The Worth of Wisdom

How would you teach the value of wisdom to a six- or seven-year-old student in a Scripture (SRE) class?

That was the challenge this week as the syllabus required us to explain and celebrate the great gift of wisdom given by God to King Solomon.

For starters, it was tricky to try and simply explain what wisdom was, and why it was of value.

I said to them that wisdom is about knowing that it’s a good idea to use an umbrella on a rainy day with no wind, but it’s a bad idea to use an umbrella on a windy day with no rain.

The same action can be wise or unwise, depending on its context and situation.

This is why wisdom is such a good thing to have, especially as we are faced with things that are new and uncertain.

To that effect, the wisest thing that Solomon ever did was to ask for wisdom in the first place, for not only did the Lord supply that in spades, he also gave great riches to this king as a blessing for all who lived in God’s land.

The Scripture lesson wisely avoided discussing the details of the most famous example of Solomon’s wisdom, in which he was able to discern who was the true mother of a baby.

You can read the story for yourself at 1 Kings 3:16-27, but here is the response to the King’s actions: 

When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice. (1Kings 3:28)

Yet the most wise thing that anyone can do is recognise the need to have peace with God.

In our Scripture class we sang together these words (as accompanied by my trusty ukulele):

 “The greatest treasure in the whole, wide world is peace with God. It’s the only treasure that can never fade, even death can’t take it away.”

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Alon via Flickr.com)