Foundation
Doctrine #7: Wisdom
Doctrine #7
Doctrine #7 Read
If God told you that you could have anything you wanted, what would you ask for? There was a man who lived that decided he wanted the ability to decide. He didn't ask for riches, or fame, or women; he asked for wisdom. Do you think you would ask for the same thing?
Overview
Wisdom is a Right HOW. A Right HOW is an explanation at a foundational/principle level. Wisdom creates. The devil does not create and therefore does not have wisdom. The spoken word of God can be wisdom when it provides a HOW. The ultimate effect of wisdom (good decision/Right HOW) concerns salvation.
Discussion Question
Do you believe God wants to give you wisdom and revelation?
Scripture
Proverbs 4:1-7
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1Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: 2For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law.
3For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live; 5Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; 6Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee.
7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.
1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
3For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Commentary
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 1-2
Solomon started this proverb off with encouragement to understand his instruction because the Doctrine he gave was good: right and just.
Commentary · verses 3-4
We saw in Psalm 19:7, David (Solomon's father) wrote: "The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul: The testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple."
Commentary · verses 5-7
Wisdom is the principal thing, the greatest goal. Wisdom is a good decisions. The key to this existence is making good decisions.
Understanding would be a cause for wisdom. When we know the WHY, we can figure out HOW to act. Understanding is the cause and wisdom can be the effect. We ought to directly pursue understanding.
Notice, knowledge, by itself, does not lead to understanding. It can lead to understanding, and it can lead to pride. Hence, knowledge was not mentioned in this critical doctrinal passage. The devil has knowledge, which resulted in his pride. The devil does not have understanding, and he does not have wisdom.
Proverbs 1:1-7
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1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding; 3To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and justice and equity; 4To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion: 5That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels: 6To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Commentary
This passage broke down wisdom in two ways. #1 Understanding was associated with the word "discern," that was the reason WHY. #2 Wisdom was associated with "dealing". That was the action, the HOW. The HOW was through righteousness, justice, and equity. In the end of the verse it contrasted the fool. The fool despises wisdom and instruction. Even in the beginning the fool had knowledge. Everyone who runs a race is excited about it in the beginning, even amateur runners. Once the race becomes difficult, and the crowd spreads out, you begin to see people drop out of the race. Getting understanding and wisdom is the same way.
In Doctrine #6: Understanding, we saw that logos was the source of one of the usages of "word" in the New Testament. We saw logos was the spoken word that brought or requested understanding. The other main source of the usage of "word" in the New Testament was rhema. This was the powerful and revelatory spoken word of God that could bring salvation. Salvation is the ultimate good decision!
There are two ways to look at the relationship between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. The first way: Everything God speaks is rhema. It has no prior reference which means it's revelatory. When this rhema from God is spoken to others to give understanding, it is logos. When this logos is written it becomes a fact which is knowledge: graphe. Jesus was the Word (revelation), those who heard what Jesus said and followed were called "believers" (understanding), those believers penned the scripture (knowledge). For example, we saw this passage in Doctrine #1: Words.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 1-4
These verses contained the purpose of the Book of Proverbs. In fact, it will be very beneficial to have definitions for the following words:
Knowledge - The ability to retain facts.
Understanding - The ability to take knowledge from more than one area and create new knowledge.
Wisdom - Profitable, long term decisions.
Said another way:
- Knowledge was a right what,
- Understanding was a right why, and
- Wisdom was a right HOW.
The purpose of this book was to help people make the right decision by giving the reader the right information and the right causal relationship: knowledge and understanding.
Commentary · verse 5
The Book of Proverbs was written so that the wise man may understand and grow in his learning.
Commentary · verses 6-7
Fearing (revering) God was the beginning of knowledge. If we think we are the source of our knowledge, then we are revering ourselves, which is idolatry.
Genesis 1:1-3
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1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Commentary
The Bible began with God speaking a revelatory word in order to begin the process of creating everything that we see, "God said, Let there be light". There was nothing prior to God's revelatory word that created everything.
