What exactly is wisdom? How can a person quantify whether they have acquired wisdom? We need to look first at what God has to say about wisdom to continue.
Proverbs 8:22,23 tells us, “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I (wisdom) have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth.”
This means wisdom was with God before anything we know of was established. Wisdom is an ancient thing that comes from God for us to use.
Proverbs 4:7 says – Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
Ah, another facet of wisdom is revealed here. Understanding was added in this scripture. We must get wisdom and get understanding. But understanding what? There must be other components of this for it to make sense. Let’s review another scripture to help build the picture more clearly.
Proverbs 3:19,20 reveals another piece of the puzzle.
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
You must have knowledge of something. With that knowledge, you build understanding. But how does wisdom fit into this equation? Let’s use something from the natural world to put a picture in our minds.
In the practical world of medicine, a person who desires to become a surgeon spends years of time gaining knowledge. During those years, that person develops a deep understanding of the focus of their field of study. They become qualified to perform surgery in that field of expertise. Over the course of performing many surgeries, the surgeon begins to see patterns within the nature of the bodies they are working on. They see indicators that lead them to perform the work differently on one person as opposed to the standard procedures. Wisdom is the guide that nudged the doctor into a different direction to perform that one surgery. There was something about the way the body presented itself that caught the surgeon’s attention, and a decision was made to take a different path.
Wisdom is the architect who directs how to use knowledge and understanding. Now we know a bit more about wisdom, but the question remains: how can a person quantify if they have acquired wisdom? If wisdom was with God in the beginning, then what does God say about getting and defining wisdom?
Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
That fear of the LORD means reverential trust in the LORD. Let’s follow this scripture a bit further.
Proverbs 9:11,12 says this: “For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, and if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”
There is a warning within here. True wisdom comes from the LORD. This wisdom benefits all. Thinking yourself wise only benefits you. It becomes a snare that captures you alone in a pit of selfishness. There is one more scripture that will help tie this together.
Romans 12:2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Reverential trust of the LORD is the beginning. Daily renewing your mind by consuming the Word of God transforms your thinking. You begin to think and act the way God desires for you to be. God Himself begins to impart supernatural wisdom into you, taking the knowledge you have acquired and granting you understanding of that knowledge so that you will make wise decisions about yourself and others. True wisdom leads you if you will submit yourself and be obedient to its prompt.