By Pastor Isak. Modified from what was originally written on Pastor Isak’s personal blog: https://leesomniac.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/reflections-on-wisdom-solomon-was-the-wisest-and-kind-of-wasnt/
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For Christians, there is one king who exemplifies wisdom: Solomon. Solomon is traditionally credited with writing many of the Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and most if not all of Ecclesiastes, which partly comprises the “wisdom literature.” There is another apocryphal work that refers to him as well, aptly titled “The Wisdom of Solomon.” Disputes over authorship isn’t my concern here; the fact is, Solomon is a figurehead for the concept of wisdom.
Solomon’s story is well-known: Instead of asking God for wealth or long life, he asked God for wisdom, and he became the wisest king the world had ever known. Unfortunately, Solomon is also one of the most paradoxical figures in the Bible. This wise man eventually amassed seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, and these women turned his heart astray by influencing him to worship other gods. As punishment, God split the kingdom under Solomon’s descendants, refraining from doing so in Solomon’s lifetime only to honor David. Was Solomon not really wise? What is wisdom, exactly?
Trying to define wisdom is difficult, but we can see some characteristics of wisdom in Scripture. Here are some observations:
1. The beginning of wisdom stems from fearing God (Psalm 111:10, Prov. 9:10).
2. Wisdom and humility seem to go hand in hand (Prov. 15:33, James 3:13).
3. Wisdom and knowledge also go together, though the “knowledge” here seems to be conceived quite broadly. The fear of the Lord is also the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7), and wisdom itself possesses knowledge and discretion (Prov. 8:12).
4. Wisdom is the ability to make distinctions, most notably between right and wrong (Prov. 17:4, Prov. 14:33).
5. Wisdom can be construed narrowly to deep understanding of a certain task or subject. A possible example is Huram, who is described as having great wisdom and understanding when it comes to bronze work (1 Kings 7:14).
6. Wisdom is the practice of living rightly and consistently with God’s commands and character (James 3:17, Matt. 11:19).
There are many more passages to survey, but that will do for now. Godly wisdom seems to encompass two broad components: Understanding and discernment on the one hand and reverent obedience to God on the other. This is why wisdom seems to be something that one learns intellectually but also something that one incorporates as an attitude. It is similar to Aristotle’s distinction between theoretical and practical wisdom: Theoretical wisdom is knowledge and understanding of first things and principles, and practical wisdom has to do with living well.
Either component can individually be construed as “wisdom,” and it seems possible to have one without the other, or at least, without having the other in a large degree. Therefore, we can call someone “wise” in a real sense even though that person may also have a large amount of foolishness. For example, a well-trained theologian could have vast knowledge of the things of God and can make deep distinctions between right and wrong, but he can be foolish if he fails to obey God and actually do the things he understands. On the other side, someone may approach God with full reverence and humility but be sorely lacking in a deep understanding of Scripture and theology. I tend to think that the latter is better than the former, but it would still be true that the latter person would lack a certain type of wisdom.
Going back to Solomon, let’s look at his request to God: “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9). I think looking at what kind of wisdom Solomon asked for can help us reconcile why he was simultaneously a very wise man and a great fool. Solomon asked for the wisdom to govern well, which is enabled by a sharp faculty of discernment. God’s gift of wisdom here seems purely on the side of intellectual insight. Of course, it certainly makes living a godly life a lot easier when you know what you’re supposed to do. However, to become thoroughly wise seems to require daily commitment and habituation. This is not something you just study but turn into a way of life.
Thus, towards the end of his life, Solomon, despite his great wisdom in one sense, rejected the wisdom of fearing and obeying God. As I read 1 Kings 11, where Solomon falls away, I do not see him being deceived; I do not think God’s gift of discernment left him. I see him having a vice, a lust for women, that eventually consumed him. The text says he followed these foreign gods, but it strikes me as something he did to appease his many wives, not because he actually thought these gods were superior to Yahweh. He knew the truth, but it seems that he stopped caring about it.
Solomon in many ways exemplifies the internal paradox of Christians who still struggle with sin, as reflected upon by Paul in Romans 7. We know what to do, but we do the opposite. Perhaps Solomon also helps us understand why the life of thorough wisdom cannot be merely given to us at a moment’s notice: If it is something relational and something we submit to everyday, then we have to experience it and internalize it. We obviously do not do this alone and are guided by the Holy Spirit, but while God may grant us enormous understanding, this wisdom is incomplete without the wisdom of fearing God and living for him. In one real sense, Solomon was much wiser than someone like Peter and could probably explain more about the world, morality, and theology in a more eloquent manner. However, Peter, a simple fisherman, followed Christ at great cost to the grave. His wisdom was “complete.” Christians should also seek to “complete” their wisdom, with deep biblical knowledge but also reverent obedience to God. -Isak Lee
One Light Church 