The second way: A person needs to know the written word of God and understand the reason behind it in order to be able to receive the revelatory word of God. God's revelatory word will never contradict His written word and the meaning supporting it. In order to make good decisions according to God's written word, it is not enough to know the written word of God, you must also understand the meaning supporting the written word of God. If you didn't know how God spoke, you would not understand what He said to others, or what He is currently trying to say to you. If someone has the ability to quote a lot of scripture does that make them a Believer of Jesus?
Understanding Doctrine is like knowing your "chords". With every chord you have, God can use it to play through you. If you don't have the chord, you may not be able to play the song to its full potential. If you want to grow more, and get to the next level, you must have more chords. The situation you are in right now is the opportunity to use the chords you have, or get more chords to make progress!
Here was another passage covered in Doctrine #1: Words.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verse 1
The phrase "In the beginning" did not mean "the first moment of time." It actually meant "shaking" as in the moment that something happened. The "heavens" was where God lives. In this verse "earth" meant "all the physical matter that would ever exist." Basically, this first verse of the Bible could be read as: "When the First Cause made something happen, He created the intangible place where He lived and all the physical matter that would ever exist."
After an in-depth study of both the definitions and etymology of the words used in the first two chapters of Genesis, a much deeper meaning behind these verses is revealed. This first verse of the Bible actually alluded to God's eternal plan in the etymology. Here was this first verse according to etymology: "At the time of the First Cause, the intangible place where God places his banner and the marriage bed were created by consent and the agreement of the Trinity on an original thought." Creation only occurs with agreement...by two or more people exchanging value. The devil cannot create because he cannot come into agreement with anyone, he only destroys. If it was only God the Father, none of this would have been created. The Trinity's purpose was to create a Bride for Jesus. This would allow each of the Trinity to interact with each other through the Bride in a manner that would be profitable for eternity.
Commentary · verse 2
Here is the translation of this verse according to the definitions and etymology of the words that were used:
- The phrase "And the earth was waste and void" meant "All the physical matter that would make up all of life was from its beginning without purpose and without anything good or bad in it."
- The phrase "...and darkness was upon the face of the deep" meant "a complete lack of understanding covered the shell of this chaotic egg that consisted of water."
- The phrase "...and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" meant "the breath of the most powerful Right and Just sat brooded like a bird upon the inside of this egg."
Basically, God created a mass of water that resembled an egg, while the Holy Spirit brooded like a bird over this egg. The physical matter was not good or bad, it was just physical matter. The Holy Spirit was the seed that "fertilized this egg." Notice, the New Testament began with the Holy Spirit fertilizing the egg inside Mary. Her egg was not good or bad, it was just physical matter. People who think the egg was good end up worshipping the earth...and worshipping Mary.
Commentary · verse 3
God spoke things into existence. God is intangible, otherwise, a person could ask, "Where did the matter that made up God first come from?" God also created the tangible through the intangible: words. Words are vibrations, which themselves are not tangible. Every other "creation story" began with tangible matter, which was not possible. "Light" came from Hebrew word or which meant "energy." Everywhere the word "light" was used in the Bible, you can substitute the word "energy." Recently, science has determined that all the elements can be created with water, high energy, and heat. So far, we've seen the earth was all water. The Holy Spirit's brooding supplied heat. God creating light/energy allowed elements and physical uniqueness to be possible.
Romans 10:8-10
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8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach: 9because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: 10for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Commentary
The word of faith in this passage was rhema. This revelatory and powerful spoken word can lead to salvation. The New Testament used the word rhema to point out words that can lead to actions that create: profitable decisions. Look at this passage that we covered in Doctrine #1: Words.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 6-8
Paul referenced Deuteronomy 30:12-14, however, he gave an interpretation of two parts of the scripture in parentheses in verses 6 and 7. The end of the referenced scripture was the first half of verse 8: "...and in thy heart:" Paul then directly gave his interpretation of the third part: The word that Moses spoke of in the believer's mouth and in the heart (because it came out in actions) was the word of faith Paul was writing about. Why?
Commentary · verse 9
Paul stated that if we allowed the influence from the Holy Spirit through our spirit to come through our hearts (verse 8) when it came out in our actions (verse 9) we would be saved. Again, doing the Law would cause a person to accept Jesus as the Messiah.
