The Meekness of Wisdom
Overview
James, the brother of Christ, and the elder of the Jerusalem church, speaks decisively on wisdom. In the opening of his letter to the Jewish diaspora, he niches it within a lengthy discourse on the blessing of temptations. That concept, often considered an oxymoron, is surely a discussion for another time; he directly instructs how one gains wisdom—ask God, but ask in faith (James 1:5).
Biblical References
The Bible itself is full of discussion on wisdom and the comparison and contrast of the wisdom of God with the wisdom of men. The latter is a contradiction in terms as we find that wisdom is of God. James stated this, and David (Psalm 111:10), as well as his son Solomon (Proverbs 2:6), declared it centuries before. Paul, the apostle and scholar, had a lot to say about wisdom and lists it as a gift of the Holy Spirit in I Corinthians 12:8.
Spiritual Gifts
It was while doing some background reading on the spiritual gifts that I came across James’ revisit on wisdom in chapter 3. He used a term that fascinated me and I wanted to explore it deeper. Here, he takes the concept of the acquisition of wisdom to a different level. In chapter 1, as mentioned, he outlines how one attains wisdom. You ask God, Who gives it liberally because of faith. It is a gift. In chapter 3, however, James outlines the application of the gift of wisdom to avoid its misuse. Thus, the purpose and use in wielding such a powerful gift is for it to be done in a certain spirit.
Correct Use of Wisdom
He undergirds this application with the term “meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13). At first glance, it is almost counterintuitive. Perhaps that is because we have too often been witness to the wisdom of man and have used that experience as our yardstick. To help us grasp this concept, he immediately contrasts the two types of wisdom, beginning in verse 14. Hence, the wisdom of man is displayed as knowledge corrupted by envying, strife, lies, sensuality, and devilishness. Wisdom that we get from God, upon request, is pure, gentle, of a cooperative bent, merciful, genuine, and with positive results. Interestingly, peace seeking is at the core of the application of wisdom and is a fruit of the Spirit that is seen through Scripture (Psalm 34:14, Romans 12:18, and Hebrews 12:14).
Recap
James has made particular strides to show that although wisdom comes to some by the allotment of spiritual gifts; it is available to those who ask God in faith. Paul tells us to covet the best gifts in I Corinthians 12:31. We all could use a little more wisdom on our Christian journey.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your gifts and for choosing to bless us with them. We thank You and seek Your gift of wisdom. We want to be filled by your Spirit to minister to others and to help give them insight into Your will for their lives. Give us the humility to handle Your blessings. Please give us the meekness of wisdom so that we will have discernment and maturity to counsel and instruct. As You fill us, may the outflow of our lives be only for Your glory, for we ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.