Lesson 28

WISDOM BUILDS

Table of Contents

– The Principal Thing
– Solomon
– The House of God

Scriptures Cited:

Proverbs 4:7, 1 Kings 4:29-31, 1 Chronicles 28:3-6, Isaiah 9:6, Acts 7:44-50, Matthew 12:41-42, Matthew 16:15-18, Matthew 7:24-29, 1 Peter 2:2-7, Isaiah 28:16, 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, Proverbs 8:22, Acts 2:47, Proverbs 14:1, Proverbs 31:10-31, Proverbs 8:11-36

In the previous lesson, our focus was on the topic of knowledge. We saw how knowledge plays a key role in salvation – from the knowledge of good and evil, all the way to the knowledge of God and His will through Jesus Christ. We will continue in this set of lessons centering around the theme of the fear of the Lord – which leads to knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. And for this lesson, we will turn our attention to the study of wisdom.

THE PRINCIPAL THING

An important verse that we briefly looked at in the “Fear of the Lord Pt. 1” lesson is Proverbs chapter 4 verse 7, which reads:

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

Again, keep in mind as we noted before – when we see one of these principles in the Bible (knowledge, wisdom, or understanding), the other two are typically nearby. And here we see wisdom being called the principal (or most important) thing. One of the most basic ways to think about wisdom is, that it is simply to take the information and knowledge that we receive from God and act according to what you know. If the Lord has blessed you to know the difference between right and wrong, then wisdom is simply to do what is right.

Another interesting thing we will find when studying the subject of wisdom in the Bible, is that there is almost a “pattern” in what we see wisdom doing and how it operates. By paying close attention to what the scriptures tell us regarding wisdom, a certain kind of pattern begins to emerge; there is something that wisdom consistently does. So, I want to look at that a little bit as we lay our foundation for this lesson.

SOLOMON

In most cases when the topic of wisdom in the Bible comes up, there is one person that usually comes to mind, and that is Solomon. Even the verse we began the lesson with from Proverbs (the book of wisdom) was written by Solomon. But right now, rather than studying what Solomon wrote, we will first look at a few things written about Solomon himself.

In 1 Kings chapter 4, beginning in verse 29 it says:

1 Kings 4:29-30
²⁹ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. ³⁰ And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

And if we were to continue a little bit further into verse 31 it says “For he was wiser than all men…” So, we now see here that Solomon’s wisdom was given to him by God. He was blessed by God with wisdom, and it says here with understanding as well. As stated, you won’t usually see one without the other following closely behind.

God gave Solomon more wisdom than any man. And aside from the fame he gained due to his wisdom, there is something else that he is known for. So, let’s think for a minute – what did Solomon do? Well, it was Solomon who was actually responsible for building the Lord’s temple. We often even see it referred to as “Solomon’s temple”. And it was his father David who first had the desire to build a house for God. If we look in 1 Chronicles chapter 28, we will see David speaking of God’s response to that desire. Beginning in verse 3, we read:

1 Chronicles 28:3-6
³ But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. ⁴ Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:

⁵ And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. ⁶ And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

There is a lot that we could unpack here if we dig a little bit deeper. We can see that there is some prophetic meaning in David saying that God chose Solomon to be His son. Even the fact that Solomon’s name means ‘peace’, and at the time when David was speaking this, Solomon was the prince. All of this has prophetic meaning that would ultimately be fulfilled in Jesus – as it says in Isaiah 9:6, He is the prince of peace.

So there are deeper levels that we could get into here. But rather than doing that, we will actually look at something written in the New Testament concerning Solomon and the building of the temple, which also has prophetic implication. In Acts chapter 7, we have the testimony which Stephen gave before he was stoned to death. For context, Stephen is recounting the history of God’s dealings with the nation of Israel, beginning with Abraham. We pick up in verse 44 as he is speaking of the tabernacle (God’s dwelling place when the children of Israel were in the wilderness).

Acts 7:44-50
⁴⁴ Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. ⁴⁵ Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

Note: The name “Jesus” here is actually referring to Joshua from the Old Testament.

⁴⁶ Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But Solomon built him an house. ⁴⁸ Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, ⁴⁹ Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? ⁵⁰ Hath not my hand made all these things?

So here we see Stephen also telling that it was David’s desire to build the house of the Lord, but God chose Solomon to be the one who would build His temple. But then it also says that “the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands”. This statement is so powerful when we understand what that must mean when it comes to where God actually chooses to dwell. So, getting back to wisdom, we can see that it was the wise man Solomon who built a “house” for God – the temple.

Next, let’s now go to the book of Matthew in chapter 12 to look at one last scripture related to Solomon. Starting in verse 41 we see Jesus comparing the judgement of that generation to some examples from the Old Testament, and our real focus is in verse 42.

Matthew 12:41-42
⁴¹ The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

⁴² The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

So, even as wise as Solomon was, Jesus was there among them saying that He was actually greater than Solomon. We have already seen that Solomon, in his wisdom built the temple. Now we see Jesus, being greater than Solomon. Let’s see what He does….

