The Wisdom of Solomon – Changing the World Begins With You

1 Kings 3:7-12 relates how Solomon came by his wisdom, and tells us that the wisdom of Solomon will remain the benchmark. "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be."

In a world climate where we are long on agendas and short on wisdom, we would do well to re-examine our lives in terms of the wisdom of Solomon.  The choices we make in our homes, at our jobs, and within our sphere of influence caries more weight than we might realize.  When we choose wisdom, and teach wisdom through our words and actions, we are contributing to the evolution of a wiser world.  Here are just a few examples to consider.

• Are we embracing the pursuit of wisdom as a key component in our daily lives?  It is so easy to get caught up in the pursuit of financial success, recognition, and validation from others.  What suffers in our lives as a result of this are our personal relationships with our families and friends, our spiritual growth, and the time we allow ourselves to spend in service to others, on maintaining the health of our physical bodies (keeping us able to serve), and on appreciating the beauty of God’s creation by spending time in it.  We will not be able to have a positive impact on the world when all of our energy is focused inward and on superficial achievements.

• Are we an example of wisdom to our children?  According to dr. michael ryce, and other scholars of the ancient Aramaic texts, we view the world, and react to it, based on a combination of the carbon based memory in our cell structure passed on to us by our ancestors, combined with the “truth” we have been taught by the “authority figures” in our lives.  At a very early age, we begin to allow the feelings of fear and hostility we have incorporated into our view of self and of the world, to rule our actions.   What if we applied the wisdom of Solomon to improve ourselves, and to teach our children to pursue wisdom and understanding above all else. According to this theory, they would pass their wisdom on to their children who would increase it, and pass it on to the next generation who would do the same. 

•  For those of us who live in countries where we have the freedom to elect our leadership, are we examining the motives of the candidates before we vote?  Are we measuring their stated motives against their track record?  Are we discerning that they have a servant’s heart?  Poor leadership will devastate a community, a city, a state or a country.  It is our responsibility to make our vote count, and to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions.

I think we can all agree that the world needs change. What we do not fully embrace, in my opinion, is that the problems are not all “out there”!  Meaningful change begins with you and I, for what is “the world” but a reflection of the actions of its citizens.  The changes we make in ourselves today will create a ripple effect through our sphere of influence that resonates far beyond.  If we, as individuals, seek the wisdom of Solomon, we will become an integral part of improving the world for generations that will follow us.