Chris Harris Papa’s Pearls #3 – Last time we kinda got off topic a bit. The discussion about the fear of the Lord was better than good… it was outstanding. But I want to return to wisdom and understanding. So here is Papa’s Pearls #3. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7February 12 at 9:51pm · Comment · Like
Chris Harris It appears that the attaining of wisdom and understanding are pretty high on God’s priority list for His kids. So what exactly is wisdom? What is understanding? How to we attain them? How do we apply them to and in our lives? Let’s talk.February 12 at 9:52pm · Tom Boley I like this ,I believe that we should DO all we can to serve the Lord according to His will Not ours . Because His wisdom is greater than ours ,His understanding is so much greater than ours. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Prov. 3: 5,6 when the word of God says paths, I think that means all directions in your life. Work , family , friend , everyday life…… BrendaFebruary 13 at 9:32am ·
Dustin Harris Sorry guys…this one’s LONG!I wanted to show some definitions of these words and then pair them with scripture in order to participate in this discussion. I picked the definitions I read that I felt best applied to the question:
Wisdom – knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to actionGenesis 3:6 (NIV)When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.2 Chronicles 1:10-12 (NIV)10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” It is a well-known saying that “Knowledge is power” – but I would add to it that knowledge (power) is usless, even dangerous, without understanding. It could be said that “wisdom” is “knowledge AND understanding”. And where does it come from? Well, you can try to get it from other sources, but unless your source is God, then the result will be catestrophic (like in the fall of man in Genesis 3), but if you seek your wisdom from God, then you will gain wisdom and much more. It’s like Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”Understanding – superior power of discernment1 Chronicles 28:19 (NIV)”All this,” David said, “I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.” Psalm 119 has a LOT to say about understanding (NIV):Psalm 119:34Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.Psalm 119:73Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.Psalm 119:100I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.Psalm 119:130The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.Psalm 119:169May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word.And how about some new testament (NIV):Ephesians 4:18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.Colossians 2:2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ…1 John 5:20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.Again – understanding comes from God and God alone. I’m not talking about understanding like being able to understand the English language, or understanding that when you turn on your faucet, water comes out. I’m talking about the superior (even divine) power of discernment that comes from knowing Christ and being in God’s word. Otherwise, you run the danger of having your understanding darkened and being separated from the life of God because of the ignormance that is in you due to the hardening of your heart. You cannot have (and maintain) wisdom or understanding without maintaining a relationship with God. And you cannot maintain a relationship with God if you value your own wisdom more than the wisdom of God (again, see Genesis 3). It is said that “pride goeth before the fall” – that is EXACTLY what happened in Genesis 3. The pride of Adam and Eve that they could gain wisdom from a source which God explicitly told them to avoid is what caused their fall. The fruit was of the tree of knowledge of good and evil…NOT the tree of wisdom or understanding. Knowledge does not equate to wisdom or understanding and you cannot get true wisdom or understanding from any source other than God.Chris – you also asked “how do we apply them in our lives?” THAT answer is simple. Proverbs 3 (I was going to site a specific verse, but the whole thing applies!)February 13 at 9:33am · Tom Boley Thanks Dustin I cant type that well you said what was on my Heart . This is a EVERYDAY THING PEOPLE not just one day or a week or until things dont go your way !!! BrendaFebruary 13 at 9:46am · Chris Harris No apologies needed Dustin. I want to take some time to digest what you said. It is good stuff!February 13 at 12:54pm · Tom Boley I agree Dustin, Knowledge sometimes (lots of times) gets in the way of wisdom and understanding. I know a lot of very intelligent people who don’t have wisdom that pertains to God’s will. 