Get Wisdom

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A few weeks before my 18th birthday, I was fortunate (or unfortunate, depending upon how you look at it) to have my wisdom teeth removed.  In the x-ray, there were four 3rd molars, but low and behold, there were five impacted teeth once the maxillofacial surgeon began the procedure.  I was asleep and connected to quite a few different devices for this oral surgery, but my mom says the surgeon laughed and remarked about my having an extra dose of wisdom.  After this event, I had quite a few questions, including--how in the world did I have five; what would have happened if I had not had them removed; and why do they call them wisdom teeth, anyway?  I’ve read that they are called wisdom teeth because they are the last teeth to erupt, usually between the ages of 17 and 25 years old.  By this time we are not as carefree as we were in our youth--they erupt after we have developed some wisdom.

The Bible tells us that, “Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.” (1 Kings 4:30)  Solomon, the son of David, the author of the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs (Solomon) tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  (Proverbs 9:10)  In Proverbs 1 Solomon writes, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  
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You may be wondering how many wisdom teeth Solomon had!  Unfortunately, I have not found a verse in the Bible to answer this question, but the origin of Solomon’s wisdom is explained in 1 Kings 3:5-9.  “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’” After thanking the Lord for His great kindness to allow him to sit on the throne, and admitting that he did not know how to perform his duties as king of people too numerous to count, Solomon responded, (v 9) “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”   Solomon asked for wisdom.

What would you have asked for?  
Would your request have pleased the Lord?

“The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.  So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.  Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.  And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life….’” (1 Kings 4:10-14)  

I don’t think my fifth 3rd molar was an extra dose of wisdom any more than I think we automatically become wise with age.  There are quite a few fools still walking around at a very mature age. We can only get wisdom from the Lord. Solomon feared the Lord and knew that His wisdom would be his only means of a successful reign.  We can learn from Solomon, that wisdom is our only means to a successful life. We can think of examples of people with lots of riches and fame whose words and actions reveal to us that they do not fear the Lord.  We may even think of these people as successful--and they have achieved success by man’s standards. Personally, I want my success measured by the Lord’s standards. And I don’t just want a successful life, I also want a successful afterlife!  Amen! “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.” (Proverbs 4:5-6)

​More on wisdom to come next week!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Kim