PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Proverbs 3:13 says, “Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding…”
If you move on to chapter four, Solomon wrote, “Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding,” (Proverbs 4:1).
Then, in 4:5, he begins again on the importance of wisdom, “Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth.”
Solomon should know.
He was the wisest king thanks to God’s answered prayer (1 Kings 3:5-12).
But I have to wonder, especially in his admonition to the “sons” of 4:1…
Did they readily listen?
Or did they, like so many do, make a determination to do things the hard way before they figured out that Solomon really did know what he was talking about?
Aren’t we all like that to a degree?
Let’s look at Rehoboam.
He was Solomon’s son / David’s grandson.
He obviously had some seriously big shoes to fill.
And like many, he wanted his own identity.
He wanted his own signature on a situation.
We can relate to that, right?
So when an assembly of Israelites came to him in 1 Kings 12 and asked for a lighter load, he sought counsel from the advisors who had served his father and also from a group of friends he had grown up with.
In verses 13-14, he rejected the wisdom of the elders and went with the really bad advice of his friends.
The result of this poor choice is found in verse 18 when we learn of the Israelites rebellion against Rehoboam’s rule.
Wisdom really is a valuable commodity, not to be taken lightly.
Just as God gave wisdom to Solomon, so will He give it to us when we ask.
James 1:5 affirms this, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.”
And if there’s anything else we can learn from Rehoboam…
Choose your advisors carefully.
Today, as you pray, thank God for the gift of wisdom.
Ask the Holy Spirit to equip you with Godly wisdom and to bring wise, godly advisors in your life.
