Wisdom Wednesday: Lost Wisdom

                                            The Lost Wisdom                                           

Guest Contribution submitted by Debbie's Dad

            

Concerning Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman? Has good counsel been lost to the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?

-Jeremiah 49:7

Today's verse is Jeremiah's introduction to a prophecy about the destruction of the people of Edom, a country to the south and east of the Dead Sea. The ancient city of Petra, Jordan is a tourist site today with amazing buildings carved out of the sone mountainsides – this was Edom. It claimed to have wise men that created the cities, and impregnable stone dwellings provided security. The Edomites (descendants of Esau) were continually in conflict with Judah, and Jeremiah asked how their wisdom was lost and decayed. Obadiah similarly prophesied that the wise men of Edom would be destroyed (Obadiah 8). Why would this be? Because these people, though knowledgeable in stonework, industry, and strategy, lacked the spiritual wisdom to trust in their Creator.

In the 1930s, another poet, T.S. Eliot, looked at British society and wrote of the paucity of wisdom in the secular culture and its attitude toward Christianity. He wrote of the frantic search of the people and the failure to find true wisdom and meaning: 

The endless cycle of idea and action,

Endless invention, endless experiment,

Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;

Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;

Knowledge of words and ignorance of the Word.

All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,

All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,

But nearness to death no nearer to God.

Where is the Life we have lost in living?

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries

Bring us farther from God and nearer to the Dust.

[Excerpt from Part 1, Choruses from "The Rock" by T. S. Eliot; 1934]

Even as the Edomites were centuries earlier, Eliot observed the society failed to find the "wisdom …lost in knowledge". Of course, this was because in their frenzied search, they only moved "farther from God and nearer to the Dust."

The book of Proverbs describes the path of those who cannot find true wisdom (Proverbs 1:29-31) because they did not choose the fear of the Lord (the beginning of wisdom):

•        They would not accept my counsel,
•        They spurned all my reproof.
•       So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way
•        And be satiated with their own devices."

This was the path of the Edomites – they gained knowledge, built a society, smelted copper, and carved beautiful buildings that remain today for tourists to marvel at. But they were conquered by the Babylonians in the sixth century, subsumed by the Romans in the second century, and were called "Idumeans." Herod the Great was an Idumean, the king of Judea at the time of Jesus' birth, and the fool that sought to kill the infant Son of God and slaughtered the innocent male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem (Matthew 2). Herod was a child of the Edomites, and he "ate the fruit of his own way and lived by his own devices."

Pray that our society will not have "Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word" as Eliot would say; rather, we should pray that we will …Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:14). We do not want the Lord to look at us and ask, "Is there no longer any wisdom?"

 

 

 

 

Wisdom Wednesday: Genuine wisdom

                                                          Genuine Wisdom                                           

                                                            By: Debbie's dad

            

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

- James 3:17

 

We live in a media-savvy world. The emphasis in this culture is to control the image that others see of our lives- to control what others perceive about us. Influencers employ public and social media mechanisms to create a narrative about them, framing any information to emphasize positive characteristics, organizing pictures to create amazing optics, and spinning any information about them to conform to their narrative. Because so many of us are online in one form or another, it is tempting to use these mechanisms to project ourselves in a way that may not be completely genuine.

In today's passage, James emphasizes that Godly wisdom is "without hypocrisy," meaning sincere and genuine. The original language also can be translated as "unfeigned" or "undisguised." A wise life and its statements, decisions, and actions are genuine. There are no creative narratives, framing, spinning, and embellished optics – just genuine and transparent truth. This necessity is consistent throughout Scripture in well-known passages:

