Seize the Moment – Day 818
Acquire Wisdom and Get Understanding!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, June 13.
While it is important to be a competent and capable person, your character is of the greatest importance.
The construction of the temple was complete, and it was time for the intricate details to be crafted. Accordingly, in 1 Kings 7:13-14, King Solomon called upon the best artisan, a skilledworker who was filled with wisdom and understanding, “Now King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze.”
This passage is reminiscent of God’s words to Moses, during the building of the tabernacle, in Exodus 31:1-3:
“See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship.”
When God chooses a person for an important job, it is not only for their competency, but also for their character. The skilled artisans, who were selected by Solomon and Moses, were people of wisdom and understanding. This pairing of “wisdom and understanding” in the Bible is used to describe the quality of a person’s spiritual maturity – they feared God and listened for His instructions. Isaiah 11:2a details this truth in a messianic prophecy, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding.”
God desires for His people to be empowered by His Spirit in all their work, and to not lean upon their own understanding, no matter how educated or trained. It is good to further your education and pursue your training, but don’t neglect the fear of the Lord!
Seize the moment and “acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).