Earthly and Heavenly Wisdom, Pt. 1

James 3:13

     Now tonight we're going to look at James chapter 3 in our Bibles as we examine the next in the sections of James' wonderful epistle.  We'll be looking at chapter 3 verses 13 through 18, the subject is earthly and heavenly wisdom...earthly and heavenly wisdom.

     Let me begin reading in verse 13 and I'm going to be reading from the New American Standard, I'm just doing that a little bit this month to see what kind of reaction we get from all of you.  But I'm reading this evening from the New American Standard, James 3 beginning in verse 13 reading down through verse 18.

Who among you is wise and understanding?  Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom...or the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.  This wisdom is not that which comes down from above but is earthly, natural, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there is disorder and every evil thing.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering without hypocrisy and the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

     Now the essence of that scripture is a comparison between wisdom which is from above‑‑mentioned in verse 17‑‑which is pure, peaceable, gentle and so forth and wisdom that comes not from above but from below, verse 15, which is earthly, natural and demonic.  And as we look at this portion of Scripture in an introductory way tonight and then more in detail next week, we will note that what James is saying is exactly what the Old Testament wisdom literature has said and that is that wisdom in the world is divided into two kinds, the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God.  Not a foreign subject either to the Old or the New Testament.

     Men might say they possess wisdom.  The next question to ask is it the wisdom of men or is it the wisdom of God?  There's a great difference.  In fact, in verse 13 James says, "Who among you is wise and understanding?  Let him prove it by his good behavior manifest through his deeds with an attitude of meekness."  So if you claim to have wisdom and you claim that that wisdom is wisdom from above, the burden of proof is with you to verify that indeed you do possess that wisdom. 

     Now wisdom is a magnificent word and I really just want to have a Bible study with you tonight, I'm not going to preach at you.  I just want you to get your Bible and have it ready and have it open and we want to chase around a little bit in it and see if we can't come to an understanding of what the Bible has to say about this wonderful reality called wisdom.  Wisdom, according to the philosophers through the centuries, is that for which man should most singly strive.

     I was reading some of the philosophers' quotes this past week and a little anthology of philosophic quotes that I have and perhaps the best summary I found of the philosophies relative to wisdom was that of Cicero in about 52 B.C.  Cicero said, "Wisdom is the best gift of the gods, it is the mother of all good things.  The best and that which generates all of the best."  And that does sum up what most philosophers and divines through history have felt about wisdom, that if you could get anything, you'd want to get wisdom.  Because if you had wisdom you could just about get anything else...wisdom, the chief thing in the pursuit of man.

     That fits Scripture.  Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 7 says, "Acquire wisdom and with all your acquiring get understanding."  You remember the story of Solomon, but let's refresh ourselves a bit with that.  Go back to 1 Kings chapter 3.  You remember that in Gibeon, verse 5 says, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night and God said, "Ask what you wish Me to give you."  This is the question that everyone living on the earth would wish that God had asked them.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to have God come to you in a dream and say, "Look, whatever you want, I'll give it to you, just ask."  Then Solomon said, "Thou hast shown great loving kindness to thy servant David, my father, according as he walked before Thee in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward Thee.  And Thou hast reserved for him this great loving kindness that Thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day.  Now, O Lord my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king in place of my father, David, yet I am but a child.  I do not know how to go out or come in."  Here I am young and inexperienced and You've placed me in as a king.  "And Thy servant is in the midst of