The Wisest Man in the World

First Lesson: 1 Kings 2: 10-12; 3: 3-14
Responsive Reading: Psalm 111
Second Lesson: Ephesians 5: 15-20
​Gospel Lesson: John 6: 51-58

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“Experience comes from what we have done. Wisdom comes from what we have done badly[1].” -Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”-Proverbs 1:7
As I was growing up in Lindstrom, one cannot be separated from the reputation of one’s parents.  Lindstrom was a town of about 2,000 people then.  My Dad not only owned a business but served on the City Council since I was three years old.  He has been elected Mayor of the town seven times since 2002.  Before him, his Dad served as mayor.  Before him, his Grandpa served as mayor.  In fact, a direct descendant had served the town every decade since the town’s inception in 1894.  So with a family tree like that, you’re always going to be in other people’s shadows.  You don’t merely want to be remembered as Keith Carlson’s son.  There are all sorts of ways to stand out from your ancestors: you can do it in sports, in music, you can become wildly successful be a doctor or a well-known businessman.  What if there are other ways to stand out from those who came before you in ways that we don’t often consider.

King David was Israel’s greatest king.  The land had known unity, peace, and prosperity like no other time in Israel’s previous 500 years.  Replacing David as King was going to be like replacing Babe Ruth on the New York Yankees, it seemed to be nothing but an impossible task. Solomon seemed destined to forever be known as David’s son within Israel.

Shortly into King Solomon’s reign, his life would change forever.  The Lord appeared to him in a dream.  God said to Solomon: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you[2].”  What an unbelievable offer[3].  Solomon began to ponder perhaps wealth or long lives for oneself or their loved ones.  Solomon though thought differently.  Solomon asked God for Wisdom instead.  “Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong[4].”  The Lord was impressed with Solomon giving such an answer[5].  So God promised that Solomon would possess wisdom like no one would have ever walked the Earth before[6]. 

Soon right after this, Solomon’s gift would be put to the test[7].  Solomon is approached one day by two women[8].  Both women were the mothers of young infants.  Both women slept in the same house.  Tragedy struck during the night as one of the women rolled over crushing her infant to death.  The grieving mother in response decides to take the other mother’s child and place the dead infant in her bed.  As soon as the other mother awakens, she knows that the dead child lying next to her is not her own.  The mothers go back and forth; they bring the dispute to King Solomon.  Solomon listens patiently.  Solomon suggests the only solution is “Cut the baby in two[9].”  One mother agrees while the other mother cries out in agony: “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him[10]!”  Solomon had his answer as to the true mother of this child.  So brilliant, that the whole nation of Israel is in awe of Solomon’s wisdom[11], Solomon’s reign quickly becomes a smashing success.  Solomon is an expert in diplomacy, he built foreign alliances so strong, that Israel would never be under threat like in his father King David’s reign[12].  Solomon’s diplomacy led to great wealth through foreign trade.  In fact, Solomon was greater in riches than all the other kings of the Earth.  Solomon was regarded as not just the wisest man in Israel, but eventually the whole, wide world.  What eventually happened to Solomon, we will get back to the conclusion of his story in just a little bit.

So as we hear the story of Solomon - what might such wisdom look like within our own lives.  In our lesson from Ephesians 5[13], the Apostle Paul begins to answer this question. 

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is[14]”.

How exactly might we acquire wisdom?  In 1993, the comedian Bill Murray starred in a movie called Groundhog Day[15].  Murray plays a weather forecaster who is forced to journey to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania famous for the nation’s Groundhog Day celebration[16].  The weatherman was upset about having to go to a small backwater town populated by what he thought was nothing but hicks.  He tapes a lazy report from Punxsutawney hoping to go home as soon as possible.  The worst thing imaginable soon happens a blizzard kicks up, and he gets stranded.  The next morning, the weatherman is stunned to awaken to another February 2nd.  He acts like a fool would act binge-drinking, reckless driving, and finding any woman around[17].  He eventually grows depressed at all this, thinking suicide would be the only way out.  When he realizes the emptiness of all this, he begins to acquire wisdom.  He decides to use his new-found experience of every other Groundhog Day to better the world around him.  He becomes a piano-player, an ice sculptor, picks up French, and begins enthusiastically reporting on all that took place in Punxsutawney on Groundhog’s Day[18].”

What is Wisdom as Christian people?  Wisdom is best summed up by King Solomon as he writes the Proverbs which declare: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom[19].”

Wisdom is recognition of the brokenness of the world around us and within us.  Wisdom is recognizing our own foolishness.  As said by Mickey Anders: “To be foolish in the Jewish tradition means throwing away the chance for salvation[20].”

