Devotion
What does it mean to be wise?
David Jacobs
If I asked you who the wisest person in the Bible was, who would you say? Maybe Jesus, maybe Moses, but the name Solomon is almost synonymous with wisdom, referenced several times in the books of the Bible (especially 1 Kings 3 and 4). His wisdom was so great that God rewarded him as He rewarded no other man on earth: He chose Solomon as the person to build His temple in Jerusalem. King David is one of the most lauded characters in the Old Testament, and he was ready to build the temple for God. God chose his son, Solomon, known for his wisdom, rather than David, a conquering war hero, known perhaps too much for bloodshed and sin. David accepts this nobly, for he knows that Solomon is...the wise choice (1 Chronicles 28-29).
There are 2 things to notice about these verses: first, it is God's favor to wisdom. With sound counsel, understanding, and wisdom, there is strength.
The second thing to notice is what God abhors: evil, pride, and arrogance. These are the things that God hates. These are the evil way, the path to darkness. God does not hate many things, but these are the things He makes clear to use the word hate in reference to. If we are to fully understand and follow the word of the Lord, we must remember these verses: to closely follow God's path, we must love wisdom and hate pride and arrogance. To do so grants us more wisdom and strength. With these things, we can build our own inner temple, just as Solomon did, and join God, Solomon, and Christ, in the temple of heaven.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, lead me away from all sin, and towards a path of wisdom, understanding, and strength. I ask that you pardon my sins when I have been arrogant and prideful; I shall do all in my power to be better and clasp to the things that you deem righteous. Amen.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
