Godly wisdom
1 Kings 10: 1- 13. Acts 13: 1 – 13. John 6: 24 – 35. RSV Bible
Have you had one of those conversations where you hear about a place where there is a movement of the Holy Spirit going on? The last one that I heard of was at ‘The Victory’ Church in Newport, Wales. Godly wisdom always checks out the information. I went on line to investigate. A number of people had been healed and hundreds of people were going to substantiate what they had heard.
The Queen of Sheba had heard of the Godly wisdom of Solomon she travelled from East Yemen to Jerusalem to find out first hand if the reports were true.
The Queen sought some answers to hard questions, the Jewish Midrash, suggests that these questions were riddles, but maybe they were the problems she faced, the things that would impact her rule over her kingdom.
We read that Queen Sheba noted Solomon’s wise administration of his kingdom, the way he structured his governing body of officials, their seating and dress code. The people were happy in their day jobs; she discerned they respected his leadership. She was pleased with the outcome of her visit; they exchanged gifts from their abundance of wealth: gold, precious jewels, and goods.
Our nation needs Godly wisdom at this present time. The outcome of the complexities of the ‘Brexit’ negotiations will I pray be fair and just.
Jesus remarked on the Queen of Sheba’s visit, she travelled far in order to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Significantly he said, ‘Someone greater than Solomon was here.’ Luke 11: 31
People in Jesus’ day flocked to hear his words and to see the miracles and healing.
In John’s gospel we read that Jesus questioned the spiritual integrity of the people as they were seeking signs from him.
The late Derek Prince said about Jesus, “In the Old Testament you will find prophets who healed and raised the dead, but Jesus was different he cast out demons, he did what no one else had previously done and so many wanted to see this new sensational ministry. He had a great following” YouTube Derek Prince “Spiritual Warfare’
Word of wisdom
“When you get tangled up in our own problems, be still, God wants us to be still, so He can untangle the knot.” Author unknown.
In Acts 13 Paul and Barnabas have been sent out to visit the synagogues with the good news proclaiming the resurrection and that Jesus was the Christ. On the island of Cyprus Paul and Barnabas were asked by the proconsul Serguis Paulus to visit him and share with him their message. At the meeting another man was present Jewish magician Bar Jesus and Paul discerned that he opposed their message, and tried to stop the proconsul from turning to faith. Paul responded and directed his words to disarm the spirit of the man. He found himself unable to see for a period of time. The proconsul when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Jesus’ word of wisdom
Jesus’ wisdom being greater than Solomon’s, for example: Jesus in conversation in the synagogue at Capernaum said, “Do not labour for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life which the Son of man will give you; for on him has God set his seal.”
What kind of food perishes: the words coming from religions that promise eternal life through the sayings and teaching coming from idol worship, atheists are people who deny the existence of God and humanists who have their own ideals of a pinnacle of self -expression, a self- actualised state, they can fix everything themselves.
The food that lasts for eternity
“The food that endures to eternal life which the Son of man will give you”.
This ‘Food’ he refers to as the bread coming from God and not from Moses.
When Jesus said that he was the bread coming from heaven, the people listening took his words literally, when he said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6: 51 He continued saying that they should eat his flesh and drink his blood was against all of the laws relating to food, ‘as food was spiritually part of them,’ as a result: some were appalled as they kept Kosher laws especially not eating the blood. So even some of Jesus’ followers couldn’t accept these words and didn’t follow him anymore. John 6: 52, 66
‘Spiritually part of them’ Paul wrote in his letter to the Roman church said that the law was holy and spiritual and we can understand this when Jesus fulfilled the law in himself. As a result where the law couldn’t change our nature, but through faith and grace his death and resurrection, his indwelling spirit is in every Christian, the spirit of the law is written in the heart. Romans 2 29. 7: 12, 14. 8:10, 11. Hebrews 8: 10-12.
Jesus fulfilled the law: the bread of ‘Presence’ the Shrewbread that was baked for the priests to eat in the temple. Leviticus 24: 5-9.
Mark recorded hearing Jesus say that wasn’t what they ate that made them unclean in God’s eyes, it was what came from the heart, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. These are what defile a person. Thus he declared all food clean.’” Mark 7: 14-23.
God’s wisdom to Peter in the vision in Acts 10
“And there came a voice to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “No, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
Soon after Pentecost the apostle Peter was staying at Simon the tanner’s house at Joppa. While Simon and Peter were preparing the evening meal, Peter had a vision, he saw the heaven opened, and something descending, like a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “No, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
We read that Peter was perplexed as to what the vision might mean, while he was pondering the vision, three men called at the house asking for Peter. The Holy Spirit had spoken to Peter (in his inner ear), to go with these men. They told Peter that Cornelius a Centurion had seen a vision of an angel who directed him to send for Peter. Peter went with the three men to the home of Cornelius. On their arrival he remembered the words in the vision, “God has shown me not to call any man common or unclean,” he told all who had gathered there about Jesus, as he was telling them the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. Peter’s companions were amazed that Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit.
Following on we read, “Peter went up to Jerusalem and the circumcision party criticised him, saying, “Why did you go to the uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Peter began and explained to them in order.” When they heard this they were silenced, and they glorified God . . . “ Acts 11: 2, 3, 18.
Peter had discerned that the Gentiles he met had fulfilled the vision. Also we discern that Peter had been given the keys of the kingdom; here he used the second key to open the door of the kingdom to the Gentile, the other nation. At Pentecost with the first key he opened the kingdom to the Jewish nation.
Paul wrote about the law being written in the hearts of Gentiles, “When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law unto themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience bears witness on their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them”. Romans 14, 15.
God’s wisdom is hard to understand.
From my own experience when God gave me a word to start a pottery business for the church, my immediate reaction, ‘the church doesn’t have businesses.’ I asked two ladies to pray with me from my church and soon afterwards I found myself going to evening class on pottery at the local college. The end result was that I bought ready glazed china mugs and decorated them with floral transfers and Bible verses. I stepped out in faith and over ten years ‘The Decade of Evangelism,’ I worked voluntary full time any profits went to my church and local charities. The pottery was a success with 400 going into Londonderry Northern Ireland during 1994 when the peace process was going on.
God has set his seal of approval on his plan of salvation through His Son Jesus
Jesus saying “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and me in him,” he was referring to the partaking of his sacrifice becoming one with him laying down his life for sin and the food laws.
Having been sealed with his atoning sacrifice by Jesus the bread that came from heaven sustains human life, through his death and resurrection.
Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians;
22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1: 22-24
At the Holy Communion the bread and the wine are symbols of Jesus’ sacrifice of his body and blood; it’s in the wisdom of God that we are reminded of God’s saving grace in the communion.
Jesus pointed to his words as being living bread.
Jesus went on to say, “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is no avail; (profits nothing) the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” John 6: 63.
The joy of giving and receiving the word of God spoken in love acted on by the Holy Spirit is the best thing ever, to see a person’s whole life change, their demeanour change, their manner, attitude and appearance, and conversation; it’s like a flower opening and their fragrance filling the air.