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. Sometimes we let our “intelligence” get in the way of God’s will for us.February 13 at 10:07pm · Chris Harris Many years ago I heard a very wise and Godly man describe wisdom like this: Wisdom is the ability to see life and its situations from God’s point of view, the way God see them. Dustin said wisdom is knowledge of what is true and right. It seems to me that those two “definitions” are essentially saying the same thing. The only standard for what is true and right is God, His Word, His will, and His way. Knowing what God’s point of view is for any given situation or circumstance is knowing what is true and right and that, I believe, is the essence of wisdom. It has nothing to do with “smarts” or intellect or education or even experience. It has everything to do with knowing His Word, His will, and His way.The same person who defined wisdom as the ability to see life from God’s point of view defined understanding like this: Understanding is the ability to RESPOND to life’s situation and circumstances the way God would respond. I have alway thought of understanding as the application of wisdom, knowing God’s point of view and then acting accordingly. When you look at it like that then you can’t have understanding without first having wisdom and having wisdom requires knowledge. We must know some things. But knowing just any old thing is not sufficient to produce wisdom which can lead to understanding. We must know, become acquainted with, have a relationship with the Word, who of course, is Christ Himself. Knowing Him is knowing His Word. I don’t think you can separate those two. If we don’t know His Word then we don’t really know Him. I am not saying that people who don’t know the Word are not in the family of God, but they don’t “know” Him. Intimatcy with Him, relationship with Him flows from His Word. When we have knowledge of His Word, it can lead to the ability to see our life from His point of view, the way He sees it. When we can see our life and the circumstances we encounter the way He sees them (because we know His Word and we know Him) we can choose to react and respond to those things the way He would respond or the way He would have us respond, and THAT, I believe, in understanding.Can anything be more important in the life of a believer than wisdom and understanding? According to Proverbs the answer is no. Wisdom is the principal thing. Get wisdom and in all your getting, get understanding….See MoreFebruary 13 at 11:19pm · Tom Boley Well, like I quoted in 1 Corinthians where Paul stated God used the foolish to confound the wise. That is an example of knowledge getting in the way. Because as the book of Proverbs states we are not to lean unto our own understanding. True knowledge is this: that no matter how smart we think we are; we are no match for the knowledge of God. He tells us, “my ways are not your ways” So we need to seek the knowledge that is before us in His Word. You’ve known me for many years; with no conceit we can agree that I am by no means a simple-minded person; some have told me that I posess a genius intellect. That being said,over the course of our lives intersecting, you have seen me say and do many stupid things. Why? Because when I did and said those things I was out of the will of God. Also, because no matter how smart we think we are, the liar and deceiver of this world is smarter and more cunning, and if we aren’t living in His will and trusting in Him, we can be led astray. As Dustin said earlier, Adam and Eve had the privilige of walking and talking with God and STILL was led astray by one lie… surely you will not die if you eat that fruit. PRIDE… we think we know best, when we do not; God knows best. We have a saying at Cross Talk that applies.. Let Go and Let God. We need to get out of His way!! And what is so great is that it pleases Him greatly when we call on Him for understanding and wisdom.February 13 at 11:39pm · Stephanie Blackmon Harris i have been reading and studying and thinking on this topic and found it to be very confusing and interesting at the same time. knowledge and understanding are so very similar and wisdom is just a deep word to really truely read and comprehend it’s meaning. i mean i literally wasn’t able to define wisdom to myself until i thought about it in great detail. i had to read these posts several times and refer back to them before i came to my conclusion. i was able to discern the order in which i believe they came to be right off, but i wasn’t really able to understand the differences all that much until i kept reading and thinking and reading some more. i percieve the order to be slightly different with knowledge first, understanding second, and wisdom as a gift of the two combined. that’s pretty much what i thought from the beginning because i also foresaw “wisdom” to be like a gift or an honor or something of the sort. for me it would be like chris said…knowledge of God’s word is like the abc’s…you must LEARN it first…we can learn just about anything we want – but do we truely understand it’s meaning? understanding is being able to comprehend its true meaning – what can i take from it, what is the purpose or meaning of what God is saying here, what is the point? and wisdom is like knowledge and understanding of Gods word and application of it to life or circumstance or better yet, experience with the knowledge and understanding of his word first hand. i guess that’s why old people are “wise”. they’ve lived long enough to learn it, understand it, apply it, screw it up and get it right or not, but at least they know the difference anyway….and that takes time…”wisdom”. that’s just a metaphor as we know people of all ages can attain “wisdom”, but is more common amongst older men :)…..i think what is