NO. 52  THE WISDOM OF GOD

TEXT: LUKE 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute. (KJV)

Today, I would like to give a message entitled �gTHE WISDOM OF GOD�h.

In this passage the Lord Jesus mentions the sins of the scribes and Pharisees.  Jesus uses the word �gthe wisdom of God�h here.  �gThe wisdom of God�h means actually Jesus Himself, for He also tells exactly the same content by Himself in the parallel passages of other Gospels.

Some questions arise to us here.  Why does the Lord say of Himself �gthe wisdom of God�h particularly?  Does He imply any specific meaning to use the word?  How do we grasp the meaning of the word?  The reason is because there should be some specific thing that the Bible indicates to tell to use the word �gthe wisdom of God�h.

When we read the Bible, we often notice �gthe wisdom of God�h or �gthe wisdom�h other than this passage.  What does the word mean to us by the fact?  We would like to think of it.

In the Bible such a word as wisdom is related to the one as a mystery or a parable.  When we come to the passage where we find �gthe wisdom of God�h, we understand to have one common subject.  That is, we know that such a passage of the Bible contains difficult mysteries or parables that cannot be interpreted without the wisdom of God.  So, �gthe wisdom of God�h should be the hint.  When we come across this, we know that we must not interpret the passage literally but instead pay attention to and consider whether or not some mysteries or parables are used.  That is why the wisdom of God is written together.

Therefore we must know that �gthe wisdom of God�h is one of the key words in the Bible.  What does this key word indicate?  It means that we should not interpret the passage literally but we must apply the wisdom of God for the correct interpretation.  The key word indicates it.

For example, we know a toy called �gRings of Wisdom�h.  It is the thing which two rings of iron are well entangled.  It seems easy to undo it but actually not so.  Even if we pull them apart, we cannot do it easily.  We try how to unchain them in many ways, practice it by trial and error, and at last using wisdom, we can solve it.  So, that is why it is called �gRings of Wisdom�h.

The same can be applied to the wisdom of God.  The Bible verses, parables and mysteries are also applied the same pattern when written together with the wisdom of God.  We cannot solve them in the literal manner.  We can get the true meaning of them only when we interpret them with the help of the wisdom of God.

We will see some more examples.

DANIEL 5:11  There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. (KJV)

There come some difficult dreams and visions in the book of Daniel where Babylonian magicians and astrologers cannot interpret even if they get together to do so.  But Daniel has interpreted them.  Yet, not all of them have been revealed completely.  Further consideration to solve them is needed concerning his interpretation of the dreams.  We have understood that the gold image means the kingdom of the world, but we need further interpretation which one the nation of these ten feet refer to.

We have understood that the king Nebuchadnezzar would be like the beasts and be let pass over seven times according to the given dream.  But God indicates us to go on to understand further what the seven times mean.

The subjects like the seventy weeks or the force of stars are told and prophesied.  Yet, we need to have deeper meaning about them.  If the interpretation does not come from the wisdom of God, we will not be able to arrive at the right destination, which is the point here.

Thus, we must surely know that we cannot get the right answer unless we interpret by the wisdom of God.  When we read the book of Daniel, what is the most important point?  It is to interpret and to solve the passages by the wisdom of God.  That is the very reason why we often find  �gthe wisdom of God�h in this book..

God makes us to understand that we need to interpret the words, parables and mysteries applying �gthe wisdom of God�h.

Therefore, we must seek the wisdom of God and the right interpretation accordingly when we see the very word.

Genesis 41: 38, 39  38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of God is?

39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. (KJV)

Here, again, the wisdom is used.  �gThe wisdom�h and �gthe wisdom of God�h are compared to the mysteries and the parables.  For we must understand that we need the wisdom of God in order to interpret what God keeps them in secret in the Bible.

Joseph has interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh concerning �gthe kine and the ears�h in this passage.  He has so shown that they are seven years of great plenty and seven years of famine.  Yet, it cannot be said that all the secrets are disclosed.  We still have some more parts to interpret by the wisdom of God.  It seems that the words �gthe interpretation�h or �gthe wisdom of God�h are written in the sense to imply such.

We now come back to the Text.

The Lord has used �gthe wisdom of God�h here, too.  He implies something for us to understand by this.  There should have the parables and the mysteries in the passage.  So we must carefully read it to get the true meaning..

What is the parable here?  We may take it as the prophecy to the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day if we read it plainly.  Of course, it may be so.  But that is only the unequivocal case.  Though it looks like telling the things of the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day, it should actually be the prophecy to the men in the Church age who are in the position like the scribes or Pharisees. And �gthe wisdom of God�h is inserted in this passage to make us understand such a thing.  That is one of the ways God applies in the Bible.

Well, we see another example.

JEREMAIH  9: 11, 12  11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through? (KJV)

We find the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in the book of Jeremiah.  If we take it literally, we conclude simply that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the Temple is the God�fs house of Judaism.  We may take it as the prophecy such as that they would be destroyed by the hands of the enemies in the end time.  Yet, it is still the unequivocal interpretation.

Attention should be given to �gthe wisdom�h used here again.  The wisdom is applied for the purpose of interpreting the God�fs parables and disclosing the secrets.  The wisdom is not necessary if we may simply understand the passages when we read them.

Jerusalem and the Temple mean the Church, and these prophecies are the ones of the destruction of the Church in the end time.  But to understand such, we need the wisdom of God.  That is what the prophecy means.

It is written, �gand who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it.�h  The reason why it is written in an ironic way like, �gwho is he that he may declare it�h, is because it shows that there are not many who can declare the things rightly.  But God�fs will is that there come some servants who can understand and declare the warnings to the people exactly as God has given.

Well, we should mention one more thing..

When �gthe wisdom of God�h or �gthe wisdom�h is shown in the Bible, we can surely notice that another kind of wisdom, the wisdom of men, is also written.  We now know the fact that the wisdom of men, the world or idles is contrasted with that of God in the Bible.

Such instances of the wisdom are shown as below.

DANIEL 4: 6-8  6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. 8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying.. (KJV)

GNESIS 41: 8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dreams; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.. (KJV)

JEREMIAH 14: 14  Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. (KJV)

We must seek the wisdom of God correctly not to be disturbed by the wisdom of men.

The above descriptions explain: There are many kinds of wisdom of the world and men contrasted with the right one of God.  The necessary thing for us is to ask for the wisdom from on high sincerely not to be deceived by ones of men.

Let�fs do the will of God in the end time.

End.


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