How to be Wise
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. – Proverbs 2:6-8 NKJV.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you. – Proverbs 9:10-11 NKJV.
And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the LORD has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded. – Exodus 36:1 NKJV.
As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. – Daniel 1:17 NKJV.
In a junior high school class that I once had, gum chewing was forbidden on penalty of spanking; however, all my other classes allowed the chewing of gum. One day I had forgotten to remove my chewing gum prior to the class beginning, but even though I tried to hide the fact of the gum being in my mouth, Mr. Wise spotted the error of my ways. I then experienced the humiliation, the embarrassment of being the only student caught in violation of the gum chewing rule the entire year, and I remember well the three licks with the board of correction with holes drilled in it. My fondness for chewing gum was substantially diminished on that day. Imagine my shock to learn today that chewing gum may actually raise the academic performance of teenagers! According to the study conducted by the Baylor College of Medicine, gum chewers scored higher on standardized math tests than non-gum chewers, and the gum chewers had higher grades at the end of the term. Now I know what I have always suspected, Mr. Wise was not really all that wise.
There is even a better way to intellectual success than gum chewing. The way to become wise is through the wisdom of God, and we are given some examples in the Bible of how God was able to supernaturally give wisdom, knowledge, and skill to individuals. In the book of Exodus, we are told of those who were given skill as craftsmen. In the book of Daniel, we are told of the four young men who were given “knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom.” Then there is the example of Solomon of whom it is said that he was the wisest man who ever lived. We are told in 1 Kings 4:29-32, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 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. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.”
Solomon’s wisdom came directly from God and God is the source of all true wisdom. Shortly after Solomon became King, God told Solomon to ask whatever he wanted from God. Instead of asking for riches, Solomon asked, “…give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours (1 Kings 3:9)?” God gave Solomon, “a wise and understanding heart (1 Kings 3:12).”
If you really want to be wise you must go to the source of true wisdom which is found only in God. If you really want wisdom then do as Moses says in Deuteronomy 4:29, “… seek Him (God) with all your heart and with all your soul.”
(True wisdom can only come from God.)