"King Solomon Traded Godly Wisdom for the Wisdom of the World!"

King Solomon traded Godly wisdom for the wisdom of the world. He sure did. And this message will demonstrate that.

Hello and welcome to the weekly broadcast of Jeshurun Ministry GB's program. Preach the gospel. Trouble is coming to the earth. It is the program designed to give you effective solutions for handling the problems in your life. And in this troubled season, yes, friend, King Solomon traded Godly wisdom for the wisdom of the world.

Today's generation also should be the wisest generation of all time. And they have traded Godly wisdom for the wisdom of the world. They are far from being wise. And so the world lacks wisdom at the worst possible time when populations are expanding and food shortages and high prices begin to bite. And there is a lack of Godly wisdom on all stages of the world like never before. If ever friend there was a time when the rich, the poor, the teachers and the powerful leaders of the world needed to display Godly wisdom in handling personal, business, global affairs. It is today and we seem to have entered a season of the antichrist, the season of rampant deception, the season of never ending wars. And it does not appear that any of these wars started in this season will end anytime soon because nobody wants to give in. There's been an unexplainable and unexpected shift in the atmosphere. We've entered a stage where diplomacy is no longer an option. Discussing our issues no longer an option. Even in communities, there's an unwillingness to yield on all sides of various conflicts that are going on on the global stage as well as in communities and families today. The Apostle Paul prophesied about these perilous times, times when men will be unwilling to yield.

And yes, friend, James is the wisdom book of the New Testament. This wisdom book of James which is definitely called the wisdom book of the New Testament is filled with precious wisdom from above. James the brother of Jesus Christ speaks to the rich. He speaks to the powerful as well as to the meek and lowly asking the question who among you is wise and intelligent or understanding. Let him by his good conduct show his good deeds with the gentleness and humility of true wisdom. James 3 and 13. God's Word is here calling leaders. It's calling teachers and ordinary men and women like us to demonstrate Godly wisdom by our good behavior and respectful manner of speaking while performing with honor and humility in a noble and gentle way. But alas, no one seemed to be listening. In a minute, we will look at three decisions that have set the world on fire. Each one by itself can bring the world to a nuclear disaster.

But first, let us pray. Father, we give You thanks and praise for the wisdom that comes down to us from Your glorious kingdom. Dear Lord, we pray that You would give this Godly wisdom to the listeners of this message. We pray that You would give them understanding and open their eyes to the difference between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom that comes down from You. Bless them with the knowledge of Your Word. We pray this prayer in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

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Now, back to the message and the three decisions that have set the world on fire. Number one, nuclear armed Russia decided to invade Ukraine in 2022. And four years later, at least 1.4 million Russians are missing, wounded or dead. Not to mention an unknown number of North Koreans and Ukrainians as well. Number two, Hamas decided to attack nuclear armed Israel on October 7th, 2023, killing more than 2,000 Israelis. Israel responded with a vengeance. And now there are more than 250,000 dead or wounded Palestinians with thousands more missing. And the entire Gaza Strip is practically destroyed. And the war then has spread to Lebanon. And now the entire Mid East is on edge. Number three, nuclear armed Israel and nuclear armed America decided to attack Iran 6 months ago and today there are 30,000 missing or wounded Iranians and 820 missing and 18 dead Americans and perhaps more. In addition, the entire world has been hit by sharp rises in fuel prices and by fuel shortages which continue to get worse day after day as the conflict rages with no end in sight. Iran has been left with billions of dollars in damage from bombs launched by the US and Israel.

These conflicts have been caused by self-seeking, bitter envy, and they're kept alive by the drive to get even, which is a never ending process. And therefore, the leaders are caught in what they call the escalation trap. And day by day, the conflicts grow more violent with no end in sight. This wisdom possessed by these leaders does not come from above, but it is of the kingdom of the world. It is sensual and demonic according to James 3.

And so there are two basic types of wisdom. James tells us the first is Godly wisdom. In James 3:14-16, it goes on to say, "But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exists, there's confusion and every evil thing. This first kind of wisdom belongs to the world and it is counterfeit. This is the type of wisdom that is widely used, celebrated in the business world and by powerful leaders on the world stage today. The world runs on this kind of fake wisdom and it is very destructive.

Here's what James is saying about worldly wisdom. He's telling us that if you have bitterness in your heart, if you're envious of others and speak ill of them, you're not demonstrating wisdom that is pure and pleasing to God. He says, if you're selfish in your motives, only thinking about your own wants, you lack understanding about what God requires of us. He says, if you lie and are not a truth teller, a truth speaker, you have no appreciation for God and His holy Word. In fact, he says, "You are an enemy of the true wisdom of God's Word."

The Bible describes this wisdom as absurd stupidity and foolishness in the eyes of God. And the Bible warns that He catches the wise and clever in their craftiness according to 1 Corinthians 3 and 19. James described this wisdom, however, as being very fleshly and even demonic. It is created or designed by Satan and he says you can easily recognize it because wherever it operates, you will find things like revenge seeking, jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder, unrest, and every evil imaginable on display.

Well, friend, Samson was led by the wisdom of the world. Samson was blessed by God with superior human strength. He was the most powerful man that ever lived. However, he displayed worldly wisdom in much of his behavior. He turned to the use of clever trickery, riddles, and getting even against his enemies by relying on brute strength and human cunning as opposed to obedience to God. For instance, on his wedding day, he turned to the use of a clever riddle, hoping to outsmart the young Philistine men assigned to him at his wedding. The young man turned the tables on Samson by forcibly persuading his bride to pull the answer to the riddle out of him. When he lost the bet, he also discovered that his bride had betrayed him. Now filled with rage, he left her and returned home to his parents. When he came back for her, he discovered that his father-in-law had given her to one of the young men. And this caused his anger to return with a vengeance. In order to get even, Samson tied 300 foxes together in pairs with burning torches attached and set them loose in the Philistine grain fields in their vineyards and olive groves. It was disastrous for them and for Samson.