• The prophet Jeremiah denounced the sins of Judah, including the hypocrisy of their false worship. But God saw their hypocrisy and asked: "Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," declares the LORD."        -Jeremiah 7:11.
•   Jesus warned of hypocrisy that deceives those who act spiritually and hide their sin – projecting a narrative and image of godliness while living a sinful life. (Luke 12).
•  Jesus told the woman at the well in Samaria that true worship is genuine – "in spirit and in truth." God knows what authentic worship is. (John 4:23)
•  Jesus also emphasized absolute truth (this is what is genuine). He claimed to be "the truth" – what the philosophers call "ultimate reality." (John 14:6)  And when Jesus stood before Pilate, He told Pilate that those who are genuine believers (those who "belong to or are of the truth")  recognized the truth and acknowledged Him. Pilate stood before the Creator, the true ultimate reality, yet he yielded to the hypocrites. (John 18:37-38).
•     Paul urged Timothy that his Gospel mission must be from a genuine heart. "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (I Timothy 1:5) The sincere (genuine) faith that Paul counseled was based on a pure heart and clean conscience.
•     Paul further commended Timothy for his sincere faith, which reflected the sincerity of his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5).

·        The sincerity of our faith is located in our "inner man," as Paul taught ( 2 Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 3:16 ), and this is what God looks at: "… For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" ( 1 Samuel 16:7 ).

Let our lives reflect the wisdom that is from above, living in the authenticity of sincere love, genuine behavior that is unfeigned, and transparent – trusting in the Lord.

 

 

 

Wisdom Wednesday: Practical Steps to Wisdom by Malissa Chapin

 Practical Steps to Wisdom

by: Malissa Chapin ( Malissa Chapin) 

 

[Message from Debbie: Many thanks to the writers that have agreed to blog here in my absence. I hope these authors provide another perspective besides my own on the topics that the Lord laid on their hearts. In my absence, I plan on completing chapter 19 as well as figuring out what the future holds in terms of dad’s health and surgery being rescheduled. Long story short, doctors became concerned that his blood pressure was too high. So, they canceled his surgery and insisted he go see a cardiologist before they reschedule. Update: My dad got the go-ahead and called the scheduler to see if they could fit him in again.]

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7 (KJV)

 

     I don’t know anyone who wishes to be a fool; we all desire wisdom. But are we actually wise? Are we willing to do what God says to do to gain wisdom? How do we even get wisdom?

    Too often, I think of wisdom as something to attain in old age—gray-haired grannies dispense wisdom like candy. I love many wise gray-haired women and am thankful for their influence in my life, but God doesn’t reserve wisdom for gray-haired old ladies and gentlemen. The good news about God’s wisdom is that we don’t have to wait for old age. God will give us wisdom right now.

What is wisdom? 

    Martin H. Manser, in his book Dictionary of Bible Themes, describes wisdom as “The quality of knowledge, discernment and understanding characteristic of God himself.”

How do I get wisdom?

     Ask!

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. James 1:5 (KJV)

 Where do I find wisdom?

      The Sunday School answer is “the Bible,” but God’s Word is the correct answer. The source of wisdom is our Bible.

    The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7 (KJV)

 

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; Proverbs 2:6 (ESV)

      What are some practical ways to gain wisdom?

1.     Read God’s Word

        My mom always read one Proverb a day and her other Bible reading. The book of Proverbs contains thirty-one chapters and can be read in a month. A bonus to reading a Proverbs a day is that you always know which Proverb you should read by the day of the month. *If you get behind, don’t worry. You’ll read it next month. Feel free to skip ahead to the correct number Proverb and catch the one you missed on your next read-through.

    We visited a church on vacation, and the speaker shared that when he was a young boy, his father made him read one Proverbs a day to “idiot-proof” him. We laugh about the idea now; That's exactly what we should focus on. The pull of the world, media, and false teaching easily fills our minds and hearts. Instead, we should fill our hearts and minds with the wisdom of God’s word.

 

2.     Memorize Scripture.

 Oh how I love your law!  It is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119:97 (ESV)            

          What better way to meditate day and night on Scripture than memorizing passages?

Memorizing the Bible benefits you in multiple ways, but wisdom is an excellent reason to memorize God’s word.   f you’re not sure where to start, try Psalm 1, Psalm 23, 1 Corinthians 13, or Ephesians 6:10-20.

