BIBLE PHILOSOPHY.........Gave myself to Wisdom, Knowledge, but all is Vanity!




VANITY OF PLEASURE!


INTRODUCTION:

God is an all-wise, all-knowing God.  He loves wisdom, operates in wisdom and loves His sons and daughters who walk in wisdom. The importance of wisdom in the affairs of life cannot be ignored.  

Wisdom saves and preserves life.  Wisdom also protects and maketh one rich.  I share with us here some of the scriptures on Wisdom and everyone full of the Spirit of God walk in divine wisdom.

How can a person get wisdom? Who can we say is a wise person? How can we get to know the mysteries of the wisdom of God that are so necessary for every one of us? May the teaching presented in this write-up become a personal revelation about how not to be carried away by things of the world, its beauty and pleasure, but to see them as vanity that will pass away with the world itself.

Brief on King Solomon
Again, I looked at the confessions of King Solomon about pleasures.  This is the second review of King Solomon's experience and counsel on how to see the things of this world.  He experienced pleasure like no King before him and after, and eventually enrolled himself on the 'School of pleasure' to enjoy it and know what it is.  He became the first person on record to be obsessed with women.  He could not let go of a beautiful woman, a terrible error that left him with 1000 women living with him as wives and concubines, which eventually led to his downfall.

The other power influencer that men kill to have, Money was also in the house of King Solomon in abundance, being a wise man.  But unfortunately, his conclusion is that pleasure, wine and money are all Vanity.  I plead with you to apply these wisdom concepts in your life and you will be surprised how the 'grip of this world' would leave you alone.

What is wisdom?

Wisdom is so important for our Christian journey and the bible advised children of God to get wisdom, in all their getting.  It says we should get an understanding as well. One reason for this advice is for each one to fulfil his purpose in life.  Without wisdom, no one can fulfil destiny.  You will easily be distracted by the good things you have or the troubles you face, and once distracted, you may never be able to get to your destination in life.  Wisdom keeps you in check.

If anyone will be distracted to focus on vanity...something that is today, and tomorrow it's not, the person will hardly operate at his full potential and God's purpose for every man, which is to know and serve Him may never be achieved.

The reason why it was King Solomon that dwelt extensively on wisdom is understandable.  He was the only one so blessed with wisdom by God, with an uncommon understanding of cunning mysteries otherwise hidden from men.  While many people muse and laugh over the words of King Solomon, a careful study will reveal that his words are loaded with wisdom.  

He was able to posit the most important question of man, his purpose and the reasons why God created each person.  God created you to serve Him with all your heart and the next most important knowledge all men need is that the world we are living in will soon pass away, that is why he called all things Vanity. 

This King was given wisdom beyond measure by God, so he had the capacity to reason and think above all the Kings before him.  Whether it is evil or good, Solomon had time and brainpower to reason it out, research and physically try his hands on it.  He was completely unassuming in whatever he gave his mind to think about and to know.

The good things about Life

So, he gave his heart to know madness and folly, mirth and pleasure, wine and drunkenness.  He tried to discover what foolishness means and to lay hold on folly.  Solomon is saying that God created man and created the things that will enable man to enjoy life and fulfil a purpose on earth, but those other things and love of those other things suddenly became the preoccupation of people on earth. Some people live a life of pleasure, while others live a life that is focused on making money and accumulating wealth.

He set his heart on riches, treasures, singing, music and all associated with entertainment and pleasure.  He set his eyes to know the wickedness of folly and foolishness of madness and as such he encountered women like no man else.  King Solomon gave himself to idolatry and unbridled lust, he knew first-hand the enticing power of looking at every woman on the street. 

There are women a man need not turn back to look at, not because they are evil women NO!  But because the moment you turn to look at them, you open yourself up for manipulation by the spirit of lust following the woman.  Men will understand what I am saying.  You may never remember the face of a woman you saw on the street, but once you turn back to look at her, then you will remember her face and looks, several days after you first saw her.  If you are weak, you can start thinking about her or better still, lusting for her in your heart.  King Solomon experienced this evil and confessed saying:

He says "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labour; And this was my reward from all my labour." 

