First Reading: 1 Kings 3:4-15
4The king {Solomon} went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 10It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Psalm 119:97-104
97Oh, how I love your law! all the day long it is in my mind. 98Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies, and it is always with me. 99I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my study. 100I am wiser than the elders, because I observe your commandments. 101I restrain my feet from every evil way, that I may keep your word. 102I do not shrink from your judgments, because you yourself have taught me. 103How sweet are your words to my taste! they are sweeter than honey to my mouth. 104Through your commandments I gain understanding; therefore I hate every lying way.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Gospel: Luke 2:40-52
40The child {Jesus} grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. 41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
The Proper New Year’s Resolution
If you’re like me, it’s hard to believe we’re once again beginning a New Year. What’s more, we’re at the cusp of being a ¼ of the way through the 21st century. They say time flies when you’re having fun: well, I must be having tons of fun because time now seems to be flying by at supersonic speed. Speaking of the New Year, how many here still make New Years’ resolutions? It’s a custom that dates to Babylonian times when the leadership resolved to return borrowed farm equipment to medieval knights who would renew their vow to chivalry. Generally speaking, New Years’ resolutions are made in an attempt to better ourselves, break bad habits, or even turn over a new leaf. It’s this desire to better oneself that is the subject of our Old Testament reading for today.
Historically speaking, Solomon was about 20 years old when his father David passed, and he ascended to the throne. As we know from Biblical texts, David was not only a great king, but despite his flaws, David stayed a man favored by God (1 Sam 13:14). His imperfections, like being an adulterer, aside, David was highly respected for his loyalty to God and dedication to Israel. He was regarded as a leader, musician, and writer. It’s no wonder Solomon felt insecure becoming the new king in Israel. And based on what we read in our First Lesson, Solomon too had a heart to serve God faithfully.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream; and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” What’s important to see, is the three things needed for success: recognize the need, knowing who to go to for help, and a willingness to accept the needed assistance. We find all three of these in Solomon’s reply. Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in his place, although I am very young. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (vs. 5b-9).
Think about Solomon’s request here; in humility, Solomon knows he needs help, he knows who to ask, and he’s willing to accept the help he needs. God said to him, because you have asked this, and have not asked for self-serving things, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. Solomon’s goal was to lead God’s people faithfully, and Solomon knew his limitations, and who to accept help from to overcome his limitations.
Here’s a question to ponder as we begin this New Year: if you were given a single request by God, what would it be? Remember, you only get this one, so you don’t want to answer on the basis of an immediate or impulsive need or desire. To answer wisely, you would want to think about it, determine your values and priorities, and then ask for something that would be permanent, lasting, something that would be beneficial for a lifetime. However, we don’t always have the time to think things over, the person asking is expecting an immediate response. So, it would be good for us to consider things ahead of time. In our Old Testament reading, God, in essence, puts Solomon on the spot. He put Solomon to the test.
God comes to Solomon shortly after he ascended to the throne of Israel and says, “Ask what I shall give you.” He could have asked for wealth, for long life, or to be free from his opposition. Instead, Solomon, knowing he needed help for the task ahead, askes God for something permanent, something far more important than fleeting wealth, long life, and deliverance from his enemies. Because of Solomon’s humility, and he because he knew who he needed to go to for assistance, God was pleased and granted his request. Think about it: if you were only given one request by God, what would you ask for?
Let’s be honest! By in large, people will jump at the chance to be rich, or to be healthy, or successful, or possibly even powerful. But wisdom? Of all the people in the world, how many would be smart enough to ask God for wisdom? Perhaps Solomon was already smart enough to understand that wisdom was his deepest need. Let’s consider this further and see if this is the one thing we all should asking of God for our lives.
The question before us is, should my one request of God be for wisdom? Shouldn’t our answer be based on our greatest need rather than on our most intense desire? Oftentimes, what we desire isn’t necessarily what we need. How many of us today can look back on our lives and see that what we once thought was a need, is now a burden. For example, for the longest time, I thought I needed a camping trailer. I looked and looked, but couldn’t seem to find something adequate and within my budget. Remember, not only did I think I needed the trailer, but I would also need a truck adequate enough to safely pull said trailer.
Not long ago, as I was pondering this question, I was talking with a friend of mine. He too felt like he needed a trailer, the difference between him and me was that about three years ago he bought one. Then he had to trade in his lighter duty truck for a heavier duty model. As we were talking about his decision, he said he wished he’d never bought the trailer. He said he doesn’t have the time to really enjoy it fully. He incurred far more cost than he expected between the payments on the truck and trailer, the insurance, and incidentals. And he doesn’t save that much money per trip, since by the time he spends extra money on the fuel to pull it to a location and considering all his costs, he could have rented an Airbnb and had lower overall costs. Additionally, there are so few places at the beach, he can use the trailer, he said the trailer turned out to be a bigger burden than a benefit. We need to be wise enough to recognize a need from a greed.