Commentary · verse 10
Doctrine: Salvation - a choice that resulted in belief in the heart (DO, actions) and confession with the mouth (SAY, words). Notice, the person's DO and SAY would be consistent. This was Paul's premise.
63It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.
63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Commentary
The words that Jesus spoke that bring eternal life were rhema. According to man's thinking, the physical doesn't gain from these words, it loses. However, according to God's thinking, a person gains spiritually for eternity. Let's take an in-depth look at part of a passage that was presented in Doctrine #5: Knowledge.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 62-63
Doctrine: Words are spiritual. The words that Jesus spoke were spirit and life. Jesus said the physical flesh profited nothing from this discussion. The physical should not have been considered at all. The disciples must have been thinking about the physical.
Matthew 4:1-4
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1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered.
3And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.
4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Commentary
We saw that Jesus and the devil both had knowledge of the written word of God and used these facts to make their points. However, in verse 4, Jesus stated that man lives by every rhema that proceeds out of the Mouth of God. This takes on a whole new meaning. Remember, rhema was a Greek word used in the New Testament. Jesus was quoting the Old Testament, specifically Deuteronomy 8:3. What Hebrew word was used in the Old Testament?
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verse 1
Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The first act of Jesus' Ministry was to be intentionally tempted by the devil so He would know which areas He could fall in.
Commentary · verse 2
Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. It was clear that Jesus was a physical man: He was physically hungry. Exodus 34:28 stated Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights in the desert.
Commentary · verse 3
After the forty days, then the "tempter" went to Jesus…in Jesus' weakest state, physically. Notice, Satan used if/then statements. Satan has no understanding, no faith, no truth, and therefore he cannot speak truth - John 8:44 says, "...there is no truth in him."
If/then statements are qualified. Satan was tempting Jesus in the area of food, which shows us that Jesus likes to eat.
Commentary · verse 4
Jesus responded to the devil by quoting scripture: Deuteronomy 8:3. The actual verse stated "everything that proceeded out of the mouth of God." The Greek word for "word" in this verse was rhema - "the powerful and revelatory word of God without precedent that brings salvation." Jesus continued the practice of fasting the rest of His time on earth.
Deuteronomy 8:3
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3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live.
3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Commentary
In the Old Testament, the word was "everything". It makes sense that words would proceed out of God's Mouth, however, this looks like it was more than words. Young's Literal Translation will give only the exact meaning of each word. Here was Deuteronomy 8:3 according to Young.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verse 3
This verse stated that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the Mouth of God. When Jesus quoted this in the desert at the devil (Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4), the Greek translation used the word rhema - "the powerful and revelatory spoken word from God that is without precedence." That was grace (charis) - "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life." In our dispensation, this occurs through the Holy Spirit which dwells in believers. While words do proceed out of God's Mouth, notice, this verse actually stated everything that proceeds out of the Mouth of God...which would also include His Breath.
Deuteronomy 8:3
ChapterRead the ChapterAnd He doth humble thee, and cause thee to hunger and doth cause thee to eat the manna (which thou hast not known, even thy fathers have not known), in order to cause thee to know that not by bread alone doth man live, but by every produce of the mouth of Jehovah man doth live.
Young's Literal Translation · recommended here
Commentary
The Hebrew words were "every produce," all the things that create. Further study shows the words referenced a fountain. Likewise, rhema was also known as the spoken word of God that flows like water. In later Doctrines, we will see Jesus referenced this source of wisdom.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verse 3
This verse stated that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the Mouth of God. When Jesus quoted this in the desert at the devil (Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4), the Greek translation used the word rhema - "the powerful and revelatory spoken word from God that is without precedence." That was grace (charis) - "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life." In our dispensation, this occurs through the Holy Spirit which dwells in believers. While words do proceed out of God's Mouth, notice, this verse actually stated everything that proceeds out of the Mouth of God...which would also include His Breath.
34For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for he giveth not the Spirit by measure.