Roy Harrisville was a mentor of mine at Luther Seminary[21].  Roy served thirty-some years in the New Testament at Luther Seminary.  Roy preached shortly after his ninetieth birthday, at my installation here at Sychar six years ago.  Roy is considered among the best New Testament scholars in the country.  He’s the only friend of mine with a Wikipedia entry. 

Well once upon a time, Roy was speaking to a church.  The Pastor didn’t like what Roy had to say.  The Pastor was going to let everyone in the room know how wrong that Roy was.  So he begins to appeal to his forty-some years of experience serving various churches.  Roy was merely a young Seminary professor at the time.  Roy in his annoyance merely snapped back: “You don’t have forty-years, you’ve done the same year forty years straight.”

Roy is making an important point about wisdom that just because time has passed doesn’t mean we are wiser because of it if we don’t learn from our mistakes.

Even King Solomon the wisest man who ever lived did not have a happy ending to his story.  One of the ways that diplomacy was done in Solomon’s day took place by intermarrying among the kingdoms[22].  So Solomon took all sorts of wives: “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines[23].”  All these wives would soon bring trouble to Solomon’s kingdom.  They would bring Gods other than the God of Israel into the land.  Solomon would use his great wealth to build impressive shrines to these foreign gods[24].  Pretty soon the faith which had brought Solomon such great wisdom had been corrupted. 

Solomon’s foolishness brought the following curse: "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant[25]."

Israel upon Solomon’s fall would begin to collapse as a kingdom slowly.  Solomon had many great building projects, but they brought a lot of debt to the land[26].  The people began to rebel against Solomon’s taxes.  A near civil war broke out throughout the land.  Upon Solomon’s death, the war finally broke out[27].  Israel would soon divide into the Northern Kingdom of Samaria and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  Israel would never again enjoy such good times as when Solomon was the wisest man in the world. 
A thousand years after Solomon’s reign[28], Jesus was speaking of Solomon when he declared “not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” [29] Jesus was pointing out how all our eventual foolishness shall be redeemed and we shall know a kingdom way beyond anything that Solomon could ever know.  Where we are weak, we will soon cling to Christ’s strength.  True wisdom will point its way to a cross.

This wisdom has a way of overcoming all forces that might afflict us on this day.  Let me close with one final story; once upon a time, there was the owner of a small store[30].  He was being pressured day after day to sell to the owners of a much, larger department store.  The man seemed destined for bankruptcy against the much stronger competition.  The man continually refused to sell his store.  So the Department store makes other plans, they open their store on both sides of the smaller shop.  They spend all sorts of advertising dollars promoting their grand-opening, hanging giant banners bringing in people from far and wide.  The store owner seemed defeated.  He thought of an idea though.  So right above his store, he hung a small banner which proclaimed “Main Entrance.”  His store remained open for many years afterward, all thanks to a little wisdom.  The little guy took down the big guy.  The Cross of Christ shall eventually take down all not only Solomon’s sin but our own, our eventual death, and make the devil ultimately look foolish.  Amen


[1] Found on Sermon Illustrations under Wisdom on July 19th, 2018. 
[2] 1 Kings 3:5b
[3] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part one of two).” Email Meditations.10. Aug.2016. Web. July.19.2018.   
[4] 1 Kings 3:9a. 
[5] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part one of two).” Email Meditations.
[6] 1 Kings 3:12. 
[7] 1 Kings 3:16-28. 
[8] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part one of two).” Email Meditations.
[9] 1 Kings 3:25. 
[10] 1 Kings 3:27. 
[11] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part one of two).” Email Meditations.
[12]Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations. 11. Apr.2016. Web. July.19.2018. 
[13] Ephesians 5:15-20.
[14] Ephesians 5:15-17. 
[15] “Groundhog Day (film).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 22.July.2018. Web. July.22.2018. 
[16] Analogy idea comes from Erwin F. Goedicke on Text Week for Ephesians 5:16. 
[17] Groundhog Day (film).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[18] Groundhog Day (film).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation
[19] Proverbs 11:2
[20] Anders, Mickey. “How to Live.” Sermon Writer. 2003. Web. July.19.2018. 
[21] Idea was sparked by a similar story on Stories for Preaching  titled “Two Teachers” found under Wisdom on July 19th, 2018. 
[22] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[23] 1 Kings 11:3. 
[24] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[25] 1 Kings 11:11. 
[26] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[27] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[28] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[29] Luke 12:27
[30] Found on Family Times under Wisdom Illustrations on July 19th, 2018.  Analogy comes from Paul Decker on Sermon Central.