“Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).
POWER AND WISDOM (Pt 1)
The Apostle Paul lets us know where power and wisdom lie. People may think they have power in this life but as Jesus said to Pilate, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11).
The greatest earthly king of his time was Nebuchadnezzar, and he was spoken to by Daniel who knew that it’s the Lord who has power and wisdom: “He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning” (Dan 2:21).
Nebuchadnezzar had his own lessons to learn; it took him a while to come to reason but he eventually acknowledged where power and wisdom resides.
Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18). We are glad and full of joy that power lies in the hands of someone who has the wisdom to use it.
People on earth sometimes think they have wisdom and power but they fall far short of what God sees as wisdom and power. “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate… Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Cor 1:19, 20).
Paul continues to press his point, “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25).
My mother and I used to pray on occasions where we needed help that we would be given the wisdom of Solomon, and the strength of Samson, (we also added the spirit of Elijah). But let’s think about Solomon first, yes, he was wise. The fame of his wisdom soon spread around the regions surrounding Israel, we read, “Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt… his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations” (1 Kings 4:30, 31).
Yet Solomon did not have power over his own sinful nature, we read, “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4). Wisdom alone does not ensure victory over temptations.
Then we look at Samson who had great power and strength, yet Samson also fell foul of beguiling temptations. Samon played fast and loose with the secret of his strength. The angel had told Samson’s mother that “no razor shall come over his head” (Judges 13:5).
Yet Samson lacked the insight to know that revealing his secret to Delilah would put his special relationship to God in jeopardy. Samson was in a covenant with God, and his hair was one of the markers of that covenant, yet Samson’s lack of foresight ended with Samson losing his eyesight.
We all fail in both power and wisdom, and yet there is one man who stood against the wiles of the enemy, someone who has both wisdom and strength to overcome the temptations that he faced.
“Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed” (Rev 5:5).
And someone who had the power to heal a lady who touched the hem of his garment. “Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’” (Mark 5:30).
So we rejoice that there was one among our number who overcame in both power, strength and wisdom, for it is he who can save all who turn to him.
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5).