“The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.” Genesis 3.6.
The clamour for wisdom has been as ancient as the history of mankind. One of the tricks that Satan pulled through the serpent to deceive Eve was that eating from the tree would offer them some wisdom.
It is natural for human beings after having stayed somewhere for sometime to become curious to have knowledge of the environment. People want to know more than what the authorities tell them. They become curious to gain some knowledge and wisdom which they can use to their advantage.
Some would go to the authorities to ask questions but some would resort to gossips, insinuations, assumptions and presumptions. In the course of curiosity, some would claim to know more than what others know and give some information. Such information born out of gossip and rebellion often lead to mistrust, rebellion, dissatisfaction, disloyalty or divided loyalty and sometimes sheer conspiracy.
God was available and accessible to Adam and Eve, for He comes to them in the cool of the day. They could have asked God questions to satisfy their curiosity but they began to pay attention to another source of knowledge. No wonder God asked them, “Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”(Genesis 3.11). God knew the only reason Adam could feel naked was if he had disobeyed His divine command.
Curiosity leads to disloyalty and disloyalty leads to disobedience and disobedience strips people naked. Don’t allow curiosity to make you seek wisdom in the wrong places for it usually strips people naked either of their authority or glory, or the both.
In your family setting, organisation or service to God, mind how you seek knowledge and wisdom. Any knowledge that makes you to doubt or mistrust your parents or doubt God’s love for you will lead to no good.
Disobedience promises some wisdom but obedience offers the best wisdom. Adam and Eve were better off until they sought to see the nakedness of God. But after eating the fruit of disobedience, their eyes were truly open but only to see their own nakedness, not God’s nakedness. So they started hiding behind trees. They lost their confidence and dignity.
“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.” James 3.13-15 NLT.
The pursuit of wisdom is a universal concern of all human beings regardless of race, colour or creed. History has also revealed that some people have found some wisdom without necessarily finding God.
James made it clear that there is heavenly wisdom and there is earthly wisdom. The wisdom from above is usually “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”(James 3.13). It is characterised by humility, submission, fruitfulness and sincerity.
But earthly wisdom is earthly, unspiritual and demonic. It is a product of dust and will end here in the dust because it has no any element of eternity in it. It is usually driven by selfish ambition, ego and pride. It is insatiable and untameable.
If earthly wisdom begins to operate in a marriage the home will not be peaceful. If it’s in a family there’ll be tumult. If it’s in a church or any organisation, there’ll be rebellion and disloyalty.
The Eden was a type of the Church where divinity and humanity engaged. But when earthly wisdom set in fear, shame and guilt became the order of the day. Even in the church, if care is not taken earthly wisdom may be ruling in place of God’s wisdom.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9.10). It is the pathway into wisdom, the gate through which we walk to become wise. True wisdom is that affectionate reverence, by which the child of God bends himself humble and carefully to his Father’s law” in “every exercise of the mind” and “every object of life.” In other words, there is no knowledge apart from godliness. If we want God’s wisdom, we must live God’s way.
Wisdom has got many benefits which we will study later. Every thing you need and will ever need is available in God’s wisdom.
Prayers
- Father in the name of Jesus, I thank you for the wisdom from above that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and fruitful in my life.
- Father in the name of Jesus, I receive the grace to resist the corruption of earthly wisdom. I will not be stripped naked of power and glory by the earthly wisdom.
- Father in the name of Jesus, I walk in God’s wisdom and become creative and fruitful.