I think you and I can agree with Solomon that wisdom is what we need most. Yet, not everyone would agree on wisdom. Karl Marx claimed that humanity’s deepest need is the possession of things, goods, and economic equality. Yes, we need the basics to survive and some extra things so we can do our jobs efficiently. However, there is a difference between genuine needs and greeds. We see Jesus’ wisdom in the prayer He taught the disciples, “give us this day our daily bread.” Yes, we have a need for food, shelter, clothing, safety, basic transportation, and the like. But do we really need a 3000 sq. ft. home, the $100K speed boat, and the newest Mercadies Benz SUV? Another question for us to consider is, what is wealth, power, and fame, without wisdom?
Remember the old myth about King Midas? His one request was that everything he touched would turn into gold. At first it was great, but when he touched his food, it turned to gold. What would he eat? Worst of all, he touched his lovely daughter, and she turned to gold. The young ruler had wealth, but he didn’t have the wisdom to obey Jesus’ command to sell all, give it to the poor, and follow Jesus. Then there’s the man who worked hard all his life, built bigger barns to house his fortune, and retired. Sadly, he didn’t have the wisdom to acquire spiritual resources, so the very night he retired, he died. What a foolish man! What did his wealth get him?
Look at all the highly paid sports stars, movie and TV stars, and a good many of those who inherited large sums of money. Are they really ever satisfied with what they have? How many of them end up broke, drug addicts, divorced multiple times, and alone? We see far too many who never acquired the wisdom to deal with the challenges that money, fame, or power can bring. Without wisdom, what good does money, fame, and power do for us?
In recent times, TV preacher, Robert Schuller, wrote a book, Self Esteem, in which he claimed that our deepest need is pride in terms of self-esteem, self-worth, and self-appreciation. He says that our deepest need is pride in being human – “Don’t worry about humility,” he says, pride is what we need. To be fair, there is a very small amount of truth in his claim, we all need a certain amount of self-respect and a healthy dash of self-love. But self-esteem without wisdom ends up as pride, arrogance, and narcissism. All this is strongly condemned by Jesus: He taught many times that whoever exalts himself will be humbled. So, we’re forced to conclude that Solomon was, at least to a certain extent, wise enough when asked for God to give him greater wisdom in terms of understanding. But why is wisdom so important? Is it some sort of street smarts or common sense, or is it something much greater?
When we talk about wisdom, what do we actually mean? Perhaps we can begin to answer the question by seeing what wisdom is not. Wisdom is not native intelligence. Each of us is born with a certain amount of grey matter. We call it our IQ. Some people are blessed with more, and some with less. There’s nothing we can do about it. Some say that an IQ can be increased by study, education, and cultural opportunities, but basically, our IQ is a natural endowment.
Winston Churchill once told his son that, to a large extent, we in the civilized world, have erased the lion and tiger from the human heart, but we did not succeed in removing the donkey. Consequently, we often say to ourselves, “Stupid!” or “Dummy!” Wisdom doesn’t come naturally as a result of basic intellect, nor is wisdom knowledge or education. A person can be wise and yet not be a graduate of high school. My maternal grandfather, for example, never completed second grade, yet he was one of the wisest people I knew. On the other hand, there are college graduates, even PhD’s, who are, quite frankly, rather dense. They may not have an ounce of wisdom in their heads even though they have diplomas on their walls. When it comes to common sense, or even horse sense, they don’t seem to have any.
One time a mother and young son saw an extremely bowlegged cowboy come out of a department store in Texas. The lad exclaimed, “Wow, that’s the most bowlegged man I ever saw!” Embarrassed, his mother said, “Son, that’s a terrible way to talk about another person. I’m going to send you to boarding school so you will learn to speak properly about other people.” He was sent off to a high-class finishing school, and some years later, they saw the very same cowboy leaving the same store. Now, the youth remarked, “My, have you ever seen a man whose legs are in parentheses?” If wisdom isn’t learned in school, or a natural gift, what then is it?
What then are some of the component elements of wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to make good judgments and the right decisions based on the rules and circumstances. Some of us are reluctant to make decisions because we fear that the decision will not be the right one. Reinhold Niebuhr asked for wisdom in a little prayer that has become a classic and is used by Alcoholics Anonymous: “God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Shortly after Solomon’s request, the gift of wisdom was needed when he was asked to settle a dispute between two women claiming the same child as their own.
