Ten Signs of Consistent Wisdom

1 Kings 4:29
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.

1 Kings 4:30
Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

1 Kings 4:31
He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.

We all want to be wise. We all want to be thought of as being wise. We have grown up knowing that wisdom is a good thing. What are the pieces of evidence of wisdom?

We can be erratically wise. Incidental wisdom. A moment here and a moment there on when we speak or act wisely. It is like we accidentally stumbled on wisdom. The best wisdom is consistent. What are the signs of consistent wisdom?

King Solomon is the wisest man to ever live. The Bible tells us that when God asked him to place a request for anything from God, he requested wisdom to do his work as a king. God responded by giving him wisdom and much more. Consequently, he became the wisest and richest!

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

The first evidence of consistent wisdom is if it is God-given. Wisdom from study may be erratic. Wisdom from experience can turn out to be inconsistent. Only wisdom from God is consistent.

The second sign of consistent wisdom is if it is valued above everything else. God says that other people would have asked for more wealth and the death of their enemies. God rewards Solomon for valuing wisdom above wealth and personal comfort. Is wisdom that important for you? More than mortal comfort?

The third one is order and organization. First Kings chapter four tells us that Solomon was very organized. He organized the kingdom into twelve districts with governors over each district. Are you organized in your work? Is there evidence of order?

The fourth evidence is that he delegated duty. Each of the twelve governors was responsible for managing the affairs of the king for one month in the year. It takes wisdom to trust people and delegate duties to them. A lack of wisdom is when a leader wants to be involved in the detailed day-to-day running of events. Jethro told Moses that this is not good. Are you able to delegate and fully trust other people to deliver with minimum supervision?

The fifth sign of consistent wisdom is that he hired people from all over and not just his relatives. A wise person knows that relatives are not automatically the best workers. Since the work is so important, it should be given to the best worker and not to a relative. Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines and many children, but only two sons-in-law were in his civil service. Can you resist the urge to please your relatives and compromise the work? Are you wise enough to create an impression that you trust people from all over the kingdom and not just your relatives? Are you consistently wise?

The sixth evidence of wisdom is declaring publicly those who are your relatives. When you declare publicly it ends speculation and rumors. It shows transparency. Solomon declared his relatives, that is why it is recorded. Conflict of interest should always be declared. It is wisdom!

1 Kings 4:25
During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.

The seventh is that if you are wise you avoid conflicts and pursue peace and safety. It takes wisdom to know that you can’t fight every battle. Some battles waste time. Some battles distract us from the main mission. It takes wisdom to work in peace and safety. It takes wisdom to ignore offenses. Under a wise person, there is peace and safety because provocations are not escalated, they are managed early and most are ignored.

The eighth evidence of consistent wisdom is material security. Solomon had wisely planned resources that he and his people lived in plenty without lack. A wise person eventually works towards providing the basics and much more. Wisdom will positively affect your finances. It is a lack of wisdom to spend more than we earn. It is a lack of wisdom to have no savings. It is a lack of wisdom to use money without a budget or outside a budget. It is a lack of wisdom to do impulse spending. Wisdom will inform our financial priorities. What does your financial life tell you about your wisdom?

The ninth is that wisdom stands out when compared. Our text today tells us that Solomon stood out in comparison to many other people who were also thought to be wise. How would you be rated if you were compared to your peers?

1 Kings 4:32-33
(32) He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. (33) He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.

The tenth and final is that Solomon was wholistic in his understanding and approach. His general knowledge was good. He had an appreciation for an array of varied issues. Are you limited or are you open-minded? Do you seek to have some understanding of other issues or are you limited to only one area?

May God grant us wisdom that is consistent and has the evidence shown above, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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