Spirit of Wisdom

And thou shalt speak unto all [that are] wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.  Exodus 28:3

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. Duet. 34:9

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit ofwisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, thespirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;  Isaiah 11:2

 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;   Ephesians 1:17

In each of these passages there is reference to the "spirit of wisdom."   What is this "spirit of wisdom?"  (There is no pride in this next statement) For many years I have heard people say about me at times, "You are wise beyond your years."  I don't agree and never knew how to 'correct' others when they said such.  Just this week, a godly man wrote a letter to me and shared those same words after discussing the subject of the family with me while he was in town.  I just keep telling people that I'm getting older and am confident that soon my age will far pass my knowledge.

Again, at the risk of sounding prideful (God knows my heart), I do agree that at times I don't know where words, thoughts, plans, and counsel come from.  There are times I know what to do and I just have to say, "To God be the glory."  Believe me, most of these instances follow a time of desperation and crying out to God.  But still, I do thank my God for the spirit of wisdom.

In our texts above we read of the four times the spirit of wisdom is discussed.

First in Exodus 28:3 the spirit of wisdom is described as being upon those who were to make garments for Aaron's sons for service in the priestly office.  God had granted them special wisdom for the task He elected them to do.

In Deuteronomy 34:9, Joshua is to succeed Moses in leading Israel.  Joshua is there described as being full of the spirit of wisdom.  This was Joshua's election from God to lead Israel at this most important time.  Great wisdom was required, and God equipped Joshua for the task.

In Isaiah 11:2 we have prophecy of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This Rod and Branch from the stem of Jesse would have the spirit of wisdom and counsel upon Him.  Truly no one in history or future will come close the wisdom He spoke and shared while on this earth.  He had come to fulfill the Father's purpose and will, and was equipped to do so.

In Ephesians 1:17 we read of Paul's desire and prayer for the spirit of wisdom to be upon all the saints there at Ephesus.  Oh that each of them could understand the hope, riches, greatness, and power of God that would equip them to be His workmanship unto good works.

So, what have we learned?  The spirit of wisdom is God's equipping the saint for the purpose He has elected for their life.  So does Travis Burke and pastors have the spirit of wisdom?  Well, they should.  As should the Christian accountant, Christian homemaker, Christian school teacher, Christian scientist, Christian doctor, Christian fiber optics technician, Christian machinist....God has equipped each of us with the spirit of wisdom for our callings.

So who do we engage it in our lives?  With the tailors in Exodus, they probably didn't feel like they had some "special gift", rather, they just knew how to do what God called them to do.  Joshua in Deuteronomy had the spirit of wisdom, but make no mistake that this spirit of wisdom was a direct fruit of "this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night."  The Lord Jesus had this spirit of wisdom, for He knew perfectly the mind of God.  The saints in Ephesus could have this spirit of wisdom if they yielded themselves to the Lord and the Words of the Lord.   As can we all.

Point is, the spirit of wisdom should be upon all of us.  I should have the spirit of wisdom in matters according to my calling.  When folks come to me for Biblical wisdom, I should have it to share; not as a result of just a special gift, but a fruit of studying the mind of God (His Word).  When I get my taxes done tomorrow, I will go to a Christian man whom God has given the spirit of wisdom in laws and numbers.  I thank God for him.  I thank God for the Christian mechanic who can fix my car.

Yes, I know the world has many experts in various fields, and it is God who has enabled them to learn what they know.  But the beginning of wisdom is still the fear of the Lord (Prov. 9:10).  May we each dedicate ourselves to the calling of God upon our lives, yield ourselves to the study and learning of the mind of God (His Word), and display to others the spirit of wisdom that will then rest upon us.