“Where Can Wisdom Be Found?”

“Where Can Wisdom Be Found?” crooned the psalmist, as The Passion Translation® relays in Psalm 111:10. This seems like a timely, desperate question for all that we are facing currently; news headlines in every direction convey madness upon catastrophe mixed with contention, good grief! Yet this question, and its ensuing pursuit, belongs to the garden: It draws us back to the beginning, to the first reach for wisdom, that fateful moment in the Garden of Eden:

The woman saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it, and also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6 CEB

Eve reasoned that wisdom could be found in fruit from a tree. I doubt she would still agree! Considering the drastic levels of pain, oppression, injustice, perversion, and trauma that has taken place ever since, I hope she would not recommend that way again. Yet we grapple with the same temptation to settle for wisdom from lifeless things; looking for an impersonal way, a utopian, formulaic route to lead us out of restlessness, emptiness, foolish dead-ends, or frustrations.

You may think you are on the right road and still end up dead. Proverbs 14:22 CEV

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 16:25 NIV

“Where Can Wisdom Be Found?”

In a nutshell, there is only one place to find wisdom: in the holy reverence of God, the fear of the Lord. Wisdom is personal, a dimension of God’s Spirit. It is not a title to acquire but a fruit of our relationship with God. Not the fruit on the tree, Eve! But produced from awe and wonder at the Lord and moving towards Him to be near Him and get to know Him better.

Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God. It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Proverbs 9:10 The Message

As it turns out, wisdom is only a beckoning to much more of God; discover the company wisdom keeps in the Spirit of the Lord, the facets of His Spirit revealed to Isaiah:

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord Isaiah 11:2 KJV

Where can wisdom be found? With the fear of the Lord and a list that curly-cues around itself from Isaiah 11:2

And since the fear of God, at the end of this list, is the beginning of wisdom, sending us back around to the start of the list, we can sense the curly-cue movement set in motion by His Spirit, a perpetual whorl from the fear of God to wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and the fear of God, which comes back around to begin wisdom, understanding, counsel…and on and on it spirals and expands infinitely. What a life!

Meander through these glimpses of wisdom at work and in company with the Lord:

God of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, Father of Glory: I call out to You on behalf of Your people. Give them minds ready to receive wisdom and revelation so they will truly know You. Ephesians 1:17 VOICE

God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. Daniel 1:17 NLT

If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it. James 1:5 TLB

“I have taught you all the laws, as the Lord my God told me to do. Obey them in the land that you are about to invade and occupy. Obey them faithfully, and this will show the people of other nations how wise you are. When they hear of all these laws, they will say, ‘What wisdom and understanding this great nation has!’” Deuteronomy 4:5-6 GNT

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:29 NIV

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^[a]so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12 NIV

…and [the Lord] has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. Exodus 35:31-33 NIV

All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man. Ecclesiastes 12:13 AMPC

Respect and obey the Lord! This is the beginning of wisdom. To have understanding, you must know the Holy God. Proverbs 9:10 CEV

“Wisdom begins with ·respect [fear; awe] for the Lord, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One. Proverbs 9:10 EXB

For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. Proverbs 9:10 TLB

Yahweh is high and lifted up; he dwells on high! He lavished his justice and righteousness on Zion! He will be your constant source of stability in changing times and out of his abundant love he gives you the riches of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Yes, the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure! Isaiah 33:5-6 TPT

Conclusion

My conclusion? Go out to your garden, yes! But do not look for organic methods or precision pruning or homegrown harvest to make you a wise gardener. Instead, go there by appointment: Go out to meet the Lord. Revere Him for the wonders that delight you and the food and flowers that bless you. Listen for Jesus out there; come to the One who has living-understanding:

“The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Yahweh. To receive the revelation of the Holy One, you must come to the one who has living-understanding. Wisdom will extend your life, making every year more fruitful that the one before. So it is to your advantage to be wise. Proverbs 9:10-12 TPT

*Where can wisdom be found? Not in an almond tree! Though its blossoms compare to a wise, old timer’s white hair, says Ecclesiastes 12:5*

The title of this post comes from Psalm 111:10 The Passion Translation® Many thanks to these translators who have given such depth and tastiness to God’s Word.

Learn more about almond trees and cucumber vines in the Plant Guide

Photo Credits: ©2023 Shelley S. Cramm Look, look! Almonds have formed on our almond tree! It is so exciting to watch these little fruits come not existence. Now please say a prayer that the squirrels stay away…. Almond tree in bloom in a California orchard

CEB notes Scripture quotations taken from the Common English Bible © 2011 Common English Bible, Nashville, Tennessee. All Rights Reserved. The CEB translation was funded by the Church Resources Development Corp, which allows for cooperation among denominational publishers in the development and distribution of Bibles, curriculum, and worship materials.

KJV denotes Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version published in 1611, authorized by King James I of England, which is public domain in the United States.

The Message denotes Scripture quotations taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.

NIV denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

TLB denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

TPT denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com