Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.”
Wisdom plays a prominent role all throughout the Bible. Solomon cannot get enough of speaking of the joy, wonders and blessings of wisdom. We are told in Proverbs 4:7 that we are to get wisdom. James 1:5 assures us that if we lack wisdom all we need to do is ask God and He will give us wisdom in abundance.
I need to make some important decision in the near future and I have been praying and begging God for wisdom but I do not seem to be endowed with anything special to help me make these decisions. Today as I carried on my struggle to make these decisions I suddenly stopped and asked myself, “Just what is wisdom anyways, what am I asking for?”
In English the first thing we think of with regard to wisdom is discernment, at least that is what comes to my mind. Webster defines wisdom as the quality or state of being wise. That’s cool man, I tell you old Webster can really define words. So I looked up wise and found it means to have the power of discernment. Back to square one. It goes on to say however: “judging properly as to what is true or right; good sound judgment.” Well, that is what I am really praying for sound judgment to make the right decision. I suppose that idea of wisdom can bring many blessings, I mean most my problems come from making bad and wrong decisions. Yet, how do I acquire this wisdom? I’ve prayed for it, but I just don’t think I have it yet.
The Bible says in Proverbs 9:10 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Now I have explained yara’ fear many times, it is a fear of leaving God, a fear of not putting God first in your life, a fear of wounding His heart when you don’t give Him first place. So by putting God first in my life, making my decisions based upon what will bring God the most pleasure will start me on the road to wisdom. This idea of the beginning of wisdom concerns me. The word beginning in Hebrew is techillah which has the idea of the being first but it comes from the Semitic root chalal which has the idea of falling, being dishonored, slain or receiving a deadly wound. It is reaching the bottom where there is no place to go but up. I cannot come up with an English word for techillah in this context I can only describe it by saying the beginning is a beginning after you have reached your limits and you begin something new. It is the beginning of a new plan after you previous plans have failed. This new plan is to fear the Lord or the yara’ of the Lord. That is to not only put Him in the mix but give Him complete say over what you will do. Once you do that you will have wisdom or the discernment to do what is right.
Let me do a little surgical work on the word wisdom chakam. You lexicons will tell you it means shrewdness, prudence, and discernment. But its origins lie in a Phoenician word. The Phoenicians were known as merchants, sailors and craftsmen. To them chakam meant you were skilled in a craft. You know the ins and outs of your craft. I can build you a bridge, but don’t walk on it. I am not an engineer, I do not have the skills to make that bridge capable of supporting your weight. In the story of the Bridge Over the River Kiwi, Allied POW’s in a Japanese prison camp were ordered to build a bridge. The Japanese commanders had no skill in building a bridge and consequentially their attempts to build it were a disaster. Finally, key Allied soldiers, trained engineers, made a deal with the Japanese and when they took over the project, they built a solid, durable and stable bridge that would carry troops and transports. The Allies had wisdom or chakam. “Oh,” but you say, “They had no wisdom if they built the bridge for the enemy.” I did not say they had wisdom as we define wisdom, but as the ancient Semitic people defined wisdom, the definition understood by the people of Solomon’s day. That wisdom is the development of skills. What skills is Solomon talking about? You have to look at the context. When Solomon asked for wisdom from God as a king he was looking for the skill to run a kingdom and judge his people. When we seek to fear the Lord or put Him front and center in our lives here wisdom becomes the ability to adequately and properly serve God.
So when I am praying for wisdom to make these life decisions, I am asking to make these decisions based upon what is good for God not for me. In that I will acquire the knowledge of the holy so I will have an understanding of the decision I am to make.
But say, as I dig deeper into this word wisdom or chakam I find that its origins lie in the ancients looking to the skies for power or energy to accomplish a task. In other words, looking to the gods to give them these skills. It eventually evolved that this energy or power to accomplish a task was in ones learned abilities. Ultimately the chakam or wisdom means utilizing the energy and power of God gained when you give up all your own energies and start brand new, afresh or a new beginning with God as the center. True wisdom comes in accepting Jesus as your Messiah, your Savior the one who can redeem you so that you can become one with God and He can take control of your life.
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