THE HOUSE OF GOD

Going to the book of Matthew, in chapter 16 we read the well-known confession that Peter made, after Jesus asked His disciples ‘Who do men say that I am?’ In verse 15 it says:

Matthew 16:15-18
¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? ¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

So, hopefully we’re starting to get an idea about this pattern of what wisdom does. Here we have Jesus, who is wiser than Solomon, saying that He will build… ‘His church’. Like I said, wisdom is to take the knowledge and apply it. In the same sense, Jesus being full of the knowledge of God, builds. And over and over in the Bible we’ll see that wisdom does the same thing. Wisdom builds. That’s what wisdom does.

We can stay here in the book of Matthew, where Jesus even confirms this in one of His parables. In Matthew chapter 7 verse 24, Jesus teaching the people, says:

Matthew 7:24-28
²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them,

Note: And that’s key. Like we said once you hear the information, wisdom is simply to do what you now know. If you know what is right, do it. Beginning once again in verse 24 it says…

²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Note: So, there we see it again – wisdom. And with the wise man, what does wisdom do? Builds… on the rock.

²⁵ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶ And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: ²⁷ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

²⁸ And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: ²⁹ For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

So, there again we see that same pattern of what wisdom does. Jesus Himself is saying that if you take His words and you do them, you will be like a wise man – “I will liken him unto a wise man…”  And what does a wise man do? He builds. And as it says here, a wise man who “built his house upon a rock:” That is what we see wisdom consistently doing – building.

So, when it comes to wisdom and building this ‘house’, ultimately the house that we are building has to do with what we already read in Acts 7. We saw that ‘God does not dwell in temples made with hands,’ and we get more information about the true ‘house’ of God in 1 Peter chapter 2. Beginning in verse 2, we read:

1 Peter 2:2-7
² As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: ³ If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. ⁴ To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

⁵ Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. ⁶ Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

⁷ Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

All of this is referring to that same ‘building’ which Jesus came to build – His church. And it says that we are as lively stones that are built up into a spiritual house, with Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone. Verse 6 is actually a quote from Isaiah 28:16, which shows us that God has a building which He is building – this is the temple ‘not made with hands’. The true house of God.

So, that was Peter writing about God’s “spiritual house”, and we can also see Paul speaking of the same thing in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. We will let Paul be our second witness of this ‘building’ which Jesus built. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3 starting in verse 9, Paul tells the church:

1 Corinthians 3:9-11
⁹ For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

¹⁰ According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.¹¹ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Verse 9 shows us that we also work together with God in building His church. And we see Paul referring to the church in two different ways. First, he calls the church “God’s husbandry” (like a harvest or crop), and then he says “ye are God’s building“. Again, this is speaking of that spiritual house – the temple ‘made without hands’. We also see Paul calling himself ‘a wise masterbuilder’. This is because he was going out and spreading the gospel, in order to continue building the Lord’s church.

And so when we are looking at this subject of wisdom, we can clearly see that one particular aspect of wisdom is that it builds. Even in Proverbs chapter 8, wisdom testifies of itself basically saying ‘I (wisdom) was with the Lord when He laid the foundation…’ So, when God was building from the beginning – when He created the Heavens and the earth, wisdom was there. He used wisdom when building it all.

So, we see that the pattern of “wisdom builds”, originally started with God Himself. And when Jesus came – He being wiser than Solomon and God manifested in the flesh… He would obviously follow that same pattern, by building His church. And now we are to follow after Jesus’ footsteps, being fellow workers with Him in building the church. In order for us to do that, the first stone that we need to lay is the stone of ourselves, thus becoming a living stone.

We become lively stones when we obey the gospel as it is laid out in scripture. We hear the word of God (the gospel), believe it, repent of our sins, and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (the same rock from Matthew 16:16). And upon that faith and confession, we are to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins. Then, just as it says in the book of Acts, when someone obeys that gospel, the Lord adds them to the church (Acts 2:47). The Lord takes that new brick – that lively stone, and He adds it to His church. And then we as lively stones are to continue building by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, bringing more stones in and adding to His church.

We will end this lesson with one last example of ‘wisdom builds’. So far, all of the examples we saw have been of either God or ‘men’ building. But if we go to Proverbs chapter 14, we can also see the same pattern of wisdom working through women. Proverbs chapter 14 verse 1 says:

Proverbs 14:1
¹ Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

So we see over and over when we talk about wisdom, even for the women – a wise woman, what does she do? She does the same thing that a wise man does – she builds. And here it says she builds up her house. Later on in Proverbs chapter 31, it tells of the virtuous woman, which is basically just a more detailed explanation of what we see here. It specifically tells what a wise woman does in order to build her house.

In conclusion, we are to be wise and build, just as we see throughout the scripture. So, if you are someone who has not obeyed that gospel message and who has not become a lively stone in the building of the Lord, contact us and we will help you in any way possible to be added to the Lord’s house, His church.

Proverbs 8:11-36

¹¹ For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. ¹² I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. ¹³ The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.¹⁴ Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

¹⁵ By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.¹⁶ By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. ¹⁷ I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. ¹⁸ Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. ²⁰ I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: ²¹ That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

²² The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

²³ I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. ²⁴ When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. ²⁵ Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

²⁶ While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. ²⁷ When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: ²⁸ When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: ²⁹ When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: ³⁰ Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; ³¹ Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

³² Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.³³ Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. ³⁴ Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

³⁵ For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. ³⁶ But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.