also important is understanding the difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom too. they are not the same, they are different. February 14 at 12:52am · Stephanie Blackmon Harris :)February 14 at 12:55am · Chris Harris Tom I think you hit it right on the head when you said “So we need to seek the knowledge that is before us in His Word.” But is it wrong to seek intellectual advancement? Is going to college or reading a book or learning a new skill or working on a new skill bad? I have some thoughts on those questions but I would like to hear what you have to say about them.February 14 at 1:11am · Chris Harris Stephanie, that is good. Knowledge of the Word positions us to grasp the true meaning, the “God meaning” of the things we encounter in life. When we can do that then we are positioned to apply that true meaning and walk in it. I don’t think what we call it (is it wisdom, is it understanding, is it knowledge?) is important. What is important is that we get it and walk in it. Brenda said earlier. It is an every day thing. Good post!February 14 at 1:11am · Stephanie Blackmon Harris one last thing i would like to add. i believe not everyone will have or must have all three of these principals to “get it”. but i do believe that is the hope and desire of the lord. but i believe you can pray and receive god’s wisdom if you ask for it. maybe not always, but you can. i have prayed and i have received clarity from god, skipping the first and second steps “knowledge & understanding”. i actually have a perfect example of a story i might share one day that is exactly this topic we are discussing. god answered me in such a way that he actually gave me insight and knowledge to this topic:”what babtists REALLY believe about the gift of tongues”. what i am trying to say is that the lord has spoken to me before, but this particular time i am mentioning above he actually gave me wisdom…not just knowledge and understanding as you might think the story would go in reference to the topic, but outright blow me off my feet! WISDOM! and get this…..i am NOT babtist and his point was NOT even about the babtist. it was about something much more meaningful and it brought me tears and laughter on my way to this church and back home one day. i’ll share someday. i love the experience that i was so privelaged to recieve. i gained the wisdom (knowledge and understanding) which allowed me to share it and apply its hidden meaning to my life. god surely got me on that one too and i think he rather enjoyed blowing me away :)….i had to write that because in my thought on this topic it just randomly popped up and linked itself here. February 14 at 1:13am · Chris Harris Hey folks…. I LOVE THIS. The only thing better would be to have all of you in the same room discussing the Word, the Way, and Will of God. Ain’t technology great?February 14 at 1:16am · Chris Harris OK, Tom, I know…. God and God alone is GREAT. But technology ain’t bad.February 14 at 1:16am · Stephanie Blackmon Harris goodnight, & thanks for the discussion. it leaves me thinking about these things as i pray and sleep tonight.February 14 at 1:22am · Crystal Harris Interesting discussion… not sure I have much to add.Other than… the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. haha, just kidding. Well, I’m not kidding as that’s the Word and true, but kidding that it’s all I’ll add. Or something. I’m tired, ok? :PDad, I don’t think that seeking knowledge and skills and education, etc are bad. Of course you don’t either. The Lord gave us brains and a capacity and a love for learning. I think that while “earthly” knowledge is largely immaterial in eternity, it can help us get where He wants us to go here on earth. Now if we start seeking earthly knowledge and earthly riches above His wisdom and riches, well then, that’s a whole other story. So is seeking earthly knowledge for the wrong reasons. James 3:13-17 -“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”So bad “wisdom” (earthly, unspiritual, of the devil) brings – bitter, envy, selfish ambition, boastful, denying truth, disorder, evil practices.Good wisdom (from God) = pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful, humble.Job 28 talks about people going to great lengths to search for gold, and precious gems, but that wisdom is much more valuable and harder to find. Then he answers your questions – “So what exactly is wisdom? What is understanding?” at the end… “‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”I read somewhere once that wisdom is the knowledge of God’s will revealed. That makes sense to me. How is God’s will revealed to us? In the scriptures. When we understand and accept it, we follow His will and turn from evil.February 14 at 2:52am · Karen Harris Well said.February 14 at 2:59am · Tom Boley Hey, I love knowledge; I have a room full of books, ask Brenda, it drives her nuts. I am fond of saying that on earthly matters, I am a wealth of useless knowledge. I also have a bachelor’s degree now in the science of baking. Very hard subject matter; physics, chemistry, organic chemistry (very hard) algebra and triginometry of all things. All done for my job; not needed to live a life, but was very interesting none the less. So I think we can agree that the pursuit