Memorization tips—pick one or two

1.   Write the passage out.
2.   Read the passage out loud several times.
3.  Say the verse out loud a phrase at a time. Repeat until you’ve memorized that phrase then add another phrase and repeat until you’ve memorized the new phrase.
4.   Listen to the verse set to music if you can find a song. Psalms are easier to find set to music
5.   When you’ve finally memorized the passage, have someone listen if you’re close.
6.   Take time to review the passage every few weeks to keep the verses fresh in your mind.

 When I was in elementary school, we sang this song. The words ran through my mind as I wrote on wisdom and I’d like to share it with you today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-ykfw3-i7s

 

“…so in Christ are hid all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” John Huss

 

 

 

 

^[1] Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).

Wisdom Wednesday: A Prayer for Wisdom Part

                                                            A Prayer for Wisdom - 3                                 

Submitted by Debbie’s Dad

 

    I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength

-Ephesians. 1:17-19

In the past two weeks, we looked at the opening prayers in Paul’s epistles to the believers in the churches at Philippi and Colosse. This week we look at Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus. 

Remember, his prayer for Philippi and Colosse was for them to gain spiritual wisdom to know God personally and His ways, to enable them to live worthy, pleasing, and fruitful lives. Similarly, this prayer reiterates these themes.

This prayer precedes a foundational statement of theology statement about the blessings of God in one long hypotactic sentence (verses 3-14). This long sentence structure (called a hypotactic )  is arranged with the main clause (“God be blessed” v. 3) that is supported by three phrases or subordinate clauses upon which the main clause depends. Here is the structure and summary of this amazing sentence:

God Be Blessed (main clause), Because:

1)      The Father (adopted us in the past) verses 3-6

•       Blessed us in heaven, In Christ
•  Chose us to be holy people
•       Predestined us to adoption by Jesus
•       According to His will

2)      The Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (redeemed us in the present) verses 7-10

•   Redeemed us from sin, through His blood
•  According to His grace
•    Makes know His will

3)      The Spirit of promise (sealed us for our inheritance in the future) verses 11-14

•       According to His will; that we are a testimony to God’s Glory
•       Seals us and guarantees our inheritance

Following this fundamental statement of God’s works, Paul prays for the believers. After that introduction about God’s blessings, he thanks God for them in verse 16 (as he does for the believers in his other epistles Rom. 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:4; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3). Then, finally, he tells them what he is praying for them in verses 17-19:

 

First, He Prays for Wisdom to know God

In verse 17, he prays, as before, that that they will have spiritual wisdom and revelation to know God – to reveal the true God and His ways to each one of them personally. This is consistent in Paull’s prayers for the other churches – that the relatively new believers will grow closer to their Savior and Lord in a deeper relationship as they know Him and walk with Him. 

And, he prays they will realize the hope, riches, and power of their inheritance   

In verses 18 and 19, Paul prays that the “eyes of their heart” – their very being – will be opened to realize three things:

·       The hope to which we are called – our inheritance as adopted children of God

·       The riches of this eternal inheritance

·       The surpassing greatness of His power – available to believers

In effect, Paul wanted the believers to grow in their knowledge of God, realizing what they have inherited as God’s adopted children!

The Essence of His Prayers for the first-century believers

Looking at these three prayers of Paul, we see a common theme of Paul’s desires for the churches. First, Paul prayed that the believers would grow in wisdom and understanding to know God better and know His will to live valuable and productive lives. Outward appearances cannot always measure such growth; instead, it exhibits themselves through the slow development of the Fruits of the Spirit. These can be found in Galatians 5:22. It is as if Paul was praying for all believers of all ages, including each of us.

 

 

Wisdom Wednesday: A Prayer for Wisdom, Part 2

                                                            A Prayer for Wisdom PART 2                               

Submitted by Debbie’s Dad

 

    For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12

 

Last week, we looked at Paul’s opening of his epistle to the believers at Philippi. His emphasis was that their love would abound in knowledge and insight to glorify God and gain discernment, purity, and fruitfulness. This week we look at Paul’s very similar prayer for the church at Colosse. (and next week, we look at his prayer for the Ephesians). All three of these prayers are rooted in the wisdom from the Word of God.

