Wisdom of God:Proverbs 1:1-7; 1Corinthians 1:18-2:16

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7, NASB).

I had not thought of writing an article about wisdom until a friend called me to ask me questions about wisdom. Later this year she will be teaching a lesson about wisdom. My friend wanted to discuss the difference between wisdom in the Old Testament and the New Testament. She explained that wisdom in the Old Testament was largely instruction. In the New Testament wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit. Based on our conversation I want to write this article using the subject “Wisdom of God.”

Before we begin our effort to distinguish the difference between wisdom in the Old Testament and the New Testament, let us give a definition of the word wisdom. In the Bible wisdom is having the knowledge and understanding of life’s circumstances that enables a person to make wise decisions so that they can live the best life possible. In the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament God’s people are exhorted to use wisdom based on the knowledge of God and their obeying His commandments to guide our lives.

It is important that we come to an understanding that throughout the Bible God is the source of wisdom for the people of God. In the Old Testament the wisdom writers in Israel learned wisdom by looking at life’s events through the lens of the Law. They observed life among the animals, the insects, and all life forms. They saw their interactions among their own kind as well as their reactions to their encounters with other life forms. In the wisdom literature of the Old Testament the writers observed life and experienced life and the results of that took place based on the Word of God—His commandments. In the Old Testament the Spirit came upon certain people so that they were instructed to perform acts that God wanted them to do. However, the Spirit was not a gift from God to indwell all people. In the New Testament those that believe in Jesus Christ are given the Holy Spirit as an indwelling presence of God.

In the New Testament the gospel was preached to people that did not have the law. There is a sense in which the Holy Spirit replaces the Law. The Law was an expression of God and God’s ways to the people of Israel. Although the people of Israel had the Law they had no abiding power to keep the law. Thus, the people were instructed to post the law on their doors. They were to meditate on it day and night. Parents were to instruct their children in the law continually. The purpose was that God and His laws would be on their minds continually so that there would be no space for the adversary to impart his words and false teaching into the minds of the people so that they would be enticed to disobey God and even turn to worshiping other gods that the natives of the land worshiped.

When people in New Testament, especially Gentiles, heard and believed the gospel they too had to learn about God and His ways. As stated before they had not been given access to the Law. Instead they lived by the wisdom that was learned in communities that had no Knowledge of God and up until this time they had no access to the promises of God. Paul wrote to the new believers in Jesus telling them that their lives had been changed because of their faith in Christ. He writes to the Gentile believers in Ephesus that they were now united together with the Jews because of the work of Christ. “Remember that you were at that time separate from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12, NASB). “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (v. 13). Thus, both Gentile and Jew have the Holy Spirit to guide their lives by making them consciously aware of the ways of God. In addition, they now have the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to do what the Law required. We can say that wisdom in both the Old Testament and the New Testament comes from God.

Scholars have determined that there is wisdom literature in certain books of the Old Testament. These include the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. In the book of Psalm seven psalms have been designated as “wisdom psalms. These include Psalms 1, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127, and 128. Throughout the wisdom literature in the Old Testament wisdom comes primarily through the knowledge and understanding of God. However, this knowledge does not refer to head knowledge or the memorization of the words contained in the law. Solomon tells his students that justice and righteousness comes from being reverent to God. He says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7, NASB). The word “fear” does not mean that one should be afraid of God. God does not seek to cause harm to anyone. The idea here is that one should be aware of the goodness of God and the consequences if one fails to obey God.

In order to have knowledge with understanding requires that a person learns through observation and personal experience and obedience that the thoughts and ways of God are not the thoughts and ways of people (See Isaiah 55:8). Wisdom of God comes to those who apply knowledge and understanding of God in fear of the Lord. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10, NASB). As we read through the wisdom literature in the Old Testament one cannot help but noticing that the Lord is the center of wisdom that leads to wise decisions and a good life.

We have stated that in the New Testament the Holy Spirit replaces the law as a source for knowledge of God, His thoughts and His ways. Believers led by the Holy Spirit are given knowledge that comes only through Christ Jesus. The writer of the fourth gospel John expresses this truth when he writes that Christ Jesus is God and everything created was done by the Christ—the Word of God. The word was made flesh and lived among people (See John 1:1-18). He died on the cross instituting a new covenant in His blood instead of a covenant of the blood of bulls and goats that were inadequate and inefficient (See Hebrews 9:11-15). Because of the new covenant in the blood of Jesus the new covenant is written upon the heart of the believer (Hebrews 10:15-17).

There is a difference between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. Wisdom helps us to live a good life. However, there is a difference between a good life in the world and a good life with God. In 1 Corinthians 1-2 Paul writes about the differences. Paul writes to the church in Corinth to tell them that the wisdom of the world will not help them in their relationship with God. Paul writes, “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21, NASB).

Paul writes that the wisdom of God results from God and it is a mystery hidden from the rulers of this world (1 Corinthians 2:7). The wisdom of God is revealed through the Spirit. God must reveal His wisdom through the Spirit because only the Spirit knows the thoughts of God. Thus, those that preach Jesus must have the wisdom of God revealed to them through the Holy Spirit. In Proverbs Solomon contrast the ways of the wise to the ways of the fool. Paul expresses the difference saying, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (2:14, NASB). Paul concludes that his message is true and effective because though the Spirit he has the mind of Christ (See 2:15-16).

The wisdom of the world seeks to give people of the world their best chance for a good life in the world. Thus, in every endeavor of life in the world, people seek knowledge and wisdom to understand the ways of the world. On the other hand, the Bible offers not a successful life in the world necessarily. Rather, the goal of wisdom of God is that the believer can live their best life in the kingdom of God. The best life results when the believer walks with God, doing the will of God for their life according to God’s promise on their life. God has a plan for everyone that believes in Jesus. This plan is based on the wisdom of God and it is brought to fruition by the power of God through the Holy Spirit. This is the wisdom of God.