“Obtaining True Wisdom”
Text: 1 Kings 3:4-15
1-2-2022
In the name of Him who is our Wisdom from above, dear friends in Christ. Back in 1996, Rev. Al Barry was the President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and he was the featured speaker at a Pastor’s Conference that I attended. He said something in his opening comments that I’ll never forget. At a previous conference he had been asked how he preferred to be introduced: President Al Barry, Reverend Al Barry, Pastor Al Barry, or Doctor Al Barry? He responded, “All those letters before or after my name are like the curly tail on a pig. It looks nice but it doesn’t change the flavor of the ham.” His down-to-earth thinking was refreshing. He refused to flaunt his academic degrees or achievements, as if those made him wiser than the people around him. On the other hand, I’ve known people who had a doctorate and they insisted on you calling them “doctor.” Frankly, they were some of the dumbest people I knew. Oh, they had all kinds of head knowledge, but zero common sense. You see, just because you’re educated and have a degree it doesn’t necessarily mean you are wise.
In our Old Testament reading for today, we can see someone who had obtained true wisdom because it was received from God. Just prior to our text, Solomon had been inaugurated as the king of Israel. Sure, you can argue that he got the job because his father, David, hand-picked him. But family loyalties aside, you can’t be a dummy and expect to be made the king. As David’s son, being trained in the king’s court, Solomon was surely more educated than the average Israelite. However, he didn’t flaunt that. He wasn’t arrogant about it. Rather, he was humbled when he was selected to be the king. So, God came to him in a dream and said, “Ask what I shall give you.” In some respects, this was a test as well as a generous offer. It was a test of Solomon’s heart and attitude towards the Lord. He could have treated God like a genie in a bottle, asking for temporal things like power, wealth, and fame. Instead, he confessed his feelings of inadequacy to rule over God’s people. So he simply asked for the wisdom to fulfill this awesome calling. He asked for a wisdom which was far better than all the earthly wisdom he had acquired thus far.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt that way as a Pastor. Like Solomon, I feel like a little child who’s been asked to do a grown man’s job. There have been difficult situations when I didn’t know what was the right decision. The Seminary can’t possibly prepare a man for every scenario that he’ll face. They don’t hand out a Standard Operating Procedure when you get ordained. Oh, it would be tempting to think to myself, “Hey, I’ve got a Master of Divinity degree. I’ve got a certificate to prove that I have the wisdom to make important decisions and be a spiritual leader and teacher, so these folks should go along with everything I say, no questions asked!” But that would be foolish. Don’t get me wrong. All that theological training is good and necessary. But it can never impart the true wisdom that’s required to faithfully fulfill my call. My father used to regularly pray that I would receive the “wisdom of Solomon” as a Pastor. He was praying for the true, divine wisdom needed to lead and teach God’s people.
Regardless of your vocation in life you can be tempted the same way. If you’re a parent you know what I mean. God blesses us with babies to love, raise, and nurture in the faith. It’s tempting to say, “Oh, I have all the wisdom I need to do this. I had that class in high school where you take the ‘lifelike’ baby doll home. And I can check the internet in case I run into any snags.” Good luck with that! You’ll soon discover how inadequate that wisdom is. And you’ll find that almost all of that so-called wisdom is useless especially when it comes to instilling the true faith in your children. Your best advice is to get on your knees and pray that would God grant you the wisdom to do what he has called you to do. The same can be said for your occupation or any of the difficult tasks you face in your adult life.
This is never truer than when it comes to living out our Christian faith. As Lutherans we rightly put a strong emphasis on training our children in the faith. We send them to Confirmation Classes for instruction and that’s good. But how many of our Confirmands have walked away thinking, “I’ve obtained ALL the wisdom I need. I’m good to go for the rest of my life.” Is it any wonder that throughout our Synod we have an embarrassingly high dropout rate from worship after Confirmation Day? Your Confirmation certificate should be cherished, not because it’s a one-and-done accomplishment, but rather because it represents the training in God’s Word that you received. That piece of paper is worthless if you’re not living by that Godly wisdom and regularly having your faith fed in worship and Bible Class. Without that, when a situation challenges your faith, you will be clueless. However, if you’re regularly receiving God’s Word and Sacraments you are being filled with His divine wisdom to discern. If you’ve neglected doing that, then confess your sins to God as well as your inadequacy to help yourself. According to His promises He will forgive you and grant you His wisdom from above.
A word of caution is in order, though. Solomon’s request pleased God and the Lord made him wiser than anyone on earth. Solomon was known far and wide for his vast, God-given wisdom. But do you recall what eventually happened? He ended up marrying 700 foreign wives and had 300 concubines. If one is good, a 1,000 must be better. Smart, huh? Well, the Scriptures tell us that those wives led him away from the true God. And you just have to wonder, “How can someone who was so wise, be so dumb?!?” Not just because he thought he could keep 1,000 women happy! Everyone knows that’s impossible! But Solomon knew God’s truth by the divine wisdom which he had been given, and yet his flawed human wisdom had gotten in the way and damaged his faith. There’s always the temptation for us to allow OUR wisdom to supplant the true wisdom of God which guides our faith and leads to salvation.
Isn’t that similar to what we see in the Gospel reading? Jesus was a 12-year-old boy at the Temple sitting among the very learned religious teachers of Israel. They were used to engaging in deep theological discussions and arguments. They knew the Scriptures inside and out. But here’s the problem: they were filled with wisdom ABOUT God, but were they filled with wisdom FROM God? You be the judge. The Savior was standing before them and they didn’t recognize Him. God’s Wisdom from above had taken on human flesh and they could not discern that He was right there, speaking God’s divine truth to them. How could men who were so wise be so dumb? The answer is: they couldn’t discern Christ’s presence because their sinful human wisdom had gotten in the way of them having true faith.
Don’t be too hasty in wagging your head at them. We face the same problem every day and especially here in worship. God promises to be present here in His House whenever we gather to receive His gifts of Word and Sacrament. Through the lips of your Pastor, Christ declares the forgiveness of your sins. Do you discern His presence? Or does your human wisdom tell you that it’s only a man speaking? Christ comes to you in the Holy Scriptures and in the Sermon. Do you discern His presence in those precious words? Or does your human wisdom simply view them as man’s words and opinions? When you’re invited to Bible Class do you pass on it because you think you already have a sufficient knowledge of God’s Word? In Baptism, Christ washes away our sins and gives the gift of faith. Do you discern His presence there or do you see just plain water being poured over someone’s head? In the Lord’s Supper, the Body and Blood of Christ is as real as the bread and wine we consume. Do you discern His presence or does your human wisdom tell you that it’s not possible? Whether we forget or blatantly deny these Means of Grace, either way, Christ is right here with us and we fail to discern His gracious presence just like those religious teachers in the Gospel reading. How can we be so wise and yet be so dumb?
The only solution is to humbly come before God and ask Him to forgive us and replace our sinful human wisdom. Like Solomon, ask to receive God’s true wisdom from above. And He will grant that request for Jesus’ sake. Blessed by that divine wisdom, the Holy Spirit makes it possible for you to discern God’s spiritual gifts. That true wisdom makes it possible for you to discern the presence of Christ who has come to you here in lowly means with His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. That wisdom from above guides your faith so that you can discern between good and evil. Fed by the divine wisdom in God’s Word and Sacraments, your faith is kept strong in Jesus Christ until that day when He calls you to your heavenly home. For all of this, we thank and praise God for His undeserved mercy in sending us His Son who is our true wisdom from above. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!