This single weakness (Lust) destroyed the glorious destiny God gave him, as the King fell in love with every single woman that got close to him and ended up with 1000 women - 700 wives and Princesses and 300 concubines 1 Kings 11:3. This was the reason for his fall.  In Eccl 2:10 - King Solomon in spite of his wisdom could not control his thoughts and eyes around women.  

Why is Wisdom the Principal thing?

Wisdom is one of the weapons that God equips His people with, to enable them to subdue the earth and have dominion over it; just the same way God has dominion over the whole universe. 

Who is this wisdom? - This is the voice and counsel of God!.  It is gentle and subtle.  It divides the ocean, calms the boisterous wind, dries up the sea and makes it dry land. Why is she calling out and lifting up her voice? Is wisdom necessary for man? Why does he need it? Wisdom consists of all those precious revelations that the Lord gives to people so that they may find their way to success and be equipped to establish His Kingdom here on earth. 

The Bible says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5). However, people do not realize that it may not come at a twinkle of an eye.  You cannot pray for wisdom one evening and then wake up the next morning full of wisdom.  It is a gift of God, you should desire and crave it, but it comes with persistence praying and applying yourself to the things you know already. Also, walking with wise people will help you operate in wisdom as wisdom is the ability to discern situations correctly and take the right decision.

It is the key to reigning on the earth
Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice? She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, beside the way, where the paths meet. She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors: To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart. Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my lips will come right things; for my mouth will speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold… (Proverbs 8:1–10)

No man can operate in dominion without wisdom. so, all who love to live a dominion lifestyle, will ultimately love wisdom and crave for it as a critical key to dominion and success.  It says "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth". (Proverbs 8:14–16)

It doesn’t matter the job you have or the work a person does, one person could be a minister, while another person works in a factory. Both of them, by equipping themselves with God’s wisdom, will likewise be able to reign in life.

Better than Anointing
Every Christian would love to be anointed, yet that cannot be compared to wisdom. Wisdom is more important than anointing. If a person’s head is empty, then his endeavour to get the anointing is in vain. Anointing without wisdom is totally ineffective. The anointing will produce the result you desire, but wisdom will explain and sustain the result. Wisdom is like knowing the ways of God, while miracles are His acts.  

One of the wisest men on earth, King Solomon, says in the Book of Proverbs that …Wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. I, wisdom, dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion. (Proverbs 8:11,12)

Better than possessions 
Many people spend large sums of money on clothing, property and cosmetics…, but all these are of less significance than wisdom; it is better to possess wisdom. Only wisdom can lead you to success in life.  Wisdom inspires us with supernaturally conceived plans and programs, which when you follow, the end result is success.

Wisdom is the principal thing in life, yet many think earthly possessions are the principal thing.  This is why the Lord warned His followers that a man's value does not consist of his earthly possession.  Many people still cry and pray to God for money, instead of the wisdom to get wealth.  When the wisdom to get wealth comes, not only money is possible, but prosperity and wealth, peace and longer days.  Wisdom requires persistent and courageous asking and applying yourself to the knowledge you already possessed. 

Characteristics of Wise people

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7) — But once you get it, the advantages are endless.  If you have this gift, which is the principal thing, you will:

1. Fear of the Lord is just the first rung on the ladder. It is the foundation, a stone, without which you cannot lay even a single brick.

Wisdom belongs to those who fear the Lord and Wisdom is hidden in the fear of the Lord. And to man, He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ (Job 28:28)

It is not possible to have divine wisdom without the fear of the Lord. If there is anything worth fighting for, in preserving our soul, it is the fear of God. I have always said that there is something wrong with anyone who does not fear the Lord.  God’s secrets are revealed only to people who fear Him. And because of this, we can know the secrets of His heart and understand His thoughts. God keeps nothing secret from those who fear Him. Whoever has the fear of the Lord becomes His friend, someone He can reveal His thoughts to. 

If a person doesn’t have the fear of the Lord, then He has not even begun knowing God. The absence of the fear of God is what allows such a person to watch pornographic films and deceive people… Unfortunately, he will never get away with this, deception will ruin him. No matter how hard he prays, nothing will help. This is the voice of true wisdom!