Starting in the next verse in this same chapter, (vs. 16-28) two women come to Solomon to decide the fate of a child. One of the mothers rolled over on her baby in her sleep and smothered it. She then took the other woman’s baby and claimed it as her own. To resolve the case, Solomon ordered the child to be cut in two and half given to each mother. But the real mother, out of love, cried out, “Please don’t kill the child. Let the other woman have it.” Solomon awarded the child to the woman who plead for the child’s life; God had given him the wisdom to know that she was the real mother.
Wisdom as judgment was expressed in a story about a moneylender who was about to throw a debtor in prison for non-payment of his debts. The debtor had a beautiful daughter. The lender offered to cancel the debt if the man would give his daughter in marriage to him. The moneylender proposed a deal. He would put a black and a white pebble into an empty money bag. The girl was to blindly choose one of the pebbles. If it were black, she would be his wife and her father’s debt would be cancelled. If it were white, she would stay with her father and the debt would be cancelled. If she refused to pick, her father would go to jail, and the girl would starve. The father and daughter reluctantly agreed to the test.
When the moneylender stooped down to pick up the pebbles, the girl noticed that he picked up two black stones. When she reached in to pick one of the stones, she deliberately let it fall and cried, “Oh, how clumsy of me, but it doesn’t matter. If you look in the bag, you can tell which color I chose by the color of the one still there.” The stingy and crafty moneylender dare not admit his dishonesty. Her wisdom won her and her father’s freedom.
Wisdom also means the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Solomon asked for understanding, “that I may discern between good and evil.” Why would Solomon have a problem in this area? Did he not have the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai? Do they not tell us what is right and wrong? Yes, the Decalogue tells us what’s right and wrong in general terms. The problem comes when we apply the commandment to a specific situation. The 5th commandment is, “Thou shalt not kill.” But does this mean a police officer or a person in the military cannot do their job as part of their sworn duties? And the need for wisdom doesn’t stop here, we need wisdom in our civil dealings as well. Is prayer in public schools right or wrong? Is the government right or wrong in legislating morals? Do my rights end where your feelings begin? Is censorship of speech, literature, and art right or wrong, and under what circumstances? It takes a great deal of wisdom to know what’s right and what’s wrong. Things are not always thou shalt and thou shalt not. Wisdom requires understanding.
Solomon asked God for more than just discernment, he asked for understanding. One of the things that plagued Jesus’ ministry was the lack of understanding on the part of the Disciples. At Caesarea Philippi, Peter didn’t understand the necessity of Jesus’ going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Philip couldn’t understand who Jesus was. Jesus had to ask, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip?” The Disciples on the way to Emmaus didn’t understand that Jesus would rise again. Jesus exclaimed, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” Notice their lack of wisdom by Jesus’ rebuke – “O foolish men!”
The question is before us, do we understand God ourselves? Do we see ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior? One time a preacher asked his bishop how he could get a message from God. The bishop told him to go outside and lift his face to the heavens and wait for a message. It was raining, and the rain fell on his face. After some hours, he returned, soaking wet. The bishop asked him if he learned anything. The preacher said, “All that I learned was what a damn fool I was to stand out there in the rain.” “Well,” replied the bishop, “what more enlightenment would you need?” Wisdom tells us to understand what a fool we are to be without Christ.
Do we understand God, or do we, along with Philip, ask, show us the Father? There was a time when Luther failed to understand the true nature of God. He hated the phrase, “the righteousness of God.” He was angry with God, yes, even hated God who punished sinners. But one day, wisdom in terms of understanding came to him. He explained, “At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, ‘In it, the righteousness of God is revealed,’ as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’ There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith … Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.”
The final question we need to ask then is how do we gain wisdom? Now that we know what wisdom is and that wisdom is our deepest need, how do we get it? First, we need to recognize that true wisdom is a gift of God. In fact, wisdom is God. Just as God is love, truth, and life, God is wisdom. Thus, only God can give wisdom as He gives Himself to us. As the Psalmist declares, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” For us to gain wisdom, we, like Solomon, we must ask for it: “Give thy servant, therefore, an understanding mind…” Jesus put it simply, “Ask and you will receive.”
Also, we can get wisdom if we let Christ rule our hearts and minds. St. Paul admonishes, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus …” In another place, Paul refers to “Christ the wisdom of God.” Have in you the mind of Christ and wisdom will be yours. He is wisdom because He is the personification of truth and is the very Son of God. To have truth is to have wisdom. Daily we should pray, “Come into my mind, Lord Jesus. Come into my mind to stay.”
Additionally, we acquire wisdom by listening to the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. He’s the one who will enlighten us so that we will have good judgment in all matters. As we begin this New Year, let our request for wisdom be our New Year’s resolution. Before we get one day older, we need to ask God to meet our deepest need, the need for wisdom and understanding. Then, and only then, we can have a wise and discerning mind.
Amen.