In the second chapter, Paul encourages them, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (Col. 2:6); they received Christ in faith – so they must walk by faith (just as he told other believers in 2 Cor. 11:4 and Gal. 1:6) So, Paul prays for specific things in today’s verses 9-12 – he prays for three things:

First, He Prays for knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Paul prays that the believers will know God’s will (what to do) as a believer in Christ. They will gain this practical decision-making ability through spiritual wisdom and understanding. These attributes were necessary for the believers to confront the many threats they faced - threats to their very faith! Later in the epistle, Paul enumerates some of the threatening concepts (false wisdom of the world system; heresies) that we also face today:

•         Philosophy – (2:8-10) Belief in intellect, tradition, worldly principles, even atheism.
•       Legalism – (2:11-17) Belief in attaining righteousness by outward behavior.
•       Mysticism (2:18-19) Belief in mystical angel worship and false humility.
•       Asceticism (2: 20-22) Belief in achieving righteousness by abstinence

Next, He prays that they will live a life worthy of the Lord. This worthy life will please their heavenly Father and will bear spiritual fruit. Living like this will cause them to grow in their relationship with the Father and grow their personal knowledge of Him and His ways. In his prayer for the Philippian believers, Paul mentioned that such a life will produce righteous fruit (most are listed in the well-known passage in Galatians 5:22–23.

Finally, He prays that they will be strengthened with The Father’s Power. Relying on God’s power, the believers would have great endurance (or perseverance) and patience to endure the challenges to their faith. This means Paul prayed for their ability to graciously remain firm in their faith over the long haul. And this endurance should be characterized by joyful thankfulness to their Heavenly Father.

The Essence of His Prayer

Paul prayed that the believers would have spiritual wisdom and understanding to know God’s will to live worthy and pleasing to God, fruitful, growing, strengthened, enduring, and thankful to God throughout their life.   

As we noted last week, Paul’s prayer applies to us too- as we grow in wisdom, abound in love, bear spiritual fruit, all to the glory and praise of God. 

 

 

Wisdom Wednesday: A Prayer for Wisdom

 A Prayer for Wisdom

Submitted by Debbie’s Dad

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 (NASB95)

 

In today’s verse, Paul opens his epistle to the believers at Philippi, dear friends he had not seen for a decade and yearned to see again. Paul was about 800 miles away, in a Roman Jail in chains. Yet he wanted the believers at the churches in Philippi to know how he loved them and how he prayed for them.

In the verses preceding these 3 verses, Paul tells them he thanks God whenever he remembers them and joyfully prays for them constantly (verse 3). Paul has them in his heart and affectionately longs for them (verses 7 and 8). He even considers them co-participants to share the Gospel message (verse 5).

After those introductions, He tells them what he is praying for them in verses 9-11—he prays for three things:

First, He Prays for Abounding Love in Wisdom

Paul prays that their love will abound (overflow) because of their growing personal knowledge (Greek epignosis, a much-used word in the New Testament) of God, and their insight [Greek aisthēsis - this is the only use of this word in the New Testament) into His Ways. This is true wisdom – to know God and his ways! The world will know us by our love – a love founded in wisdom – knowing God personally and knowing His ways.

Next, He prays for Fruitfulness.

This love will enable us to discern the best things to do and live sincerely and blamelessly. We will be tested, and we must determine what to choose, how to respond, what to avoid, what will glorify God, and what will grieve Him. This is a lifelong challenge to remain sincere and pure in all we do. As Paul emphasizes – “until the day of Christ.” And this life will produce righteous fruit (most are listed in the well-known passage in Galatians 5:22–23.

Finally, He prays for the Best Result.