Friends, run away from anyone who does not fear the Lord.  Such a person can do just anything.  There is no evil such people are not capable of doing, but on the contrary, if a person knows God’s thoughts, then you have seen an anointed of the Lord.

2. Live in Prudence - Wisdom dwells with prudence, not with anointing. People that operate in wisdom are the people that dwell in prudence.  They do only what is right, and required.  They consider and weigh their word before they speak and they are not people of many words. If a person has wisdom, then he will also have anointing. However, even with the anointing, a man may still lack wisdom. Wisdom cautions you to be discrete and such a lifestyle is powerful. 

Operations of Wisdom
Jesus was anointed. But His anointing came through the Spirit of Wisdom of the Almighty God. Nobody can receive wisdom as a mere gift. No-one can wake up one morning and suddenly find himself wise. Wisdom doesn’t come without knowledge and discretion. Wisdom is the result of diligently searching for knowledge and then meditating on it. “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.” (Luke 2:40,52) tells us how Jesus laboured for the anointing by acquiring wisdom first. Wisdom comes through knowledge and understanding.

The conquering nature of wisdom in action can be seen in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. His ministry was empowered and directed by the wisdom of God. When there were rumours going around about Jesus Christ’s and John the Baptist’s ministries, God gave Jesus wisdom to answer the people who were condemning them.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children. (Matthew 11:18,19)

Wisdom justifies a person in the face of any opposition; it raises him up above any enemy or adversary and lifts him high over all principalities and powers. Wisdom was justified by the works that Jesus did and nobody could ever gainsay His wisdom.  For the bible says ...I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. (Luke 21:15).

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

King Solomon said some hard truths about life, among the things he discovered.  Some of them include:

1. I made my work great, I built houses, and planted vineyards.  I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.  I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove.  

2. I acquired male and female servants and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me.  I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. 

So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom remained with me. 

3. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labour; And this was my reward from all my labour. 

4. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labour in which I had toiled, And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. 

Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.  Then I hated all my labour in which I had toiled under the sun because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.  

And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labour in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.  Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labour in which I had toiled under the sun. For there is a man whose labour is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not laboured for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.  

For what has a man for all his labour, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?  For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. 

Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labour. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.  For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?   

Voice of Wisdom Calling
Pursue wisdom by running your Christian race as a stranger on earth, a pilgrim, an Ambassador, who has a home country, which is heaven. 

Pure wisdom from God makes you see the world as Christ saw it.  He said my kingdom is not of this world, and in another instance, He told them to "Give what belongs to Cesar to Cezar and what belongs to God to God. Divine wisdom will make you see the world and its beauty as vanity that will soon pass away, that's the wisdom that I am not focusing on in this message.  

It is better to be a faithful man of God, obedient to God’s word, and be called a fool in the world, but in the eyes of the Lord, we are truly wise.

How to Get Wisdom
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. (Proverbs 4:7)

Get wisdom by prizing her. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you. She will honour you if you embrace her. (Proverbs 4:8)

Don’t be neutral toward wisdom. Prize her. Esteem her. Desire her. Cherish her. And she will honour you with her presence.

Get wisdom by praying — by asking God for her.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5)

Get wisdom by pursuing her.  If you make your ear attentive to wisdom.  If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:2, 4–5)

Don’t be passive. Listen, seek, pursue. She is found by those who prize her and pray for her and pursue her.

Pursue wisdom in the word of God.
The law of the Lord is perfect,    reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure,    making wise the simple. (Psalm 19:7)

Pursue wisdom by walking with wise teachers. Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise. (Proverbs 13:20)

God never intended you to walk through the word and walk through the world alone. Walking with the wise as you ransack the word and ransack the world will make you wiser than if you walked alone.

Pursue wisdom in the light of eternity. Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2)

 Conclusion:

Wisdom is to be desired. Finally, I exhort you, get wisdom! Get understanding and listen always to the voice of wisdom from the Almighty God and your very life will bless others.

King Solomon says God gives wisdom, knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner, He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. Source: Ecclesiastes 2:


FIRE...


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