When we think of the wisdom of God do we think generally
about the wisdom of creation? Paul did. When he wrote the letter to the church at
Rome he first talked about how creation displays the glory of God. In our day, we have come to believe another
creation account haven't we. If we
accept the story undirected evolution tells us we have a somewhat lesser god
than the God of the Bible. The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom is a common theme of wisdom
literature. It isn't popular to preach
hell but there is a truth there in that when we recognize there is something
fearsome about a holy God who created everything then we come to submit to Him. "If you desire wisdom, keep the
commandments, and the Lord will lavish her upon you." Judaism teaches that gaining wisdom requires
walking in the wisdom you already possess by this fear. When we walk in light of that truth, we put
ourselves in a situation where we can receive more wisdom. Obedience matters and Paul would certainly
agree that if we follow the path of knowledge from creation we will find the
creator and we will find He is not only great but good. Are we truly seeking to know Him?
The wisdom James, John and Peter gained this day on the mountain
with Jesus is that He is different from Moses and Elijah, the law and the
prophets, not by degree but by category.
Jesus is God's Son and that sets Him apart in every way. They are told to listen to Him but that in no
way invalidates the ministry and import of either of those others. They were His servants, as the writer of
Hebrews will argue, but the Son has a different place in the household than the
servant. Jesus is the wisdom and power
of God incarnate. These three men,
leaders in the apostolic church, needed a personal revelation that changed
their perspective on things. They needed
to know where Jesus fit in order to lead the church after His ascension. These two men also disappeared as Moses died
and God buried him and Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind. His uniqueness as Son means that He
supersedes these two without denying their work. The Law and prophets have a place but they
are subservient to Jesus.
On Malta Paul is bitten by a snake and the people conclude that
he must be a murderer who, although he didn't drown at sea, nonetheless
receives justice because he will soon die.
Instead, the Lord is using this as a sign but initially the people
misinterpret the sign and come to believe Paul is a god himself. We can only assume that, like at Lystra in
Acts 14, Paul corrects this mistake prior to praying for the chief man and
seeing him healed. In all things, it is incumbent
on us to give glory to God. We might not
be used to heal anyone but when we work in our giftedness of any sort, we can
point to Him as the giver of all good things.
Wisdom is the Lord's.
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