The goal of this kind of wisdom, love, and discernment is the glory and praise of God. Our lives can produce 2 results of eternal value: 1) we can glorify God or reveal His character in our lives, and 2) we can bring praise to God by our life- redeemed from sin and willfully living in His love, discernment, and righteous living.    

The Essence of His Prayer

Looking at these three elements of Paul’s prayer in reverse, we see that he was praying for a result (God’s glory) by means of their pure, blameless, and fruitful life – all based on the wisdom of knowing God and the discernment of His ways.  

Paul’s prayer applies to us too as we grow in wisdom, abound in love, bear spiritual fruit, all to the glory and praise of God. 

 

 

Wisdom Wednesday: Wisdom and The Law

                                                            Wisdom and the Law                                                    

Submitted by Debbie’s Dad

 

Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ Deuteronomy 4:5–6 (NKJV).

 

The Israelite nation was uniquely given the law of statutes and judgments by God, and in this passage in Deuteronomy. Moses reminded them as they were about to enter the Land God gave to them. He told them:

• To keep the commandments the Lord gave to them in order to live and possess the Land He gave to them (verses 1-4 preceding our passage)
•  To obey (act according; observe) or live within the guidance provided by the law (verse 5)
•  To observe them because this is the basis of the wisdom and understanding they would possess to live
•    And this wisdom and understanding would be observed by the surrounding nations and recognize them as great nation because of their observance.

 

Israel was unique among the nations that it served the One Creator God and lived according to the guidance of the Law that He gave to them. In the following verses, Moses further reminds them their God is close them, and accessible that they may call on Him for their needs. (verse7).

 This was their wisdom and understanding – to live by principles given by God that were both spiritual (their relationship to God) and moral (their relationship to others).  The fundamental commandments where organized this way; the first 5 of the ten commands address the sole commitment to God, His name, His day of rest, and the parents he gives to each of us; the second five address our relationship to others.  Jesus acknowledged these two aspects of the commandments when he was asked which was the great commandments in the Law:

 

 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:374-40 (NKJV)

 Perhaps the greatest proclamation of this truth is in 119^th Psalm which begins with. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD! (Verse 1; NKJV). The chapter further exclaims, that, learning and committing the law to our heart helps protect us from sin (vv. 9-11), knowledge of the law is a comfort and hope in times of affliction (vv. 49-56), the law gives wisdom (wiser that our adversaries) and understanding (more than our teachers) (vv. 97-100), and that the understanding of the law keeps us from walking onto evil ways (vv. 101-104).

 

This concept of obedience to God’s Word certainly applies today – it gives us the wisdom to live rightly before God and the understanding to live apply God’s wisdom to walk in this world protected from sin and diverting to evil ways, and in comfort and hope in the face of diversity.   From

Wisdom Wednesday: The Wise Counsel of the Prophet Micah

                                          The Wise Counsel of the Prophet Micah

                                                    Submitted by Debbie’s Dad

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

The voice of the Lord will call to the city—

And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name: “Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed its time?

Micah 6:8–9 (NASB95)

 

Micah was a prophet who spoke the “word of the Lord” during the reigns of three kings of the southern kingdom of Judah: Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The wickedness of King Ahab must have deeply impressed Micah, and he gave three messages (prophecies proclaiming messages from the Lord.  He focused his first message on the judgment to come to Samaria and Jerusalem for their insincere worship and idol worship (chapter 1), their injustice and false prophets (chapter 2) and their leaders’ love of evil and abuse of people (chapter 3). 

His second message (chapters 4 and 5) extolled the “last days” when a new king will be born in Bethlehem to be victorious over the oppressing nations and to bring peace and prosperity as He rules over the people. Perhaps Micah’s most well-known passage is 5:2: “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” Here, Micah foretold the Birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.

