2 Chronicles 1:1-3:17
Romans 6:1-23
Psalm 16:1-11
Proverbs 19:20-21
Everyone knows how Solomon, when God asked him what his heart's desire was, asked for wisdom. Not wealth, not power - wisdom. It is defined in some places as "the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting". Elsewhere it is defined as the "ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding".
I find it interesting that wisdom clearly isn't the same thing as knowledge. And Solomon demonstrates as much - when he was granted wisdom, he knew what he didn't know: he didn't know how best to work gold and silver, bronze and iron, and the other material needed for the Temple. Wisdom gave him the humility to know that, and to turn to those who had what he needed. Wisdom also gave him the humility to accept instructions from others - where some might be tempted to throw out someone else's plans so that they might take full credit for an accomplishment, Solomon followed the plans his father, David, had laid out.
This thinking isn't rocket science - it is, in fact, part of popular culture, enshrined by no less than Dirty Harry himself: "A man's got to know his limitations." And in today's proverb, we read "Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise."
It is funny that the older I get, the easier it is to see how humble I always should have been. It sounds like a cliche, but it is true - the more I learn, the more I realize I still do not know. I can only imagine how many times I made the mistake of assuming I knew more than I did, that I could discern more than I did...how often it would have been better for me to have kept quiet and listened and learned, instead of speaking. I wish I'd had more of Solomon's wisdom.
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