The Path of Wisdom

Have you seen the 1989 movie “Big” starring Tom Hanks? It’s very much in the genre of Aladdin and Genie. In the movie, 12-year-old Josh notices that all the girls in his class are attracted to boys who are more mature, about a hand span taller and slightly older than him. One day, he visits an amusement park where a Carnival is being held. There, he encounters a strange machine called ‘Zoltar’, the wish-granting machine. Josh drops a coin into the slot and tells Zolta, “I want to be big.” The next day, he wakes up as a 30-year-old adult, and the movie unfolds with various happenings arising from this sudden change.

Zoltar is a machine that speaks the same memorised sentences over and over again. The townspeople knew this, yet they still stopped by to make request of Zolta. Some ask for fame, while others ask for help removing their hands nail art. Now imagine… Zoltar is right in front of you. When it asks, “What do you wish for?” then what would you say?

Interestingly, if a young boy were to approach Zoltar and say, “Please give me a discerning mind,” Zoltar’s ‘face’ (though it’s just a machine without an actual face)) would probably look surprised. This is because such a request is very mature and unexpected coming from a little child. This brings us to the story of Solomon. The background of today’s Old Testament passage is the 40th year of King David’s reign. David had led Israel to become a great nation, but now he sensed that his time is coming to an end. David summoned his son Solomon to give him final words of wisdom. “My son,” David began, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, be courageous and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, commandments, rules, and testimonies. Then you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”

With these parting words, David closed his eyes and rested with his ancestors. Solomon then ascended to the throne, following in his father’s footsteps. Young king Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings in worship at Gibeon, a place where God’s presence and power had been manifested before. Gibeon was known for miraculous events, such as when God made the sun stand still during Joshua’s battle. On the night when Solomon’s thousand offerings were completed, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and presented him with both a challenge and an opportunity, saying, “Ask what I should give you.”

How did the young King Solomon respond to this open-ended offer from God? He asked for an understanding mind to govern the people and the ability to discern between good and evil. Surprisingly, he made such a request at such a young age. Moreover, he wasn’t thinking of personal gain but rather the responsibility placed on his shoulders as the heir to the throne. Perhaps he humbly recognised his limitations and acknowledged his need for God’s guidance. For this reason, he asks for wisdom and moral discernment to lead the people. Solomon’s goal in succeeding to the throne was not self-promotion or political necessity; it was for the people to prosper in a faithful relationship with God. God was pleased with Solomon’s love for the LORD.

Throughout the Scriptures, we see a consistent pattern of what brings God smile or what pleases Him; there’s one consistent answer: it’s when we seek the ways of God. We please God when we seek to live up to the standard worthy of our divinity. When we pursue justice, love mercy, and go with humility; when we care for strangers, widows, and orphans, when we show hospitality to God’s beloved at the margins. And now, in Solomon’s example, we learn of another way to please God- when we seek a discerning mind above all else.

 Knowing, choosing and Doing

Then, what is ‘wisdom’? Based on 1 Kings 3, I’d like to define wisdom as “the ability to discern right from wrong, to choose what is right, and to do right.” This concept of wisdom extends beyond the Old Testament to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, written while he was imprisoned in Rome. The passage, Ephesians 5:15-20 that we read today provides practical advice on how Christians should live. At that time, early Christians often faced persecution and needed direction on how to navigate living in a pagan culture- that is, a society that worshipped many gods and didn’t follow Christian teachings. So, Paul advises, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.”

In today’s Scripture passages, the root of ‘wisdom’ is found in worship God. In 1 Kings 3:3, we see that “Solomon loved the LORD.” and Paul’s letter, he encourages the Ephesians to live wisely by praising God and being thankful for everything. Psalm 111 affirms that wisdom is given to those who fear the Lord, and life to those who follow God’s commandments. Paul says, ‘Christ crucified’ is true wisdom. So, we are members of the body of Christ. For wisdom is found by uniting ourselves with Christ, by ‘eating his flesh and drinking his blood’ by taking his presence and purpose into ourselves, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we commit to unity with God and live by God’s wisdom, we can bring the life of Christ into our homes, churches, neighbourhoods, and communities. This means rejecting many of the values that dominate our society today—instant gratification, consumerism, accumulation, widespread individualism, protectionism, and a fear of diversity. It also means learning to live as Jesus did, by giving of ourselves for the sake of others. When we all learn to sacrifice for one another, we discover a wisdom and a way of life that benefits everyone. So, pursuing wisdom is not just about how we think, but about how we live. And it is only through unity with God and the power of the Holy Spirit that we can embrace this way of life.