Let us examine heavenly wisdom. James 3:17 says the following about it. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. In other words, the wisdom that is true, comes from above. And this is the kind of wisdom that Solomon asked for and is referred to as divine wisdom. The first thing about it is that it is pure. It is reliable, wholesome, and pleasing to God. And this kind of wisdom will never fail you, my friend.

This Godly wisdom brings peace to our surroundings. It dispels chaos. It is not abrasive and harsh. And it is evenhandedly applied with understanding. Persons using this kind of wisdom do not have to always be seen to be right for the sake of peace. Those that have this wisdom will give in whenever necessary. Yes, they have a willingness to yield for the greater good. As long as by yielding they do not offend God. They will decrease so that Christ may increase.

Well, there was one case that made Solomon famous for his wisdom. We'll explore that. Solomon's application of Godly wisdom to a very difficult case brought him fame that went all around the world and is even recognized today. One day two women living in the same house came before Solomon. One of the women had accidentally rolled upon her baby during the night and smothered the child to death. Now both women standing before the king claimed that the single living baby was their own. It was perplexing. There were no witnesses to the unfortunate event that happened in the dark of night and there was no one who could say who was the birth mother of the live baby. Using Godly wisdom, Solomon called for a sword so that he could divide the child into two pieces, declaring that half would be given to one woman and the other half to the other. The first woman agreed to having the child split in two pieces. But the second woman begged Solomon to spare the baby's life, offering to give the child entirely to the other woman in order to save his life. Well, using the wisdom of God, Solomon knew that the real mother would choose life for her child, even if it meant losing the child to the other woman. Therefore, he awarded the living baby to the second woman because she demonstrated genuine motherly love for the child. When the people of the kingdom of Israel learned about his ruling, they were impressed and praised God for the king's amazing wisdom.

What about King Solomon's error and his turn away from God? Yes, it happened during the course of his lifetime. While King Solomon had the distinction of being called the wisest man that ever lived, he went out and married 700 wives and he took unto himself 300 concubines. And some of these wives were foreign women who worshiped other gods. Unfortunately, Solomon allowed them to lead him astray and to lead him into worshiping false gods when he got old. He also gathered great riches to himself. And God had warned him against doing these things.

And so, the wisest man that ever lived was corrupted by greed. He turned away from Yahweh even though the God of Israel had appeared to him twice. And because of this, the Lord promised that he would tear the kingdom away from Solomon. But he showed Solomon mercy and did not do it while he was still alive. He did this after Solomon's death and gave 10 tribes to Solomon's servant Jeroboam. And because of the faithfulness of David, He kept one tribe for Solomon's son, whose name was Rehoboam.

And so Solomon's life demonstrate that having wisdom is not better than having obedience to God. And neither does it guarantee obedience to God. Having wisdom means that you almost always know what is the right or the best thing to do when you're faced with life's many challenges. However, it clearly does not mean that you will always do what you know to be the best thing to do.

Here's a comparison of worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom. The wisdom of the world for instance says Jesus Christ is not the name of God's Son. Divine wisdom says He has many names and Jesus Christ is just one of them. And its origin is rooted in transliteration and translation moving from ancient Hebrew through Greek and Latin into English.

The wisdom of the world tells us there is no God. Divine wisdom tells us in the beginning was the Word who is Jesus Christ and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God and all things were made by Him.

The wisdom of the world says there are many ways to the Father and almost any of the religions of the world could get you there. Divine wisdom says there's only one way and that is through Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life.

The wisdom of the world tells us truth is relative. It is whatever you make it. Divine wisdom tells us the Word of God is truth. And furthermore, for the wise, it shall be a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path.

The wisdom of the world tells us you can choose your gender from a list of genders created by Satan. Divine wisdom, however, tells us God made them male and female.

The wisdom of the world tells us, "Do it to others before they can do it to you." Divine wisdom tells us, "Do unto others as youwould have them do unto you."

And then the wisdom of the world tells us take whatever you want. Grab it while you can. Divine wisdom tells us give and you shall receive. And it says give and it shall be given unto you.

The wisdom of the world tells us the poor are worthless. They are fools who are to be despised. Divine wisdom tells us blessed are the poor in spirit. In other words, they are elevated by God, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The wisdom of the world tells us, "Kill the enemy. Get even with those that harm or rob you. While divine wisdom tells us, bless those that curse you and pray for those that despitefully use you.

Father, we give You thanks. We give You praise for this word, this message today. And we thank You for the listeners that You may make them immensely wise. And perhaps there are some that do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Well, friend, we want to give you an opportunity to make that right today. Please engage your heart and say this prayer after me:

• Father, I am a sinner.

• I am sorry for all my sins.

• I crave Your forgiveness.

• Dear Lord, please forgive me.

• Thank You, Lord.

• I've decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

• Dear Lord Jesus, please come into my heart.

• In fact, I give You the key to my heart because I want to belong to You forever.

• Please keep the key forever.

• Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

• Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. There are so many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master. One day soon we will all be gathered and meet Him in the air.

In the meantime, we want to encourage you to let your pastor know you've committed your life to the Lord and you want to be baptized the way Jesus Christ was baptized by immersion.

Begin reading the Word of God every day. It is your daily food. Begin reading audibly, that is. In the book of John. Then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Pray daily. Attend at your local church. And one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself. and we shall indeed forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.