I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
[Wisdom from the Spirit]
We do however speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 1 Corinthians 2:3-7, NIV
Devotional: God’s secret wisdom
We live in a culture that values power and self-reliance. It seems that the Corinthians held the same assumptions about human righteousness that we do today: the idea that moral standards are set by human wisdom, not by God’s wisdom; privileges are acquired through noble birth, not by being in a stable; truth is found in the testimony of clever minds, not in the fear and trembling uttered by humble prophets.
What, then, is the secret wisdom of which Paul speaks in this passage? What cherished illusions about the way to grow spiritually does it shatter? How does Paul’s message prompt you to pray? …for more perfect understanding? …for a greater capacity for spiritual discernment? …or simply for putting on the mind of Christ Jesus?
First, I wanted to highlight the context in which the
devotion-writer wrote the above devotional:
According to the front few pages that show the publisher and
copyright for this particular Bible, the copyright shows that it was published
in 1999. That means that’s the latest any of the accompanying devotionals could
have been written. So, for the author of this particular devotional to have
written about assumptions of human righteousness that we hold “today” (i.e.
1999 or earlier) and then list the following: moral standards being set by
human wisdom, and truth being found in the testimony of clever minds – if this
was true in 1999, how much more so as we enter 2022! (I can’t really comment
regarding privileges being acquired through noble birth; due to all the
sweeping changes related to race and gender in our society, I actually tend to
think it is less so today vs then, but I cannot say for sure.)
Now, to answering the devotion’s questions:
- The wisdom Paul speaks of is God’s wisdom, as revealed by the Holy Spirit. In a separate passage from the book of James, an aspect of God’s wisdom is revealed: “…the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:17-18, NIV
- I don’t know about “cherished illusion” for myself at this point, but it does make me stop and think for a minute: yes, getting wisdom matters (Proverbs 4:7 calls it supreme and worth getting, even if it costs you everything) but getting the right kind of wisdom matters even more. When I was with AmeriCorps at our orientation, we all were asked how we wanted to grow during the upcoming year of service there, and I responded: “gaining in wisdom.” And I do think I did. But a year later, when I was thinking I was gaining wisdom by reading a secular man’s account of his undertaking a project by following the Bible as literally as possible, the truth is I was miserable. I was miserable in large part because I didn’t have the wisdom I needed (learning how to get another job), and I wasn’t able to figure it out fast enough. What I have found is that, when God really does want me to change or grow in a specific way, or to go somewhere or do something specific, He will see it through. Oftentimes that is through arranging circumstances in order to bring me to the end of myself so as that I have no other option but to do God’s will (because I realize at that point that any other option would be completely foolish). In this manner I have had various strongholds and illusions shatter.
- It prompts me to pray that I will learn to trust God more, and to ask for His will (and not mine) to be done, because He knows what I need when I don’t, and even when I think I do but don’t. Reading further down at the potential options the author offers, I think I should add these attributes as things to pray for. These are gifts from the Lord. That said, the best approach (I think) is to simplify what I pray for: to trust God, for His will to be done, for knowledge of that will, and the power to carry it out.