Walking in Wisdom to Administer Justice

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

A wise man will always show restraint in expressing his views, but he will also be quick and attentive in listening. A fool or a mocker is the exact opposite. A fool will always open his mouth to speak without even understanding what he is talking about. These are some of the distinct character traits in both the wise and the fool from the scriptures.

We can see some of these traits of the fool in the three friends of Job, who had come to comfort him in his sufferings. In all that they said to Job in passing judgment on him, he was careful in answering them back. The scriptures says that Job never sinned with his mouth in response to them. He did not allow his feelings to overrule his mouth.

It is something appalling to see many people in our world today, whose faith in God is affected by the way they react to issues of life, based on their feelings and not based on what God says about their situations.

A man of wisdom is able to tame his tongue, and bring it into submission to the will of God. The tongue is the smallest part of the human body, and everything that comes out of it affects our lives, and the lives of those who hear us.

But was Job able to tame his tongue? The evidence from the scriptures showed that he never sinned, in responding back to the foolishness of his friends.

How was he able to do this, without the written word of God in his time, as we have it in our world today? Well, Job tamed his tongue with the promises of God personally to him. He tamed it through the building of a personal relationship with his God in His promises to him. He was able to hold back his mouth from saying foolish things before God, until God showed up on his behalf. Job learnt how to listen for the whispers of God into his heart (Job 26:14).

A fool will always cause his mouth to declare the works of the Devil, because his mouth is governed by his feelings and what he sees going on around him. Job was triumphant in his trials because he dwelt on the spiritual law, until it affected the physical law around him to change it. This is what a wise man does always.

A fool will often make decisions in life based on popular feelings or opinions of the world around him, and not based on what is righteous and just in the sight of God. This was what Rehoboam (son of Solomon) did.

THE FOOLISHNESS OF REHOBOAM

Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon should have known better, when his people inquired from him about how he would lead them as King. He acted in foolishness by making mockery of his own people in conjunction together with his friends.

The scripture says:

“Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭12:13-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Rehoboam spoke the mind of his friends in answering his people back in a rough and harsh way. He lost the loyalty of the people to him in the foolishness of his heart.

The people responded to his mockery:

“Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!” So Israel departed to their tents.”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭12:16‬ ‭NKJV

SOLOMON – A WISE KING 

King Solomon (his father) on the other hand, knew that he needed God to help him in leading the Israelites. He had just built the Temple of God, and was dedicating it when he had a supernatural encounter with the Holy One.

He knew that he had fulfilled his heart’s desires before God. Solomon sought to please God first in his life.

By seeking to please God first, he did exactly what Jesus commanded every Christian to do, so as to walk in the wisdom of God.

Jesus said:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Solomon sought the Kingdom of God first and His righteousness. He did this by building the Temple for God –  where God’s people could gather together to worship God.

We do know through the revelation of Christ, that the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:20&21). In the Old Testament theology, the Kingdom of God was often confused with something physical or political. That was not the Kingdom which Jesus came to establish. The Kingdom of God is spiritual, and spiritual things can only be caught and not just taught. Our spiritual eyes of understanding has to be opened by the Holy Spirit, so that we can catch it.

Some in today’s world will rather seek the things of this world first, so as to fulfill the lust of their flesh, before they even begin to think about the kingdom of God. We cannot be seeking the physical and material things that our hearts desire, while we ignore the kingdom of God; and then start wondering why things are not working out for us.

When people complain about their prayers not being answered, it is important to always remember these words of Jesus – “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”.

The wisdom of God says to seek His insight and understanding, to those prayer needs first in His holiness (Proverbs 9:10).

King Solomon at that first moment of personal intimacy with his God; after he had sought the insight and understanding of the Holy One was asked what he wanted from the Lord. Well, you may be wondering why God has never asked you for what you want, just as He asked Solomon?

The answer to that is simple. Have you ever worshipped God intimately as King Solomon did? Have you ever given up the very best in you so as to worship God?

You see, when we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice before God, we are opening up our lives for His wisdom to be imparted to us (Romans 12:1-2).

Prior to this moment Solomon had offered sacrifices to the Lord, that actually moved the heart of God to favor him (1 Kings 8:5). God will always respond to those who are diligent in seeking Him (Hebrews 11:6).

In response to the question from God, Solomon never asked for wealth or the heads of his enemies. He asked for wisdom in carrying the responsibility, that God had placed on him as the King of Israel.

To which God responded:

“So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭3:11-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

WISDOM IS THE DISCERNMENT IN ADMINISTERING JUSTICE

God described wisdom here as the “discernment in administering justice”. Justice is the ability to do the right thing in the reverential fear of God, even when evil confronts us. Being able to administer justice is what separates the good in us from the evil of this world. Justice is the ability to act in righteousness. This is what enables us to walk in wisdom at all times.

We do not walk in wisdom by following the advice of friends. As Christians we do walk in wisdom by following the insight and understanding of the Holy God, based on our personal relationship with Him in discernment to administer justice.

Basically, having a discerning heart is wisdom. A discerning heart helps us in isolating what is evil from what is good.

Unfortunately not everyone has a discerning heart in administering justice. A fool for example does not have a discerning heart, that is why he will always walk in the foolishness of his heart instead of getting the knowledge of the insight and understanding of God.

We do know that every good thing is from God, because everything that He created has always been good from the very beginning of creation.

