Wisdom is the Principal Thing
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Word Picture for Wisdom
The Aramaic word picture for wisdom. Each letter in Aramaic and Hebrew is a picture, and there is an action that underlies the word as a whole. The way each individual letter is put together gives an even deeper understanding of what the word is.
Wisdom shows us God’s point of view of what’s going on—the overall picture. That’s why God is the source of all wisdom.
Colossians 1:9–12 APNT:
9 Because of this, we also, from the day that we heard, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with knowledge of the will of God with all wisdom and with all spiritual understanding,
10 that you may walk as is just and may please God with all good works and may bear fruit and may grow up in the knowledge of God
11 and may be strengthened with all strength, according to the greatness of his glory. With all patience and long-suffering and with joy,
12 you should give thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy for a portion of the inheritance of the holy [ones] in light
Colossians 4:5 APNT:
Walk with wisdom toward outsiders and buy out your opportunity.
Colossians 4:5 KJV:
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
Wisdom is First
1 Corinthians 12:7–8 KJV:
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
Proverbs 2:1–10 ESV:
1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
In those days, to mine silver you would have to find the silver and then follow the vein manually, with a pick. You have to seek for it.
Instead of asking God what we should do next, we should be asking Him what view He wants us to see. Where is the source of the spiritual life in this situation. We should seek wisdom first, before knowledge of what to do.
Proverbs 3:13–14 ESV:
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.
Proverbs 3:18 ESV:
18 She [wisdom] is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.
Proverbs 4:5–7 ESV:
5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.
We are not thinking of wisdom as “what to do.” Wisdom is the overall picture.
Word Picture for Knowledge
Basically, it is “how do you go in.” Knowledge, even in Greek, is more of an experiential knowledge. But the action underneath it is “how do you go in.”
Wisdom is the overall picture and “where is the source.” Knowledge is then what to do.
Wisdom Comes Before Knowledge
The challenge for your life: what’s the problem that you haven’t been able to hear the answer to? Where’s that area where you are up against the wall and don’t know where the silver vein is? The mistake we often make is asking what to do first, before asking for the wisdom of the situation.
Look at the situation on the day of Pentecost. What was the first question people asked?
Acts 2:12 ESV:
And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
That’s the first question—in any situation. We should ask what does this mean? Father, show me the wisdom, show me the source of the spiritual life. Show me the truth from the lie.
Here in Acts Chapter 2, Peter goes on to explain the situation.
Acts 2:37 ESV:
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Then he tells them what to do.
The what-to-do came after the wisdom, the big picture.
You can see this pattern—wisdom first, then knowledge—throughout the Scriptures.
Mark 2:1– 4APNT:
1 And Jesus again entered into Capernaum after [some] days. And when they heard that he was in the house,
2 many gathered, so that [the house] was not able to contain them, not even in front of the door. And he was speaking the word with them.
3 And they came to him and brought him a paralytic, bearing him between four [men].
4 And because they were not able to draw near to him because of the crowd, they climbed up to the roof and lifted the covering of the place where Jesus was and they lowered the bed on which the paralytic was laid.
Reading between the lines, is this a good thing that’s happening here? What’s the view? Should I be concerned that someone’s breaking up the roof? Then God shows Jesus the view that these guys (all five of them) have faith! Then God tells him what to do, say “Your sins are forgiven.”
Mark 2:5 APNT:
And when Jesus saw [in the spirit] their faith, he said to that paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Then this process—overall view followed by what to do—is repeated.
Mark 2: 6–7 APNT:
6 Now there were there some scribes and Pharisees, who were sitting and reasoning in their heart[s],
7 “Why does this [man] speak blasphemy? Who is able to forgive sins, except one, God?”
Their all “high and mighty,” thinking that they know the Word. But they are reasoning in their own hearts; they are not seeking God’s wisdom. They’re relying on their own wisdom.
Mark 2:8–9 APNT:
8 But Jesus knew in his spirit that they were reasoning these [things] in themselves and he said to them, “Why do you reason these [things] in your heart[s]?
9 Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk?’
God is the only one who knows the wisdom and knows what to do or how to go in the door. The five men—the paralytic and his four friends—already had faith. God showed Jesus what to do.
Mark 2:10–12 APNT:
10 But that you might know that it is lawful [for] the Son of Man to forgive sins on earth,” he said to the paralytic,
11 “I say to you, Rise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
12 And he got up immediately and took his bed and went away in the sight of all, so that all of them were amazed and praised God, saying that they had never seen such.
Just because someone is sick does not mean they don’t have faith!
That’s what will happen when we walk in wisdom, too. Change the question from what to do, to what does this mean. Word of wisdom, then word of knowledge.
James 1:5 APNT:
5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask [for it] from God, who gives generously to all and does not reproach and it will be given to him.
6 But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for he who doubts is like the waves of the sea that the wind stirs up.
7 And that man should not expect to receive anything from the lord,
Scripture References
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
See Also:
Download PDF handout of the Hebrew word picture for wisdom and knowledge.
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