“WISDOM IS BETTER”
Phil Brien
Proverbs 8: 11
Ecclesiastes 9: 16-18
James 3:13-17
I was struck by our thought in the reading about the attachment to Christ that Peter had, and then the testing that the Lord put Peter through to prove that attachment. Then in the prayer meeting I noticed we had quite a few prayers as to wisdom; and it has been running through my mind. I was struck with these thoughts as to being proved by the Lord as to our attachment and in our pathway here; and how much wisdom we need. There are many distractions that might distract us from being attached to the Lord Jesus. As I was contemplating, I was thankful for our hymn as it said:
We contemplate the Christ, our Lord.
(Hymn 412)
In that contemplation I was thinking how the Lord grew in wisdom (Luke 2: 52), and how when He was young various ones observed the words of grace and words of wisdom that He spoke, that were given to Him. Later, in Revelation, I was struck with how that is one thing that is given to the Lamb; wisdom is given to the Lamb: “power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”, Rev 5: 12. What a great contemplation for our hearts to be attached to the Lord who has wisdom, who has been made wisdom to us. These thoughts were running through my mind and heart as to wisdom, wisdom for being attached to the Lord Jesus, to help us with our focus, to be kept from distractions - and that takes great wisdom in this earthly sphere. And while our heavenly home is our destination, that is our objective where Christ is, it seems to me in this complex world we live in, we need such wisdom - there are so many complex things; the world is complex because of the effects of sin. The complexities come in the way of difficulties relative to relationships, and relationships primarily with God. These complexities arise in our daily walk, and we all can experience them in one form or another, and the impact that they can have as to our physical health, spiritual health, financial health, emotional health, mental health. And so, it just struck me how much wisdom is needed to help us to be undistracted in the way of dealing with things so that we may remain attached to Christ.
This proverb really affected me, and there are other references too, with this very thought that “wisdom is better”. There is a contrast to what wisdom is better than – “better than rubies”, and then later in Ecclesiastes 9 we have that is it “better than strength”, and “better than weapons of war”. This phrase really struck me as to being attached to Christ, and in this world we are journeying through, how much “wisdom is better”. The wisdom of man is referred to in the Proverbs showing that the ways of man leads to death and destruction, but this is the wisdom from God, and that is what is in James, the characteristics of wisdom, and that wisdom leads to life. And so wisdom that comes from above would attach us to Christ too. “But the wisdom from above first is pure, then peaceful, gentle, yielding, full of mercy and good fruits, unquestioning, unfeigned”. These characteristics of wisdom, and contemplating them, would reflect something of the assembly and our appreciation of the assembly and the Lord’s appreciation of the assembly. Maybe I am stretching the thought a little bit, but it struck me that wisdom is found in the assembly too, and so, this thought of “wisdom is better” is in contrast to what is found in the complexities and the thoughts of man that surround and influence us: “Wisdom is better” and “the wisdom from above”.
So, “if any one of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God” (Jas 1: 5); I just feel the need as we are facing things individually, household-wise, in local conditions, and among the body of believers in general: there are so many complexities that the devil is working so much harder to distract us from being attached to Christ that we need wisdom, wisdom from above. I cannot say too much more about this, but I was contemplating this wisdom and just this phrase “wisdom is better”. Then we have the thought too in Peter’s epistle as to what is better; it weaves into the idea of wisdom a little bit. In 1 Peter 3: 17 it says, “For it is better, if the will of God should will it, to suffer as well-doers than as evildoers; for Christ indeed has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in flesh, but made alive in the Spirit”. The way that Peter presents the thought “it is better” stuck me, and the fact that as believers we may suffer, but suffer as well-doers. This affects me as being part of this “wisdom is better”, because it is better to suffer as well-doers than as evildoers. And the devil would be distracting us with distractions that would lead us away from Christ, and where the devil would be operating there is much that is evil-doing, but “wisdom is better”; so therefore this idea of “wisdom is better” would extend I think into this being better “to suffer as well-doers than as evildoers” if it is the will of the Lord.
This was on my heart and on my mind, and I share it so that it may be for our encouragement and strengthening to seek wisdom from above in order that we might be attached to Christ, in a deeper and more appreciative way. May it be so, for His Name’s sake.
Word in a Ministry Meeting, Calgary
9th January 2019