Wisdom’s Children – Luke 7:18-35

“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” (Luke 7:33-35, ESV).

John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to Jesus to find out if He was the Messiah. When they asked if He was the Messiah, Jesus did not answer them explicitly. Rather, He sent them back to John with this message: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Luke 7:22-23, ESV).

But Jesus explicitly identified John as the one whom the prophet Malachi described as the messenger who would prepare the way when the day of the Lord comes. Although this explanation of John’s ministry satisfied many of the people in the crowd of people following Jesus who were also John’s disciples, the Pharisees and scribes rejected His testimony about John because they didn’t believe John the Baptist was sent by God.

Then Jesus points out that God’s purpose is accomplished in multiple ways: John’s abstemious method and Jesus’ intemperate style.

Jesus and John didn’t try to justify their own behavior. They didn’t behave a certain way because it’s the “right” way.

Continue reading

A Beautiful Mind – Isaiah 55:8-9

beautifulmindFor my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NASB).

The Creator’s knowledge is infinitely greater than His finite creatures. God’s plans and purposes are far beyond the ability of human beings to describe or fully comprehend. Although we may truly know Him, such knowledge is always partial and imperfect.

God’s consciousness is as high above human consciousness as the heavens are above the earth. Divine thinking greatly exceeds the formulations of human cognition.

Continue reading

Trust Me, I’m a Christian and I’m Awesome – 1 Kings 3:28

TrustMe“And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.” (1 Kings 3:28, ESV).

I Kings 3 includes the story of King Solomon’s prayer for wisdom and then his first official act as king in applying the wisdom God gave him.

Two women brought a child before King Solomon each claiming he was her son. Solomon pronounced his judgment that the child should be divided in two and a half given to each woman.

Continue reading

Battle Plan – Proverbs 24:5

battle-plan“The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger” (Proverbs 24:5, NLT).

The following verse (vs. 6) provides insight into the application of this verse (vs. 5). The next verse advises not to go to war without an effective strategy because a good battle plan can defeat even the strongest army.

The proverb is applicable to us in the same way in our personal lives: godly wisdom prevails over personal power or strength!

Continue reading

Wisdom’s Call – Proverbs 8

thinkingmanProverbs 8 extols the value of acquiring wisdom. It does so by personifying, even deifying, wisdom.

In a previous meditation I said that acquiring wisdom is important because wisdom is the creative energy of God.

Proverbs 8 enlarges on that supposition: “The Lord made me at the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago. I was formed before ancient times, from the beginning, before the earth began… when He laid out the foundations of the earth. I was a skilled craftsman beside Him. I was His delight every day,always rejoicing before Him. I was rejoicing in His inhabited world, delighting in the human race” (vs. 22-23,29-31).

With wisdom God established the universe and through wisdom God declared the knowledge of Himself to people.

Continue reading