34For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Commentary
Notice, Jesus stated this shortly after the most quoted verse from the New Testament: John 3:16. In verse 34, words was rhema. Jesus spoke the rhema of God. Let's look at another verse.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 32-36
Doctrine: John the Baptist summed up Salvation. The key to eternal life is to believe the Son of God: Jesus. If a person does not obey Jesus, that person will have eternal wrath.
47He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God.
47He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Commentary
Jesus stated that we can hear the rhema of God and speak it to others. We can get wisdom from God and we can give wisdom to others. In fact, Jesus stated that the people who do not hear the rhema of God are not believers. In the above verse, "heareth" referenced understanding. So, the reason why people aren't believers is that they don't understand the wisdom of God. People who don't choose to think according to God's Thinking don't receive salvation because they are actually choosing to think according to Man's Thinking.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 45-47
Jesus presented a short proof: Jesus spoke truth and they did not believe. They did not prove He sinned. Those who ARE of God have the ability to understand God's Words. So it must be that those who are not of God will not understand the Words of God.
Luke 24:10-11
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10Now they were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James: and the other women with them told these things unto the apostles.
11And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk; and they disbelieved them.
10It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
Commentary
The women spoke rhema to the apostles. They were the first to hear and speak about the resurrection. Their words were powerful and revelatory. Their explanation was able to lead to good decisions and create. Instead, the apostles thought the words of the women were idle: without a Right WHY and a Right HOW, which led to their disbelief.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 7-11
The Disciples did not believe the women.
14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, saying, Ye men of Judæa, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words.
14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Commentary
At Pentecost, Peter told everyone to give ear (understand) to his revelatory and powerful words that would cause people to be wise. That same day about three thousand made the decision to believe.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 1-47
Chapter 2 started the 6th (and current) Dispensation: Pentecost. God administrated this dispensation by grace to individuals by the Holy Spirit upon our hearts. Everything prior to this (excluding the Book of Genesis and including the four Gospels) documented the 5th Dispensation. So, the first book of the Bible covered the first four dispensations. The next forty-two books of the Bible covered the 5th Dispensation. This book was the first of twenty-three books that covered the current 6th Dispensation.
Commentary · verses 14-36
Verses 14-36: the famous sermon by Peter during Pentecost.
Ephesians 6:17-20
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17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, 19and on my behalf, that utterance may be given unto me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Commentary
The sword of the Spirit was the rhema of God. Look at the rest of the passage. It focused on the Holy Spirit and making known mysteries. This was the revelatory and powerful word of God that flowed like water from God through the Holy Spirit.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verse 17
Helmet of Salvation - Salvation comes by grace through faith, two things that we grow in by increasing our understanding and experience.
"Sword of the Spirit" - The Word of God. This was the only weapon in the armor of God that could be used in an offensive manner. Clearly spiritual warfare has to do with words and our offensive weapon is the Word of God. In verse 17, the word "word" was rhema - the revelatory and powerful word from God that has no precedent. This was the same sword that proceeds out of Jesus' Mouth in the Revelation 2:16 that gives Him victory over the enemy. This is a two-edged sword, which some people say is defensive and offensive.
Commentary · verse 18
Praying always, which is made up of words.
Commentary · verse 19
Paul asked the Ephesians to pray that he had boldness to continue to make the mystery of the Gospel known to others.
Commentary · verse 20
Paul was in prison during this letter. He asked for prayer that he would speak boldly, as he ought to speak.
Exodus 31:1-6
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1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 2See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship.
6And I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee:
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
3And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
4To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
5And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
6And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;
Commentary
In verse 3, all three were mentioned in succession: wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. God also gave wisdom to Oholiab. Why? So he could make all that God commanded. Wisdom leads to an action.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 1-2
Bezalel was the craftsman. "Bezalel" meant "in the shadow (i.e. protection) of God."
Commentary · verse 3
Bezalel was filled with the Spirit of God.
Commentary · verses 4-5
Bezalel was a master craftsman.
Commentary · verse 6
Oholiab was Bezalel's chief helper.
28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.