Philosophies of men or social values are not the determining factors of what is good, especially if they are not based on the knowledge of the insight and understanding of the Creator.

It is the stupidity in humanity, that makes people to go into endless and fruitless discussions or arguments, about good and evil in any society. The Bible made it plain and simple – God is good and the Devil is bad (Psalms 52:1). By seeking after the kingdom of God, we are able to discover what is good. By seeking after the works of the Devil in his kingdom here on earth, we will discover what is evil. This is not complicated at all.

We need the word of God in our hearts at all times, to be able to separate evil from good in the world that we live in. The Bible is always there to guide us into the wisdom of God.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SOME CHRISTIAN VIRTUES IN DISCERNMENT

Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 listed the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit for us. These are supernatural gifts from the Holy Spirit. We do not need to do anything to get them, except to have a burning desire for them in our spirit man. Each gift is distributed as the Holy Spirit deem fit for us.

But as believers in Christ, we can also receive the ability to function in them not as a gift. We can do this by training our spirit man in the word of God, in manifesting them as virtues of our Christian character.

Of all the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit listed by Paul, speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues are the only spiritual gifts that are unique with the Church today. The other gifts are common in the Old Testament.

Discernment of spirits as an example is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but it is different from the discernment that we do have as a Christian virtue.

In like manner the word of wisdom is also a gift of the Holy Spirit, but we must be careful not to confuse it with the wisdom of God, which we receive through our training in the things of God through His word.

Faith can also be a gift of the Holy Spirit, just as faith comes by hearing the word of God also.

The word of wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit, just as the wisdom of God comes through the knowledge of the insight and understanding of the Holy One. We must be able to differentiate what is imparted to us by the Holy Spirit, from what comes into our lives through the development of a personal relationship with God in His written word.

And just like any other Christian virtue, discernment in administering justice in our evil world today, comes to us only when we are living by the standard of the word of God. This was what was imparted to Solomon by God. Solomon never received the discernment in administering justice as a gift of the Holy Spirit.

But the gift of the discernment of spirits is given to us by the Holy Spirit. It is spiritual and can only operate in our lives when we are in the spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). It is therefore different from the discernment that we get through the application of the word of God in our lives.

In the case of King Solomon having the ability to discern in administering justice, we must understand that he was not filled with the Holy Spirit as believers get filled with the Holy Spirit today. But the anointing from the Holy Spirit was upon his life to function in the office that God had placed him in as King over Israel (Romans 13:1-7).

Discernment in administering justice was imputed to him, therefore through the anointing over his life as the King of Israel. It was not a gift of the Holy Spirit in his life.

Every head of any nation has that anointing or calling of God over their lives. That is why as believers we are called to honor and respect that anointing always over the head of any nation on earth today (Proverbs 21:1). God is the One that placed them in that anointed position of power. They all will stand before Him on the day of judgement, to answer Him about how they functioned in that anointing.

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT FOR WISDOM 

We are able to get in the spirit through prayer and intercession or through praise and worship.

Paul wrote:

“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The discernment which comes into our spirit man as we do this is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible tells us about Stephen after he became one of the seven deacons in the early Church:

“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It is only a man who is committed to praying in the Holy Spirit, the word of God and fellowship with the Lord that exhibits these characteristics in Stephen. He did “great wonders and signs among the people”. Evidently Stephen was full of faith and power, because of his devotion to the word of God and prayer. He was a man who was devoted to praying in tongues. This explained why God’s power was upon him to do what he did among the people.

The consequences of this kind of lifestyle for Stephen was that his speeches were so anointed that no one could withstand him.

The scripture went further:

“And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6:10‬ ‭NKJV‬

The wisdom of God was so powerful in his ministry that no one could withstand him at all as he spoke. When we are devoted to praying in the Spirit, we are praying in the wisdom of God and for the wisdom of God. The more we pray in tongues, the more God’s wisdom keeps rising up within our spirit man.

We become more effective in praying God’s perfect will when we pray in such manner. God will fill us up with His goodness. His goodness in us is what manifests His wisdom in us. We do not need to do anything to have access into His goodness. We just need to pray more in the spirit until we become saturated with His goodness.

This was the type of lifestyle that Stephen was devoted to – a lifestyle of the word of God and prayer in the Holy Spirit. He became so full of faith and the power of God; to the extent that no one could withstand the wisdom of God being manifested in his life.

Praying in tongues is praying in the wisdom of God. God knows what we needed to pray for, and the Holy Spirit leads us in praying this way (Romans 8:26-27).

When we pray like this, then we are therefore in the spirit. This opens us up to many potentials in God’s wisdom.

Paul also said we should be:

“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Our ability to pray in the spirit comes with supplication in the Holy Spirit. We cannot relate effectively with a sensual world, and expect the wisdom of God or discernment in administering justice among them to come to us. We really need to be yielded to the Holy Spirit, so that He can lead us in prayer.

In most cases we do not know “all saints”; but we are supposed to be praying for them. The Holy Spirit knows “all saints” and He alone can guide us in being effective as we pray for them.

Begin to let your prayer life as a believer in Christ affect “all saints” around the world. God by His Spirit is leading you to affect the lives of people in unknown places to you. He is bringing the desire of the nations to your heart – praying in the spirit and by the Spirit. You will be glad that you are doing this to change your world (Psalms 2:8).