Wisdom was considered a highly...
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Wisdom was considered a highly prized gift by the people of Israel. Proverbs indicate that to be wise was a greater treasure than either wealth or beauty. In some cases, wisdom took the form of sharp insights into eternal truths, but more often it was just plain horse sense.
When Solomon became king, he asked God to give him wisdom so that he might govern the people properly. He evidently received this gift from God. His reputation for wisdom was widely accepted. It was based on his hobby of collecting proverbs and on several shrewd judicial decisions. But wisdom is not of much value unless it is used. Solomon's great weakness was his failure to understand and carry out God's will. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." No man who has 700 wives and 300 concubines can really be called wise! Worse yet, Solomon allowed these women and their followers to worship strange gods and, eventually, to turn his own heart away from the God of Israel. Solomon should have heeded his own proverb!
When Solomon became king, he asked God to give him wisdom so that he might govern the people properly. He evidently received this gift from God. His reputation for wisdom was widely accepted. It was based on his hobby of collecting proverbs and on several shrewd judicial decisions. But wisdom is not of much value unless it is used. Solomon's great weakness was his failure to understand and carry out God's will. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." No man who has 700 wives and 300 concubines can really be called wise! Worse yet, Solomon allowed these women and their followers to worship strange gods and, eventually, to turn his own heart away from the God of Israel. Solomon should have heeded his own proverb!