28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
Commentary
Solomon was known as the wisest man that ever lived. The above verse came from the beginning of Solomon's reign. The reason for wisdom? To DO justice. Here was a verse from the end of Solomon's reign.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 27-28
Solomon's focus was distinguishing between two thought processes: the mother of the living child and the mother of the dead child. Solomon knew the difference was that the mother of the living child wanted the child to live while the mother of the dead child wanted another mother to share her suffering. Would the mother of the dead child have raised the other woman's son?...or would she have killed it? As the child got older, it would have been more obvious the child was given to the wrong woman. The mother of the dead child's objective was not to possess the child, but to make sure the real mother did not have a living child. Solomon then came up with a way to distinguish between these two thought processes: threaten to give the mother of the dead child what she wanted and see who accepted the solution. Truly, Solomon had the meta ability to understand thinking.
Commentary · verse 28
A deeper point: This was an example of supernatural wisdom. Natural wisdom would have been to do an inquiry, ask witnesses, and determine an answer that awarded the child to one of the women. Unnatural wisdom would be for Solomon to immediately award the child to one of the women. Supernatural is more natural. Solomon asked for a natural object (sword) and then made a natural request (divide the baby). The result was something more than the natural would have given. This supernatural wisdom seemed to be illogical until the result was known. Then, in the final verse of this chapter, the supernatural logic was obvious to everyone to the point that people credited the source of it to God. No one walked away from this story thinking it didn't make sense. Actually, it made more sense. Jesus had this madda. While He stated things that didn't seem to make sense in the moment, the things Jesus said always made more sense when the situation was concluded. Supernatural wisdom is not less logical than natural wisdom and it is not unnatural. Supernatural wisdom is more logical than natural wisdom.
1 Kings 1-3 covered David's last words, his death, Solomon's vengeance on Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei, and God granting Solomon madda.
1 Kings 11:41
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41Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
41And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
Commentary
Again, wisdom was associated with "all that he did". Knowledge and understanding weren't mentioned. Finally, let's look at a passage that included all three.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verse 41
The Book of the Acts of Solomon?
Proverbs 3:13-23
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13Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding.
14For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, And the profit thereof than fine gold.
15She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her.
16Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.
17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.
18She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her.
19Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens.
20By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew.
21My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion: 22So shall they be life unto thy soul, And grace to thy neck.
23Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble.
13Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
19The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
Commentary
Wisdom and understanding are more valuable than physical riches. Knowledge was not mentioned as valuable. God founded the earth by wisdom; by a decision to speak it into existence. God established the heavens for a purpose: for an eternal reason why. God deals with the physical world through knowledge: through facts. The passage then confirmed wisdom and discretion (understanding) are the things we need to intentionally pursue.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 13-14
Wisdom and understanding caused happiness in their beholder. Gaining wisdom and understanding was better and more profitable than the most precious physical assets. Wisdom and understanding were long term. David understood this and lived it. Solomon apparently understood it, but he did not live it. 1 Kings 11 showed Solomon died without repenting.
Commentary · verses 15-18
Wisdom was a "tree of life" to them "that lay hold (grow strong)" upon her. Life was the ability to repair. Wisdom brought this ability.
Commentary · verses 19-20
Commentary · verses 21-23
You would not stumble if you were walking in wisdom.
Closing Thoughts
Check out our puzzle now! We have taken the scattered pieces (knowledge/what), and organized them into categories and corresponding colors (understanding/why), and now we have put the puzzle together in a way where every piece ought to fit, and we used wisdom to do it!
We are continually going to be using these WHAT, WHY, and HOW pieces, and they are all over the Bible. They are like primary colors, and now that they are in place we can build with them.
When you learn the definition to a word, you have an opportunity to "turn the light ON" in your life in order to illuminate reality. What if you wanted to keep the lights off? How would that affect your ability to discover what is around you?
This was the passage that concluded the previous Doctrine. Pay attention to wisdom this time...
Wisdom was stated to be the principal thing. Yet, it looks as if the effort of the individual ought to focus on getting understanding. The more understanding we gather the more progress we make towards the principle level. The most important thing is to make good decisions. These good decisions are in response to situations. Wisdom is based on understanding and the individual can always be getting more understanding.
Here was another example of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom being quoted together. This passage was covered in Doctrine #5: Knowledge and Doctrine #6: Understanding.