inclined to seek wisdom from the spiritual leaders of his time, the servant did remember that there was a “seer” or “prophet” in a nearby town. The servant suggested they seek him out for advice. Saul had some objections, but the servant’s opinions prevailed and they went looking for the seer. So, even though Saul is not recorded as being a man of prayer, because it was convenient, they went to seek Samuel out.

My contention is that things may have gone differently if Saul and the servant had considered seeking wisdom out in the first place. I take this as a warning for me. I need to seek wisdom first in any decisions or endeavors I attempt. I also, unlike Saul, need to seek it even if it means going out of my way. Waiting for a convenient time should not be an option for me. I must seek out wisdom through prayer and wise counsel, right from the beginning of the decision-making process.