Wisdom Is the Principal Thing
Introduction: What is Wisdom?
When most people hear the word “wisdom” they think of the attribute that is most often associated with innate human intelligence, acquired knowledge, and/or a deep awareness and understanding of the realities of this temporal life involving the sciences (e.g., physics, chemistry, biology, etc.) or engineering and mathematics. Sometimes wisdom is perceived to include the ability to solve problems and puzzles. Perhaps sometimes it might also include a lot of what is considered acquired “common sense.”
Some people might think of the ancient philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, or Confucius or more recent like Abelard or Descartes. In all cases, however, all such views of wisdom only deal with earthly wisdom and cannot provide any insights on things spiritual (and hence eternal).
The Bible, on the other hand, deals with wisdom that is not only applicable to the issues of temporal life, but, more importantly, to spiritual issues and therefore which also pertain to eternal life. The Bible is the ONLY source of wisdom by which a person can truly understand his or her natural, miserable, state and complete destitution apart from the grace of God. Earthly wisdom cannot overcome death and the resultant assured eternity in Hell, as the just penalty for sin, as is decreed by The Almighty and Supreme God. The Bible makes clear that the ONLY escape is through the Atoning Substitutionary Sacrifice for sin made possible ONLY through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Earthly wisdom apart from the Bible is worthless because it will eventually perish.
The Bible makes this clear in Isaiah 29:14, where God tells us that He will bring about salvation from sin by a means (Jesus Christ) that is entirely incomprehensible to the wisest of all carnally minded men, “Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, [even] a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise [men] shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent [men] shall be hid.”
God is telling us that no matter how smart, intelligent, knowledgeable, wise, prudent we might think that we are, we are fools when it comes to eternal spiritual things. That is also why we read in 1 Corinthians 2:13, that the true believers in Jesus Christ will have and share the spiritual wisdom that ONLY The Holy Ghost (The Holy Spirit) can impart, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
The Gift of the Holy Spirit is Required
The Bible requires spiritual insight to understand it. That faculty is only obtained as a Gift from God, through the indwelling (or anointing) of His Holy Spirit, The “Spirit of Truth*“, Who Is also known as “The Holy Ghost“. That action is God’s Alone, and is synonymous with the Gift of salvation (Acts 5:32, “And we are his witnesses of these things; and [so is] also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.“).
It is quite interesting to find in Exodus chapter 31, when God looked for a man of wisdom and understanding and knowledge, that God told Moses the following starting in verses 2-5:“See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.”
Since Proverbs 1:20-23, “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.“ For more on “who” this is, please see the Proverbs Chapter 8 study.
The key here is the Spirit that makes God’s Words known to us, which is entirely in accordance with 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¶Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.“
We must also be mindful of the fact that spiritual discernment is necessary to understand the Bible. The anointing of God The Holy Spirit is required to have Jesus clearly revealed to us as is clearly stated in 1 John 2:27, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.“ The anointing is of the Holy Spirit Who God the Father sent to the believers to lead them into all truth, and that Truth Is Jesus. John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that]shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Note the consistency with John 14:26, “But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” and 1 John 2:20, “¶But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (“unction” means “anointing”)
Proverbs 4:7 Is One Starting Point for Eternal Insights
In Proverbs 4:7, we are told, “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” In the original Hebrew the first part of this verse could have been better translated as “Wisdom is the ‘beginning‘” or “first fruits” or “chief thing” given the Hebrew word was רֵאשִׁית (rē’šîṯ)H7225 which is the same word we find in the very first verse in the Bible, in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning (רֵאשִׁית (rē’šîṯ)H7225 God created the heaven and the earth.“
That said, we are also told in Psalm 111:10, that “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning (רֵאשִׁית (rē’šîṯ)H7225 of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.” This is nearly identical to Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning תְּחִלָּה (tᵊḥillâ)H8462 of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.” The Hebrew word that is translated here as “beginning” is another word, תְּחִלָּה (tᵊḥillâ)H8462, which also means “beginning or “first time” (or “initial time”). We also see a similar verse in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning (רֵאשִׁית (rē’šîṯ)H7225 of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.“
The Book of Daniel Makes Clear That Wisdom, Like Salvation, Is Only Obtained as a Gift from God
In Daniel 1:17, “¶As for these four children (Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego), God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” and later in the second chapter,
Daniel 2:20-23, “¶Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast [now] made known unto us the king’s matter.“
Later in the book of Daniel we find it mentioned four times (in Daniel 4:8, Daniel 4:9, Daniel 4:18, and Daniel 5:11) that Daniel had “the spirit of the holy gods” inside of him. That is how God gave Daniel the true wisdom that Daniel had. Daniel had been given the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit was indwelling within him.
