Wisdom to understand

“Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.” Hosea 14,9 NKJV

There exist different kinds of wisdoms. There is: human wisdom, divine wisdom and fallen wisdom.

Human wisdom is the wisdom that man has come up with through life experiences, discoveries and philosophies. By God’s grace, in some instances, man has connected to God’s wisdom but not all human wisdom aligns with the wisdom of God. Therefore, human wisdom remains inferior and limited, irrelevant and obsolete at times. [1 Corinthians 2,6-7].

The wisdom of God is the highest, eternal and ever powerful.

The third wisdom called fallen wisdom here refers to the wisdom of fallen angels, that is Satan and his cohorts. Some of the wickedness we see on this earth is not the product of human imagination but of demonic inspiration. Although it's referred to as “wisdom”, it’s not TRUE wisdom when we think about it. It’s wickedness and manipulation to the highest degree.

As children of God, we have access to the wisdom of God, and His wisdom is manifold.

The wisdom of God is so broad and so deep, and it is expressed in many ways. (Ephesians 3,10).

Jesus Christ has become for us wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1,30). Because we have Christ in us, we have the wisdom of God. However, not every child of God, has connected to this wisdom God has given to us in Christ.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2,12-16 (NKJV)

The natural man talked about, in the Scripture above, is the man without the Spirit of God: the fleshly, carnal man controlled by his senses. That man cannot understand the things of God. They seem counterproductive to him and impossible to do.

This is the very reason why Jesus said: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 

(Matthew 19,26).

In that passage, Jesus was saying that it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19,23). Meaning that, with human capacity, riches can become a hindrance to fellowshipping with God. Somebody said: ‘Pride is born out of strength’. But, this does not mean that Jesus does not want people to be rich! On the contrary, He became poor that through His poverty, we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8,9). So, does Jesus contradict Himself? Certainly not.

"Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding."

Proverbs 4,7 (NKJV)

Understanding is for establishment. When a matter is understood in someone’s heart, it is settled.

Yes, this understanding is of the heart. In fact, in order to have this understanding, a pre-requisite called wisdom is necessary. Just like a student cannot understand a mathematical equation before they learn addition and subtraction.

We connect to the wisdom of God through His Word (the spoken Word of God through the Scriptures, the revelation of God in the Bible).

The Word of God gives us insight into the mind of God and heart of God. It is through the Word of God that we begin to realize certain things, our eyes become open. But all this requires humility! The humility to accept that God’s ways are good, better and best.

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1Peter 5,5. James 4,6)

Grace comes when we are humble: the grace to do what is impossible to the natural man. Grace, that supernatural enablement that comes from God.

When we connect to the wisdom of God, we understand, perceive and realize that His ways are right.

We receive the grace to walk in those ways and do not stumble in them.

And by this, we get to experience the power of God in our lives.

Humility – Wisdom – Understanding – Grace – Power

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1,18 (NLT)