The Indictment of the Nation

The context of our verse today is Micah’s third message (chapters 6 and 7) providing a direct accusation or indictment of the nation of Judah for its sin, and the insincerity of its worship. The strong indictment of the nation in chapter 6, is followed by the promise of a future blessing in chapter 7.   The indictment is this:

·       The Lord brings a dispute, a legal case, against the nation and asks how He has wearied the people, reminding them of his rescue of them from slavery in Egypt (6:1–5)

·       Micah responds to the indictment – asking the nation, what shall they bring to the Lord to be restored to a relationship with their God. (6:6-9)

·        The Lord responds (6:9–12) with an enumeration of their sins: 1) dishonesty in their dealings with others. 2) violence, 3) lying, and 4) deceit

·       For this reason, the nation will be made desolate because of their sins (6:13-16)

Chapter 7 then laments the coming desolation of the nation, yet provides hope for the future restoration  to “pardon iniquity” in His “unchanging love”, and to “cast their sins into the depths of the sea”.

 

Micah Speaks for the nation

In Micah’s response to the indictment at the top of this devotional, he focuses on the core topic of being wise before God:

•        He asks the people what he should bring to the Lord as an offering for their sins – burnt offerings? Yearling (prize) calve offerings? Thousands of rams? Or 10,000 rivers of oil? Or, perhaps he might offer his first borne child??!! (6:6 and 7)
•       Of course Not!! God told them what is good and required of God – and they know it, too. It is to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. (6:8) This is authentic outward righteous living and inward worship of the Lord. 

Miicah’s Wise Counsel  

In verse 9 Micah transitions to listening to the voice of the Lord Who will enumerate their sins.  And Micah coundels - “… And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name” (NASB95). Before listening to God, Micah warned that listening in fear (reverence, obedience) was the wise response to God’ judgment.  The opening of the Proverbs, written 300 years before Micah concurred: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Prov. 1:7 NASB95) 

We too, are soundly wise to listen to God’s voice in Scripture in reverence with an intent to obey.   

 

 

Wisdom Wednesday: The Wisdom of Hezekiah

                      The Wisdom of Hezekiah                                                

By: Debbie's Dad        

 

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.
In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction;
you have put all my sins behind your back.

 For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise;
those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today;
parents tell their children about your faithfulness.  (Isaiah 38:17-19)

Hezekiah was a faithful King of Judah about 700 years before Christ arrived. After David, he has been considered one of the greatest kings of the Jewish people. Accounts of his 29-year reign, beginning at age 25 and ending at his death at age 54, are recorded in II Kings 18-20 and II Chronicles 32:24-33. It is recorded that he was, “More zealous for the Lord than any other king of Judah” (2 Kings 18:5).

Hezekiah’s Faithfulness

Immediately upon becoming king, Hezekiah, reversed the leadership of his father, the wicked king Ahab, who established the worship of idols in Judah. Ahaz set an awful example for his son, worshiping idols, and demonstrating poor political leadership.  Yet Hezekiah “… held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook” (2 Kings 18:6–7). Hezekiah reestablished the worship of the Lord and removed the idols and sacrificial traditions allowed by his father. He remained close to Isaiah the prophet and sought Isaiah when   

Hezekiah’s Trials

Though faithful to the Lord, Hezekiah faced two significant trials in his life that tested his faith. Both tests were anguishing “near-death experiences”:

•       Personal Anguish – He became very sick and was reaching the point of death but prayed with Isaiah and his life was extended by the Lord for fifteen years (2 Kings 20:5–7). This experience led him to write the praise of the Lord recorded by Isaiah in chapter 38. He Hezekiah said he cried, moaned, his eyes grew weak, and felt as if his bones were broken as he neared death. His prayer (recorded in II Kings 20:2-6) was to turn to the wall, tell the Lord of his faithfulness, and to weep.
  
