Wisdom and Knowledge
James 1:5 ESV
Proverbs 9:10 ESV
Proverbs 9:10 Amplified Bible
Proverbs 9:10 EXB (Expanded Bible)
There are times when Solomon’s wisdom eludes me.
I know Solomon was very wise. But, Solomon was also the King of subtly.
I am grateful for the promise made in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Okay…I’ll take that. More than that, I need it.
So, I pray.
And I wait.
We read in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
To start out, let’s get the fear thing cleared up because the use of the Hebrew word yir-at is a noun that refers to reverence in relationship to God. Think of it this way…we revere the Lord. We approach God with great admiration and respect.
So, 2022 we would say ‘approaching God with deep admiration and respect is the beginning of wisdom.’
The second part of the verse speaks of knowledge in reference to God. The Hebrew word is bi-nah and it’s a noun meaning understanding.
In this case, ‘the knowledge of the Holy One God is understanding.’
The Amplified Bible for this verse says, “The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.”
Several years ago I went to a Spirituality and Practice conference. There were around 3000 people in a large auditorium the afternoon of the second day. I was very tired and wanted to rest before dinner so when the conference leader told us to bow our heads and sit in silence because the leadership team had been praying that God would speak to each person present in a special way, I was hoping to receive peace.
As I sat there I was taken TO the heart of God. I was in God’s heart. God said to me, “I am so sorry.” I felt God’s pain for me. It was deep and awful. The pain was terrible. See, a few years before I had gone through a very difficult divorce. There were many things about the marriage I hadn’t shared publicly. Only two people knew all of the painful details I had been through. I chose not to make everything public. That day, I felt the fullness of God’s sorrow for what I’d been through.
It was horrific.
God knew everything I’d been through and that day I realized my pain was nothing compared to God’s pain for me.
I wept uncontrollable.
I went back to the hotel, went to dinner with a friend and went to bed. My friend knew what had happened and she kept asking me if I was okay.
No. I’m not okay. It was difficult to explain how much God was hurting FOR me.
Until that day I believed that God loved me but I had no idea how deep and wide and huge and complete God’s love for me (us) really IS.
I fell asleep crying.
Before I fell asleep I told my friend the pain of sorrow that God felt for me was too much for me to bear.
As I slept I had a dream. I’m the dream a young boy came to me and he touched my forehead taking something away. When I woke up the pain I felt…God’s sorrow for what I had endured was gone.
Again, Proverbs 9:10 says, “Wisdom begins with ·respect [fear; awe] for the Lord, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One.”
I’ve been a believer all my life. I’ve never known a time when God was not with me but until that day I did not know how deep and wide high and far reaching God’s love really is for me and for all of His children.
With great awe I saw God that day. I felt His pain for how I had been treated. I knew and understood the fullness of God and his love. God gave me His wisdom and understanding.
The terrible pain I felt that day, the pain God has for me has never returned, but I know without any doubt whatsoever that God still feels that pain for me.
You are NO different. God loves YOU and hurts when you hurt. God carries pain for your suffering as well.
God.
Loves.
You.
Understand that.
Revere this Holy One who loves His children with an everlasting love that knows no boundaries.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Ask
Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Ask God to show you how very much He loves you. Wait. Listen. Give God time and he will make it clear to you.
In God, Deborah