CHAPTER 20: Understanding Wisdom and Knowledge

c HAP t E r 20

UNDERSTANDING WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established, by knowledge the rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” (NIV) “Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.” (LB)

Proverbs 24:3

In this saying Solomon is giving us a powerful recipe. Notice the three ingredients; wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. These three things, when combined and applied to an endeavor, have a synergy that is nearly unstoppable. Each by themselves are helpful but when combined Solomon says the results will be like beautiful treasures.

You have undoubtedly seen situations where only one ingredient was at work without the others. Often people scratch their heads and say, “It is so strange that this person is not experiencing more success. They seem to have a lot going for them.” I have seen many a pastor with the wisdom to start a church reach a certain

point and just plateau indefinitely. They don’t have an understanding of what to do to take it to another level. Let’s take a look at these three ingredients.

By wisdom, the scripture says, a house is built. Proverbs 14:1 similarly says “a wise woman builds her house.” To build you need wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to see True wisdom will the probable outcomes of any given choice. True wisdom always choose will always choose God’s way God’s way because it because it foresees the dangers and consequences of sin foresees the dangers and compromise. Wisdom is quite possiand consequences of bly one of the most powersin and compromise. ful forces on earth. It is the difference between prosperity and poverty, between decrease and increase, between loss and gain. That is why Solomon says in Proverbs 4:7 “wisdom is the principle thing. Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting get understanding.”

Understanding is something that is established, whether it is in your marriage or your business, it thrives, it flourishes, it grows, it succeeds. It doesn’t just plateau but it keeps on going to new levels. I believe an excellent example is the kingdom of Israel under David and then Solomon. Each reigned for forty years. Together they represent 80 years of very effective leadership. Israel thrived under those two kings. The stability and prosperity that Israel attained during their rule has literally never been matched. After Solomon’s death, however, the benefits of the incredible leadership, all the wisdom and understanding, were thrown away within 30 days. Solomon’s son Rehoboam becomes king and the people come and say “Rehoboam, look at what has happened. Under your father, taxes were high and impressive things were accomplished, but we want things to get better.” He sends them away and takes three days to speak with his

father’s counselors who tell him he needs to serve the people. “If you answer them kindly from the beginning and show them you will understand their needs, they will in turn be your servants forever.” But then he went and talked to some young people. Their advice was to show them who was boss. So he followed the advice of his inexperienced friends and told Israel “If my father taxed you a little I will tax you a lot. My father punished you with whips; I’m going to punish you with scorpions. My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.” (1 Kings 12:10) They got his message but it didn’t work like he had hoped. Ten of the 12 tribes of Israel left; the nation was split in two. Israel never again reached the glory of David and Solomon’s reign. How was Rehahoam able to destroy in 30 days what took 80 years to build? It was because he didn’t have understanding. Things will not continue to grow, to thrive, and to succeed without understanding. This is true of your business as well as your marriage. Husbands if you make it your business to understand your wife’s needs your marriage will thrive, it will be strong.

Thirdly, Solomon says that you need to have knowledge, or as the Living Bible put it, keep abreast of the facts. So now that you are wise enough to choose the right road, you need to have the understanding to know how to continue down the road. You learn what is around you on the road. What do the people here expect of you? Once you know what is expected then it is time to exceed that.

I like to call it the Rebekah Principle. Abraham’s son was nearly 40 years old and not married so Abraham sends his servant Eleazar several hundred miles back to the land of Abraham’s ancestors and family to find Isaac a wife. Most kids today seem to hardly trust their parents to give advice about selecting a wife let alone allowing their parents to delegate the job to one of their employees. But that is what Abraham did and it worked very well for them. Eleazar, as he is approaching the place he was sent, prays and asks God to show him the woman he is to choose. He asks that she offer not only him a drink but also give his ten camels all the water they need also. He sees Rebekah approach the well and asks for a drink. She proceeds to

say that she will also water the camels until they are satisfied. Most of us don’t realize what a huge thing that is. A thirsty camel drinks between 30-40 gallons of water and Eleazar had ten camels! She didn’t have a faucet, she would have to lower a bucket and then raise it for each gallon or two. This took probably a good two hours and a lot of hard work. She wasn’t chosen for her beauty, because her father was rich, or because of her figure. She was chosen because she was willing to do what was expected and something more.

Men, what would happen if you treated your wives like a queen? What if you sought to learn her expectations and then set out to exceed them all? And wives, what does your husband expect? How could you exceed those expectations? What would it do for your marriage to always go the extra mile? In Matthew 5:41 Jesus said “Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with them two.” It is interesting to realize that the law at that time said that a Roman soldier had the right to require any male, at any time, to drop what he was doing and carry the soldier’s pack for one mile. You can imagine that at the end of the mile most people were quite resentful and quick to put the pack down and go back to what they were doing. Jesus says tell the soldier “I will carry it an extra mile even though I don’t have to.” That is the mentality of someone in God’s Kingdom. Live the life of a servant, not begrudgingly but willingly. We should be like Jonathan’s armor bearer who said to him “Do all that is in your heart for I am with you.”

There is a store called Nordstrom’s that has become famous for service that goes the extra mile. Jeanie and I enjoy shopping there. However there isn’t one in Western Michigan where we live. So a few years ago while traveling to a town that did have a Nordstrom’s I went shopping. Upon reaching my hotel room I realized I had purchased something in the wrong size. When I called the store the salesman asked “Where are you?” When I told him he brought the right sized item right to my hotel. Have you ever shopped in a department store that would do that? That is going beyond what is expected.

Matthew 5:16 says “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” This is what Jesus was talking about. Carrying the soldier’s pack twice as far as required would be a bright light in the soldier’s face. And when you and I, in our work places and in our relationships, learn what is expected and then exceed it we too will stand out like “a city on a hill.” People will say “I want whatever they have got.”