•      Public Anguish - In 701 BC Hezekiah faced a public crisis. The Assyrian expeditionary forces, accompanied by their king Sennacherib, invaded Judea, first destroying small and fortified cities, then turning to viciously destroy the second largest walled city, Lachish, before heading to the largest and capital city, Jerusalem. This invasion severely tested Hezekiah’s faith in His Lord.  The Assyrian army threatened to destroy the city, and Hezekiah called on Isaiah (2 Kings 19) and prayed. He positioned himself in a contrite stance before God and called upon God personally “O Lord”, even as today we call our heavenly Father, “O Father” is appropriated when in distress. Then, he expressed and described his dire situation. (Of course, God knows our situation, but in a personal relationship with a personal God, He wants to hear us articulate our need for guidance and help when circumstances seem dire.)  He articulated his petition to the Lord; he petitioned the Lord to save the city and its people for the purpose to show the entire earth the power of Judea’s God. The Scripture records the results: Jerusalem was saved (and the Assyrians miraculously crushed), and Hezekiah was miraculously granted 15 additional years of life.

The Wisdom of Hezekiah’s Response to Anguish

In the passage at the top of this devotional, we see the core of what Hezekiah wrote after his recovery from his sickness, and it is the praise of wise man.  He humbly acknowledged God’s rescue (kept me from destruction) and redemption (put my sins behind your back). There was nothing he could do but   turn to God his rescuer and redeemer. Then, he joyfully praised God – recognizing that only living people have this privilege to tell others of God’s faithfulness.

We too, are wise to humbly acknowledge God’s faithfulness (to Him) and then tell others what we have experienced of his faithfulness. 

 

 

Wisdom Wednesday: The Wisdom of the Crippled Tiny Tim

The Wisdom of the Crippled Tiny Tim

By:Dad

Each year our family enjoys watching Charles Dicken's story, A Christmas Carol:  A Ghost Story of Christmas, in movie form. It is a uniquely Christmas story, well-known and emotional as curmudgeonly Ebeneezer Scrooge views the assessment of his life from the perspective of three angels. Set in Victorian London, where crime, poverty, and pollution were rampant, the story contrasts the blindness of greed in Scrooge and the clarity of honest, humble living in the Cratchit family. The underlying themes of sin and redemption are present – as Scrooge's life is redeemed as he repents (turns around) and becomes a new man.

But how does this repentance occur? Dickens wrote the wisdom of the answer in a simple sentence from the mouth of the least of his characters. As Scrooge is escorted by the angel of Christmas Present to his employee's home, Bob Cratchit, he observes Bob arriving home from the church to be greeted by his family. In threadbare clothes, he carried his youngest son, Tiny Tim, on his shoulder.

Dickens introduces the disabled boy: "Alas for Tiny Tim, he bore a little crutch and had his limbs supported by an iron frame!"

After some family frivolity, we hear a private conversation:

"And how did little Tim behave?" asked Mrs. Cratchit when she had rallied Bob on his credulity, and Bob had hugged his daughter to his heart's content.

"As good as gold," said Bob, "and better. Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see."

And there is the wisdom of the small boy – he hoped that his disability would cause people to remember the great healer – Jesus of Nazareth. Dickens realized that disabled people often get "thoughtful" – reflective on the serious things of life and death, of walking and never walking. And in this reflection, Tiny Tim hoped that his disability would cause people to reflect on Jesus Christ.

Here is the wisdom of a serious young boy – it is to seek God's solution for the wretchedness of this world, whether his own physical sickness or Scrooge's spiritual sickness. The wisdom of Dickens' young character is that wisdom described in Scripture:

·    The boy feared God in reverence, rather than blaming God for his condition (Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.)

·      The boy lived humbly in his crippled situation and thought of others (Proverbs 11:2 But with the humble is wisdom)

·       He also looked to Jesus - acknowledging his weakness, he sought to use that weakness to point others to the Jesus he trusted.

 

And so, in less than 100 words, Dickens gave his least character the greatest role in the story – the wisdom to acknowledge the One who is the Light of the world, the One who leads to repentance, and the One who can redeem a man like Scrooge.

And Dickens reminded us of Scrooge's changed life in the final paragraph of this classic. And of his new life, Dickens closed his book with this: "May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!"

 

[1] Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol:  A Ghost Story of Christmas, 1843 Ed., Stave Three, The Second of Three Spirits. Accessed at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-h/46-h.htm