of knowledge is commendable only when it does NOT get in the way of our faith. Do I want to study evolution? astrology, the occult? No! I think what Crystal said is right on the money. I taught on that scripture just Thursday at Cross Talk. See where it says that envying and selfish ambition bring EVERY evil practice. So if we seek knowledge for selfish reasons then we are failing at our reasons for being a christian. We should do EVERYTHING to glorify God. Knowledge is great, but as in everything , it can also be used for evil intent. We, as christians must take care that our search for knowledge has good intentions. I know some people ( I have been guilty before also) who use scripture to hurt people intentionally. I call that scripture jousting. There is no place for that in the kingdom of God! Chris, I love technology. I am addicted to my blackberry. Again, we must be careful how we use this wonderful technology, as we can see all to well, the internet can be an evil place. Chris, as you well know, I have no lack of something to say on the field of politics! Well ,that comes from a thirst of knowledge. It is said that knowledge is power. I agree. Righteous knowledge is righteous power. Evil knowledge is evil power. It is up to us which knowledge and which power we attain.February 14 at 5:05pm · Tom Boley oh and by the way Chris, I cannot wait for our family reunion. I’m not sure that I will even sleep while I am there! Lively debate! Oh My!February 14 at 5:07pm · Crystal Harris Family reunion?February 14 at 5:13pm · Pamela Harris Fagan Wow, this is great. I am really enjoying reading everyone’s comments.I think wisdom is seeing things from God’s point of view, knowing what is true/right and then doing it. Asking God what we should do about a particular situation then doing it is being wise. That’s in all areas of our lives from small to large. If we ask Him and listen, He will give us wisdom (the knowledge of what we need to do and the strength and courage to do it). I agree it has nothing to do with intellect or education, but you could say it has something to do with experience – experiencing a relationship with God. Learning to go to Him every day about every challenge and decision we have to make – big or small. Learning to rely on Him and to respond to people and circumstances we encounter in our daily lives the way God would have us respond. February 14 at 6:28pm · Karen Harris Exellent word Pam.February 14 at 6:42pm · Chris Harris Crystal, that passage in James is one of my favorites. Can we draw out from that passage that if bitterness or envy or selfish ambition or boastfulness or disorder is present around us that we are more than likely walking in earthly or bad wisdom? But on the otherhand if we are being considerate, submissive, merciful and humble that there is a good chance that we are walking in wisdom? If that is true, and I certainly think it is obvious that it is, then it should not be difficult for us to judge our wisdom. All we have to do is look at the fruits. Or, as James said, we can show it, or rather, we WILL show it by a good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. Good stuff Crystal.February 14 at 7:36pm · Chris Harris Tom!!! A Bachelor’s Degree? CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! OUTSTANDING!!! WAY TO GO!!!I LOVE what you said about getting all that knowlege for you job, not needed to live a life and that pursuit of knowledge is commendable only when it does not get in the way of our faith! Great insight there! And again, I LOVE this quote: “Righteous knowledge is righteous power. Evil knowledge is evil power. It is up to us…” Thanks for sharing your insight. On the family reunion… me too!!February 14 at 7:37pm · Chris Harris Pam, my favorite thing about what you shared is the relationship thing. Widsom and understand most certainly flow from experiencing a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute relationship with God, learning to go to Him, to rely on Him in every experience of life. As Brenda said earlier, it’s an every day thing.February 14 at 7:38pm · Crystal Harris Read a quote earlier that made me think…Greek thought values “knowledge” but Hebraic thought values “understanding”.February 14 at 7:48pm · Crystal Harris Just had a thought.Knowledge is a “head knowledge”, understanding is a “heart knowledge”, but wisdom is the action that the above two bring about.February 15 at 3:57pm · Chris Harris Interesting. Knowledge + Understanding = Wisdom. Or K+U=W…See MoreFebruary 15 at 5:57pm · Dustin Harris Something tells me if Tom has anything to say about it, there would be pi somewhere in that equation…Oh come on, now…that was REALLY funny…February 15 at 9:29pm · Tom Boley i can dig it
Prov 4:7
Papa’s Pearls #3 – Last time we kinda got off topic a bit. The discussion about the fear of the Lord was better than good… it was outstanding. But I want to return to wisdom and understanding. So here is Papa’s Pearls #3. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7
Chris Harris It appears that the attaining of wisdom and understanding are pretty high on God’s priority list for His kids. So what exactly is wisdom? What is understanding? How to we attain them? How do we apply them to and in our lives? Let’s talk.
