HF089 - When Wisdom Walked the Earth
To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 18:08:34 -0500
Subject: Bible Study HF089 - When Wisdom Walked the Earth
Hebraics,
It is interesting how the ancients would personalize God's Wisdom, but then speak of wisdom as an outflow of God Himself. This is simply more of the hidden Messiah mysteries. The ancients saw God's wisdom as a manifestation of the spirit of Messiah.
In this study we want to see how the wisdom of God relates to Jesus, and, in turn, what this means personally to believers. Since the subject of wisdom is vast in itself, I'll simply deal with some highlights.
This is Bible Study HF089 - When Wisdom Walked the Earth.
To the people of God, the wisdom of God was both wonderful but also a great mystery. Job said, "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?" Later he says, "God understands its way, and He knows its place." (Cf. Job 28:12-28)
In Proverbs we hear, "How blessed is the man who finds wisdom …She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.” (Prov 3)
Then we hear, “Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice?” And, “All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverted in them.” (Prov 8)
And so wisdom continued to be a mystery. The ancients believed that God made wisdom available to all humankind, but that His unique wisdom made her home in Israel. Thus they associate Wisdom with Jerusalem and with the temple. The closer you lived to Jerusalem, the greater access you had to God’s wisdom.
But they asked the same kinds of questions that we ask. "Where does this wisdom come from that directs our lives?" Or, "Where do these thoughts come from that provide answers to questions we have?" And, "Why is it that out of nowhere, we know what to do?" "How did we find out?" "Where did the answer come from?"
Actually the subject of wisdom by its nature is impossible to exhaust. But that is not the issue we are directed to in this study. We want to know about wisdom and Jesus.
I mention in an earlier study that the sages connected light with wisdom. To walk wisely meant you were walking in the light of God. David draws attention to this in saying, “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:8)
The ancients believed that the original light in Genesis 1:3, was God’s wisdom shining forth. They connected this light with Messiah. So when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” the peoples understood the connection. In the fall of Adam, it was taught that the world became unworthy of God’s wisdom, and that it was taken away, only to return with Messiah in the age to come.
This meant that while humans would be given a certain wisdom, and even special wisdom as a gift, they would not be given this wisdom that was hidden in God Himself. That is, not until Messiah came.
And so in the Old Testament we see this continual desire for God’s wisdom. For the Hebrews, the wisdom of God, the Spirit of God, the word of God, the shekinah of God, and the glory (hakavod) of God were pretty much one and the same. Very seldom did they make distinctions.
As for a Scriptural base we have this:
“You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground.” (Psalm 104:30)
“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.” (Psalm 148:5)
“O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions.” (Psalm 104:24)
“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord is over many waters.” (Psalm 29:3)
All afore Scriptures relate to the creative activity of God. Notice how all these terms can be interchanged; Spirit, commanded (word), wisdom, and glory. And the ancients saw all of this as connected to God’s Messiah.
So when you see the terms wisdom used in the Old Testament it is in the form of something that comes from God. Solomon is a good example of a man that was given a gift of wisdom. And so while the people knew that God had placed in all men wisdom to help them in life, there was yet in God a special wisdom that was unworldly. To them it was a great mystery. This wisdom was in God alone.
Again this shows us that there is wisdom in natural man. However, man’s natural wisdom can easily go astray if the man does not have his life in tune with God Himself. But God’s Wisdom, what is this to man? Perhaps a better question would be, ‘Who is God’s Wisdom?’ Hence we come back to the mystery that was hidden in God from all past ages.
God’s Wisdom is Christ Himself. God's wisdom became incarnate in Jesus Christ, and walked the earth. This is why you never hear Jesus speak as a prophet. A prophet would say, “Thus says the Lord.” Jesus simply taught as the source of life and wisdom.
For example, we hear this from Jesus; “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt 5:28)
Jesus speaks differently even from the wisdom sayings of the Old Testament. In Proverbs the issue of adultery was often fixed on the woman. And while men were also sinners, it is more often that the women is at a distinct disadvantage. But what does Jesus do? He says the problem isn’t the woman. The problem is with man’s heart.
We find this same pattern throughout the Lord’s ministry. When the Pharisees tried to trap Him, and of course these were the people who knew the Scriptures by heart, the Lord would simply turn the tables on them. They had no answer. You see, they were dealing with Wisdom in person. The same was true with the scribes and Sadducees. They could never catch Him in their craftiness.
We have this about God’s wisdom from the book of Job; “He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, and the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.” (Job 5:13)
The apostle said it well enough; “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world.” (1 Co 1:20)
When Jesus was ministering in His own hometown, we hear the people say, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?” (Matt 6:2)
Well, where did He get ‘this wisdom’? Jesus didn’t get it. He is the Wisdom of God manifest in humanity. He is the glory of God. He is the Light of the world. He is the Shekinah presence. He is the Spirit of God indwelling our hearts. He is God's very Word incarnate.
Now lets bring this home. Where the Hebrews sage said that the hidden light would come again only with Messiah’, the apostle agreed. Paul said, “But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory.” (1 Cor 2:6)
And this brings us to the children of Wisdom. Jesus said that wisdom is "vindicated by her children." (Luke 7:35) Did you know that every person born from above is given this Wisdom-Light in their very spirit. Of course we know this Wisdom-Light is actually Christ Jesus Himself. He has come into our hearts in spiritual form. Once again we see Wisdom, and Glory, and Spirit brought together in one. Listen:
“Yet we speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away, but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery…”
And again, “…the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age as understood; for it they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Again, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”
The apostle then concludes with, “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Co 2)
Paul’s point is that this ‘redemption’ wisdom enters a person’s heart at the new birth. It is not available to the world. This wisdom comes to us by way of the cross. It belongs to the family of God. It is also part of our spiritual development. As we learn to live spiritual lives, we find that our wisdom is in the Spirit. Thus we hear the apostle say, “He who is spiritual appraises all tings, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”
There are two more issues we need to cover at least in part in the study. One has to do with the practical side of God’s wisdom. The other has to do with a counterfeit wisdom that comes from Satan.
There are two sides to practical wisdom. Jesus explains them both. First is the outflow. Jesus said, “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
He adds to this, in saying, “So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.” (Cf. Matt 10:20,21 ; Luke 21:15)
The other side of practical wisdom is where Jesus invites our participation. He states it this way; “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt 7:7,8)
James adds to this in saying, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8)
The final thing we need to cover in the study is the aspect of a 'supposedly' wisdom that comes from God, but is actually demonic in origin and nature. Do you find this strange? I'll only touch on this in brief. We can deal with it in further dialogue. It is James who explains the difference. Listen carefully:
"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthy, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing." (James 3:13-16)
Notice carefully the earmarks of this counterfeit wisdom and where it is to be found. It is rooted in jealousy and selfishness. It is arrogant. It is earthy, natural, and demonic. It causes disorder and every evil thing. So it appears that this counterfeit wisdom can be easy to spot. It is easy, if you are living by the Spirit. It is found in a fleshly environment where self-will is the force in place. Satan taps into this fleshly person and causes them to feel spiritual. The only problem this spirituality they supposedly have is actually the result of the demonic at work.
Then James explains the distinctive difference between this false wisdom and the character of God's true wisdom. Listen again; "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy." (Verse 17)
Rather than break this statement down into its Greek renderings, let's just let it stand. It pretty much explains itself.
Well, that's it for now. Do you think wisdom is still walking the earth?
I think so. God's children have always been able to validate their relationship to the Lord. They are the children of wisdom.
The study is open. Feel free to contribute.
The Lord bless you,
Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.christianchallenge.org/
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)