Wisdom From God Ecclesiastes 7:12

For wisdom is a defense and money is a defense, but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom gives life to them that have it.



In verse 11 we read, "Wisdom is good with an inheritance and by it there is profit to them that see the sun." Here Solomon is going to talk about the importance of money and wisdom. Solomon was a man who was given both. God blessed Solomon in that he asked for wisdom and God gave him wisdom beyond measure and because of the wisdom that Solomon was given, he amassed a great fortune and became one of the wealthiest men of his day.

Solomon knew the value of money and he also knew the benefits of having money to throw around wherever and whenever he wanted to do so. He could throw a party and everyone who was anyone would be there. In fact, even those who were "no ones" tried to attend! He knew first hand the benefits of being able to buy what he wanted to buy and do what he wanted to do. Money is a defense or a means to living life to its fullest.

Solomon says that wisdom is a defense. In fact, he mentions wisdom first as he talks about wisdom and money. Life is a process of priorities. When our priorities are in the right order, our lives will reflect the proper balance and we will enjoy the fruits of our labor. When our priorities are out of balance, our decisions will reflect that imbalance and our lives will not take shape, as we would like for them to. Money has its value, as does wisdom.

Solomon goes on to say, "the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to them that have it."
Knowledge is that which we have learned. So Solomon is saying in effect, "the value of our experience or what we should have learned in life is that wisdom gives life to those that have it."

The dictionary tells us that wisdom is "The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight. Common sense; good judgment; The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge." This ability to discern or judge what is true or right or lasting is what gives life to those who have it.

There are two sources of wisdom. We can learn wisdom by trial and error as we live our lives and make mistakes and experience relative success or we can learn from the wisdom and experiences of those who have gone before us and we have the benefit of being able to see where their lives have taken them and by listening to the things that they have learned, we can achieve similar results in our lives if we do as they have done.

God wants to be our source of wisdom. As the creator and sustainer of life, He knows what will work and what will not work in your life and in mine. He knows what decisions we need to make as He seeks to move us from where we are to the place that He wants us to be. He knows the desires of His heart for you and me. He has the resources to take supply all of our need. He has the ability to defeat all of our enemies. He has the desire to bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for.