February 12 at 9:52pm ·
Tom Boley I like this ,I believe that we should DO all we can to serve the Lord according to His will Not ours . Because His wisdom is greater than ours ,His understanding is so much greater than ours. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Prov. 3: 5,6 when the word of God says paths, I think that means all directions in your life. Work , family , friend , everyday life…… Brenda
February 13 at 9:32am ·
Dustin Harris Sorry guys…this one’s LONG!
I wanted to show some definitions of these words and then pair them with scripture in order to participate in this discussion. I picked the definitions I read that I felt best applied to the question:
Wisdom – knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action
Genesis 3:6 (NIV)
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
2 Chronicles 1:10-12 (NIV)
10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”
It is a well-known saying that “Knowledge is power” – but I would add to it that knowledge (power) is usless, even dangerous, without understanding. It could be said that “wisdom” is “knowledge AND understanding”. And where does it come from? Well, you can try to get it from other sources, but unless your source is God, then the result will be catestrophic (like in the fall of man in Genesis 3), but if you seek your wisdom from God, then you will gain wisdom and much more. It’s like Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Understanding – superior power of discernment
1 Chronicles 28:19 (NIV)
“All this,” David said, “I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.”
Psalm 119 has a LOT to say about understanding (NIV):
Psalm 119:34
Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
Psalm 119:73
Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.
Psalm 119:100
I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:169
May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word.
And how about some new testament (NIV):
Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
Colossians 2:2
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ…
1 John 5:20
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Again – understanding comes from God and God alone. I’m not talking about understanding like being able to understand the English language, or understanding that when you turn on your faucet, water comes out. I’m talking about the superior (even divine) power of discernment that comes from knowing Christ and being in God’s word. Otherwise, you run the danger of having your understanding darkened and being separated from the life of God because of the ignormance that is in you due to the hardening of your heart.
You cannot have (and maintain) wisdom or understanding without maintaining a relationship with God. And you cannot maintain a relationship with God if you value your own wisdom more than the wisdom of God (again, see Genesis 3). It is said that “pride goeth before the fall” – that is EXACTLY what happened in Genesis 3. The pride of Adam and Eve that they could gain wisdom from a source which God explicitly told them to avoid is what caused their fall. The fruit was of the tree of knowledge of good and evil…NOT the tree of wisdom or understanding. Knowledge does not equate to wisdom or understanding and you cannot get true wisdom or understanding from any source other than God.
Chris – you also asked “how do we apply them in our lives?” THAT answer is simple. Proverbs 3 (I was going to site a specific verse, but the whole thing applies!)
February 13 at 9:33am ·
Tom Boley Thanks Dustin I cant type that well you said what was on my Heart . This is a EVERYDAY THING PEOPLE not just one day or a week or until things dont go your way !!! Brenda
February 13 at 9:46am ·
Chris Harris No apologies needed Dustin. I want to take some time to digest what you said. It is good stuff!
February 13 at 12:54pm ·
Tom Boley I agree Dustin, Knowledge sometimes (lots of times) gets in the way of wisdom and understanding. I know a lot of very intelligent people who don’t have wisdom that pertains to God’s will. 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. Sometimes we let our “intelligence” get in the way of God’s will for us.
February 13 at 10:07pm ·
Chris Harris Many years ago I heard a very wise and Godly man describe wisdom like this: Wisdom is the ability to see life and its situations from God’s point of view, the way God see them. Dustin said wisdom is knowledge of what is true and right. It seems to me that those two “definitions” are essentially saying the same thing. The only standard for what is true and right is God, His Word, His will, and His way. Knowing what God’s point of view is for any given situation or circumstance is knowing what is true and right and that, I believe, is the essence of wisdom. It has nothing to do with “smarts” or intellect or education or even experience. It has everything to do with knowing His Word, His will, and His way.
