1 Kings 3:12I 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.
These are words that Solomon heard from God in a dream. God asked, “What do you want from me?” and Solomon replied “a wise and discerning heart.” If you read the rest of Solomon’s story in 1 Kings you will see that he didn’t always act wisely. And that’s the point of wisdom, isn’t it? There are people who are intelligent, who know a lot of facts and can remember them and recall them when they wish, but they aren’t necessarily wise. Wisdom, according to https://www.thefreedictionary.com/wisdom, is “the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight.” It is not just what a person knows but what a person does with what they know. To be wise is to maximize the good and minimize the bad. This is very hard to do and Solomon didn’t always do it. My guess is that you don’t either. But God wants us to at least desire it. God’s wisdom is often different from worldly wisdom. Which do you most desire?
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