The above verses teach us that it is God Alone Who gives anyone wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as they pertain to spiritual things. That is why we read in Proverbs 2:1-6, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding.”
We should also note these verses that pertain to Wisdom from God:
Job 28:18, “No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom [is] above rubies.“
Job 28:28, “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.“
Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.“
The true wisdom that really matters, the true understanding that really matters, the true knowledge that really matters… are those things having eternal spiritual import and which point us to Jesus Christ. And where do we find Jesus? In the Bible! This is because Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:14) and the Bible is all about Jesus as we learn from Jesus in the Road to Emmaus.
Jesus Christ Is The True Wisdom
1 Corinthians 1:30 describes Jesus Christ as Being Wisdom…“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:“ Jesus also made clear to us in John 14:6 that He is the ONLY way to Heaven, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.“
Before we can begin to gain any wisdom, knowledge, understanding, or truth from the Bible, we must realize, and believe with our whole being, that the Bible, God’s Word, is as not only true, but is as Holy as God Himself is Holy. God intimately identifies Himself with His Word as we find in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.“, and later in John 1:14, we see, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” The latter verse talking about Jesus Christ and no one else. To quote another Christian author… In the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, that God has provided, “God reveals Himself, not merely information about Himself, but HIMSELF.”
The Bible is unique, not only because it is compiled from 66 manuscripts, scribed by over 40 different individuals, over a period spanning 1500 to 1600 years, but because the Bible was written entirely under the inspiration of the infinite Mind of God (The Infinite God Who created the Infinite Universe… as well as created you and me out of nothing) through God’s Holy Spirit, and is not derived in any way out of the intellect of any man (e.g. those individual humans who God used to write the Bible). As a result, it should never be approached (as some teachers have advocated) as one would read “any other book or magazine.” No other book was ever written under Divine inspiration and no other book has been the subject of Providential preservation!
We must, therefore, try to approach our study of the Bible with the appropriate reverential awe that The Most High Holy God HIMSELF deserves. God describes the manner in Psalm 2:11 and Isaiah 66:2 as with “fear” and “trembling.” Because this, in reality, is impossible for anyone to do, in and of himself or herself (because everyone is by nature unclean, clumsy, presumptuous, and irreverent), it is only by God’s infinite grace, and longsuffering mercy, that He allows anyone to come to saving truth from the Bible. We must, therefore, humbly, prayerfully, acknowledge our complete destitution apart from the Good Grace of the Almighty Sovereign God. Those who are called to be the children of God, will not only do this, but will seek after the wisdom and truth of God by searching the Bible to see Jesus.
Just as salvation is a Gift of God (Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:“) so are our spiritual eyes and ears a Gift of God (because we have His Spirit in us witnessing to our spirit). That is why we read in Proverbs 20:12, “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.” We must have been given the wisdom of God, by God. (James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”)
This wisdom will come when we are truly seeking Him (because He first sought us, see John 6:44) and fear (have reverential awe of) Him. We are told in Psalm 111:10 that, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom:“, and in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The more we study God’s word, the Bible, the more, by God’s grace, our faith grows and the spiritually wiser we can become. In Romans 10:17, we find that, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Furthermore, in Isaiah 50:4, we read, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to [him that is] weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” (This is also consistent with Psalm 40:5&6, “Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.”…and immediately following in Psalm 40:7-9, the messianic verses talk about Jesus coming in the volume of the book (the Bible) and His fulfilling work and finishing sacrifice as the sole means by which only we can hope to obtain God’s Salvation.)
Again, going back to the title of this study, Proverbs 4:7 states, “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” and Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.” And finally, in Psalm 90:12 we read, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.“
In Proverbs 1:5&6, we read, “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.” And in Psalm 49:3&4 we read, “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart [shall be] of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.”
But if God does bless a person with that wisdom, please remember also what we read in Jeremiah 9:23&24, “¶Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD.”
Finally, we all need to remember the following from 1 Corinthians 13:1, “¶Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have [the gift] of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have notcharity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.“
Conclusion
It is this teacher’s most sincere hope and prayer that the words found in Ephesians, Chapter 1 (every verse), will apply to whomever sees this post, particularly verse 17, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,”.
It is also hoped that the reader might see that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the “Mystery”, and that Jesus Christ is the “Secret” and the “Hidden Wisdom” of the whole Bible that everyone, Jew or Gentile, so desperately needs for salvation from sins and eternal life with God in Heaven.
Finally, we all need to be clear on the issue of “wisdom”. It is never to be confused with earthly wisdom, for 1 Corinthians 3:19 teaches us that “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.”
*The Spirit of Truth
John 14:16&17, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
1 John 4:6, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
1 John 5:6, “This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.“
Explore posts in the same categories: Bible Studies
Bereansearching Bible Studies 
Leave a comment