The same person who defined wisdom as the ability to see life from God’s point of view defined understanding like this: Understanding is the ability to RESPOND to life’s situation and circumstances the way God would respond. I have alway thought of understanding as the application of wisdom, knowing God’s point of view and then acting accordingly. When you look at it like that then you can’t have understanding without first having wisdom and having wisdom requires knowledge. We must know some things. But knowing just any old thing is not sufficient to produce wisdom which can lead to understanding. We must know, become acquainted with, have a relationship with the Word, who of course, is Christ Himself. Knowing Him is knowing His Word. I don’t think you can separate those two. If we don’t know His Word then we don’t really know Him. I am not saying that people who don’t know the Word are not in the family of God, but they don’t “know” Him. Intimatcy with Him, relationship with Him flows from His Word. When we have knowledge of His Word, it can lead to the ability to see our life from His point of view, the way He sees it. When we can see our life and the circumstances we encounter the way He sees them (because we know His Word and we know Him) we can choose to react and respond to those things the way He would respond or the way He would have us respond, and THAT, I believe, in understanding.
Can anything be more important in the life of a believer than wisdom and understanding? According to Proverbs the answer is no. Wisdom is the principal thing. Get wisdom and in all your getting, get understanding….
See More
February 13 at 11:19pm ·
Tom Boley Well, like I quoted in 1 Corinthians where Paul stated God used the foolish to confound the wise. That is an example of knowledge getting in the way. Because as the book of Proverbs states we are not to lean unto our own understanding. True knowledge is this: that no matter how smart we think we are; we are no match for the knowledge of God. He tells us, “my ways are not your ways” So we need to seek the knowledge that is before us in His Word. You’ve known me for many years; with no conceit we can agree that I am by no means a simple-minded person; some have told me that I posess a genius intellect. That being said,over the course of our lives intersecting, you have seen me say and do many stupid things. Why? Because when I did and said those things I was out of the will of God. Also, because no matter how smart we think we are, the liar and deceiver of this world is smarter and more cunning, and if we aren’t living in His will and trusting in Him, we can be led astray. As Dustin said earlier, Adam and Eve had the privilige of walking and talking with God and STILL was led astray by one lie… surely you will not die if you eat that fruit. PRIDE… we think we know best, when we do not; God knows best. We have a saying at Cross Talk that applies.. Let Go and Let God. We need to get out of His way!! And what is so great is that it pleases Him greatly when we call on Him for understanding and wisdom.
February 13 at 11:39pm ·
Stephanie Blackmon Harris i have been reading and studying and thinking on this topic and found it to be very confusing and interesting at the same time. knowledge and understanding are so very similar and wisdom is just a deep word to really truely read and comprehend it’s meaning. i mean i literally wasn’t able to define wisdom to myself until i thought about it in great detail. i had to read these posts several times and refer back to them before i came to my conclusion. i was able to discern the order in which i believe they came to be right off, but i wasn’t really able to understand the differences all that much until i kept reading and thinking and reading some more.
i percieve the order to be slightly different with knowledge first, understanding second, and wisdom as a gift of the two combined. that’s pretty much what i thought from the beginning because i also foresaw “wisdom” to be like a gift or an honor or something of the sort. for me it would be like chris said…knowledge of God’s word is like the abc’s…you must LEARN it first…we can learn just about anything we want – but do we truely understand it’s meaning? understanding is being able to comprehend its true meaning – what can i take from it, what is the purpose or meaning of what God is saying here, what is the point? and wisdom is like knowledge and understanding of Gods word and application of it to life or circumstance or better yet, experience with the knowledge and understanding of his word first hand. i guess that’s why old people are “wise”. they’ve lived long enough to learn it, understand it, apply it, screw it up and get it right or not, but at least they know the difference anyway….and that takes time…”wisdom”. that’s just a metaphor as we know people of all ages can attain “wisdom”, but is more common amongst older men :)…..
i think what is also important is understanding the difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom too. they are not the same, they are different.
February 14 at 12:52am ·
Stephanie Blackmon Harris 🙂
February 14 at 12:55am ·
Chris Harris Tom I think you hit it right on the head when you said “So we need to seek the knowledge that is before us in His Word.” But is it wrong to seek intellectual advancement? Is going to college or reading a book or learning a new skill or working on a new skill bad? I have some thoughts on those questions but I would like to hear what you have to say about them.
February 14 at 1:11am ·
Chris Harris Stephanie, that is good. Knowledge of the Word positions us to grasp the true meaning, the “God meaning” of the things we encounter in life. When we can do that then we are positioned to apply that true meaning and walk in it. I don’t think what we call it (is it wisdom, is it understanding, is it knowledge?) is important. What is important is that we get it and walk in it. Brenda said earlier. It is an every day thing.
Good post!
February 14 at 1:11am ·
Stephanie Blackmon Harris one last thing i would like to add. i believe not everyone will have or must have all three of these principals to “get it”. but i do believe that is the hope and desire of the lord. but i believe you can pray and receive god’s wisdom if you ask for it. maybe not always, but you can. i have prayed and i have received clarity from god, skipping the first and second steps “knowledge & understanding”. i actually have a perfect example of a story i might share one day that is exactly this topic we are discussing. god answered me in such a way that he actually gave me insight and knowledge to this topic:
“what babtists REALLY believe about the gift of tongues”.
what i am trying to say is that the lord has spoken to me before, but this particular time i am mentioning above he actually gave me wisdom…not just knowledge and understanding as you might think the story would go in reference to the topic, but outright blow me off my feet! WISDOM! and get this…..i am NOT babtist and his point was NOT even about the babtist. it was about something much more meaningful and it brought me tears and laughter on my way to this church and back home one day.
i’ll share someday. i love the experience that i was so privelaged to recieve. i gained the wisdom (knowledge and understanding) which allowed me to share it and apply its hidden meaning to my life. god surely got me on that one too and i think he rather enjoyed blowing me away :)….
i had to write that because in my thought on this topic it just randomly popped up and linked itself here.
February 14 at 1:13am ·
Chris Harris Hey folks…. I LOVE THIS. The only thing better would be to have all of you in the same room discussing the Word, the Way, and Will of God. Ain’t technology great?
February 14 at 1:16am ·
Chris Harris OK, Tom, I know…. God and God alone is GREAT. But technology ain’t bad.
February 14 at 1:16am ·
Stephanie Blackmon Harris goodnight, & thanks for the discussion. it leaves me thinking about these things as i pray and sleep tonight.
February 14 at 1:22am ·
Crystal Harris Interesting discussion… not sure I have much to add.
Other than… the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. haha, just kidding. Well, I’m not kidding as that’s the Word and true, but kidding that it’s all I’ll add. Or something. I’m tired, ok? 😛
Dad, I don’t think that seeking knowledge and skills and education, etc are bad. Of course you don’t either. The Lord gave us brains and a capacity and a love for learning. I think that while “earthly” knowledge is largely immaterial in eternity, it can help us get where He wants us to go here on earth. Now if we start seeking earthly knowledge and earthly riches above His wisdom and riches, well then, that’s a whole other story. So is seeking earthly knowledge for the wrong reasons. James 3:13-17 –
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
So bad “wisdom” (earthly, unspiritual, of the devil) brings – bitter, envy, selfish ambition, boastful, denying truth, disorder, evil practices.
Good wisdom (from God) = pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful, humble.
Job 28 talks about people going to great lengths to search for gold, and precious gems, but that wisdom is much more valuable and harder to find. Then he answers your questions – “So what exactly is wisdom? What is understanding?” at the end… “‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
I read somewhere once that wisdom is the knowledge of God’s will revealed. That makes sense to me. How is God’s will revealed to us? In the scriptures. When we understand and accept it, we follow His will and turn from evil.
February 14 at 2:52am ·
Karen Harris Well said.
February 14 at 2:59am ·
Tom Boley Hey, I love knowledge; I have a room full of books, ask Brenda, it drives her nuts. I am fond of saying that on earthly matters, I am a wealth of useless knowledge. I also have a bachelor’s degree now in the science of baking. Very hard subject matter; physics, chemistry, organic chemistry (very hard) algebra and triginometry of all things. All done for my job; not needed to live a life, but was very interesting none the less. So I think we can agree that the pursuit of knowledge is commendable only when it does NOT get in the way of our faith. Do I want to study evolution? astrology, the occult? No! I think what Crystal said is right on the money. I taught on that scripture just Thursday at Cross Talk. See where it says that envying and selfish ambition bring EVERY evil practice. So if we seek knowledge for selfish reasons then we are failing at our reasons for being a christian. We should do EVERYTHING to glorify God. Knowledge is great, but as in everything , it can also be used for evil intent. We, as christians must take care that our search for knowledge has good intentions. I know some people ( I have been guilty before also) who use scripture to hurt people intentionally. I call that scripture jousting. There is no place for that in the kingdom of God! Chris, I love technology. I am addicted to my blackberry. Again, we must be careful how we use this wonderful technology, as we can see all to well, the internet can be an evil place. Chris, as you well know, I have no lack of something to say on the field of politics! Well ,that comes from a thirst of knowledge. It is said that knowledge is power. I agree. Righteous knowledge is righteous power. Evil knowledge is evil power. It is up to us which knowledge and which power we attain.
February 14 at 5:05pm ·
Tom Boley oh and by the way Chris, I cannot wait for our family reunion. I’m not sure that I will even sleep while I am there! Lively debate! Oh My!
February 14 at 5:07pm ·
Crystal Harris Family reunion?
February 14 at 5:13pm ·
Pamela Harris Fagan Wow, this is great. I am really enjoying reading everyone’s comments.
I think wisdom is seeing things from God’s point of view, knowing what is true/right and then doing it. Asking God what we should do about a particular situation then doing it is being wise. That’s in all areas of our lives from small to large. If we ask Him and listen, He will give us wisdom (the knowledge of what we need to do and the strength and courage to do it). I agree it has nothing to do with intellect or education, but you could say it has something to do with experience – experiencing a relationship with God. Learning to go to Him every day about every challenge and decision we have to make – big or small. Learning to rely on Him and to respond to people and circumstances we encounter in our daily lives the way God would have us respond.
February 14 at 6:28pm ·
Karen Harris Exellent word Pam.
February 14 at 6:42pm ·
Chris Harris Crystal, that passage in James is one of my favorites. Can we draw out from that passage that if bitterness or envy or selfish ambition or boastfulness or disorder is present around us that we are more than likely walking in earthly or bad wisdom? But on the otherhand if we are being considerate, submissive, merciful and humble that there is a good chance that we are walking in wisdom?
If that is true, and I certainly think it is obvious that it is, then it should not be difficult for us to judge our wisdom. All we have to do is look at the fruits. Or, as James said, we can show it, or rather, we WILL show it by a good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
Good stuff Crystal.
February 14 at 7:36pm ·
Chris Harris Tom!!! A Bachelor’s Degree? CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! OUTSTANDING!!! WAY TO GO!!!
I LOVE what you said about getting all that knowlege for you job, not needed to live a life and that pursuit of knowledge is commendable only when it does not get in the way of our faith! Great insight there! And again, I LOVE this quote: “Righteous knowledge is righteous power. Evil knowledge is evil power. It is up to us…”
Thanks for sharing your insight.
On the family reunion… me too!!
February 14 at 7:37pm ·
Chris Harris Pam, my favorite thing about what you shared is the relationship thing. Widsom and understand most certainly flow from experiencing a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute relationship with God, learning to go to Him, to rely on Him in every experience of life. As Brenda said earlier, it’s an every day thing.
February 14 at 7:38pm ·
Crystal Harris Read a quote earlier that made me think…
Greek thought values “knowledge” but Hebraic thought values “understanding”.
February 14 at 7:48pm ·
Crystal Harris Just had a thought.
Knowledge is a “head knowledge”, understanding is a “heart knowledge”, but wisdom is the action that the above two bring about.
February 15 at 3:57pm ·
Chris Harris Interesting. Knowledge + Understanding = Wisdom.
Or
K+U=W…
See More
February 15 at 5:57pm ·
Dustin Harris Something tells me if Tom has anything to say about it, there would be pi somewhere in that equation…
Oh come on, now…that was REALLY funny…
February 15 at 9:29pm ·
Tom Boley i can dig it
Papa's Pearls 