Wisdom 9:1-18: a reflection

1“O God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy, who made all things by your word; 2and by your wisdom you formed man, that he should have dominion over the creatures that were made by you, 3and rule the world in holiness and righteousness, and execute judgment in uprightness of soul, 4give me wisdom, her who sits by you on your thrones. Don’t reject me from among your servants, 5because I am your servant and the son of your handmaid, a weak and short-lived man, with little power to understand judgment and laws. 6For even if a man is perfect among the sons of men, if the wisdom that comes from you is not with him, he will count for nothing. 7You chose me to be king of your people, and a judge for your sons and daughters. 8You gave a command to build a sanctuary on your holy mountain, and an altar in the city where you live, a copy of the holy tent which you prepared from the beginning. 9Wisdom is with you and knows your works, and was present when you were making the world, and understands what is pleasing in your eyes, and what is right according to your commandments. 10Send her from the holy heavens, and ask her to come from the throne of your glory, that being present with me she may work, and I may learn what pleases you well. 11For she knows all things and understands, and she will guide me prudently in my actions. She will guard me in her glory. 12So my works will be acceptible. I will judge your people righteously, and I will be worthy of my father’s throne. 13For what man will know the counsel of God? Or who will conceive what the Lord wills? 14For the thoughts of mortals are unstable, and our plans are prone to fail. 15For a corruptible body weighs down the soul. The earthy tent burdens a mind that is full of cares. 16We can hardly guess the things that are on earth, and we find the things that are close at hand with labor; but who has traced out the things that are in the heavens? 17Who gained knowledge of your counsel, unless you gave wisdom, and sent your holy spirit from on high? 18It was thus that the ways of those who are on earth were corrected, and men were taught the things that are pleasing to you. They were saved through wisdom.”

In this prayer, the writer, aware of the frailty and limits of human understanding, asks God for the wisdom that only God can give, sent from him by his Spirit. Give me wisdom, the prayer asks, her who sits by you on your throne. For what man will know the counsel of God? The thoughts of mortals are unstable, and our plans are prone to fail. Who has known your counsel, unless you gave wisdom, and sent your holy spirit from on high? The writer recognizes that human understanding is frail and limited, that we cannot on our own grasp God's counsel or know what is truly wise; and so he asks God to give the wisdom that comes from him alone, sent by his Spirit. This shows the wisdom of asking God for the wisdom we lack, aware of our own frailty. Ask God for the wisdom you cannot produce yourself. Human understanding is frail; true wisdom comes from God. Recognize your limits and ask God for wisdom. God gives the wisdom we cannot attain on our own.

Notice the humility and the request in this prayer. The writer does not presume that he can figure out God's will or grasp true wisdom by his own understanding; he recognizes the frailty and limits of the human mind: our thoughts are unstable, our plans prone to fail, and we can hardly understand even the things around us, let alone the counsel of God. And out of this humble recognition of his own insufficiency, he asks God for wisdom, the wisdom that is with God and that God alone can give, sent from him by his Spirit. This is a model for us. We often face decisions and situations that require a wisdom we do not have, and we can either presume on our own understanding, trusting our own frail and limited minds, or we can humbly recognize our insufficiency and ask God for the wisdom we lack. True wisdom, wisdom to know God's will and what is right, is finally God's gift, not our own achievement; and God gives it to those who humbly ask. The New Testament echoes this: if any lack wisdom, let them ask of God, who gives generously. We do well to recognize our own limits and ask God for the wisdom we cannot produce ourselves. Recognize your frailty and ask God for wisdom. True wisdom is God's gift, given to those who ask. Do not presume on your own understanding; ask God for wisdom. God generously gives wisdom to those who humbly ask.

That is worth taking to heart, for true wisdom comes from God, given to those who humbly ask, and we do well to recognize our own frailty and ask God for the wisdom we lack. We can presume on our own understanding, trusting our frail and limited minds to grasp what is wise; but the writer recognized that human thoughts are unstable and our plans prone to fail, and asked God for the wisdom that God alone gives by his Spirit. Wisdom is God's gift. When you face what requires a wisdom you do not have, do not presume on your own understanding; humbly ask God for wisdom, who gives generously. Recognize your own frailty and limits, and ask God for the wisdom you cannot produce yourself, as the writer of this prayer, aware that human thoughts are unstable and our plans prone to fail and that we cannot on our own know the counsel of God, asked God to give him wisdom, sent from on high by his Spirit; for the writer did not presume that he could figure out God's will or grasp true wisdom by his own understanding but humbly recognized the frailty and limits of the human mind, and out of that recognition of his own insufficiency asked God for the wisdom that is with God and that God alone can give, which is a model for us, since we often face decisions and situations requiring a wisdom we do not have and can either presume on our own understanding or humbly ask God for the wisdom we lack, and true wisdom, to know God's will and what is right, is finally God's gift and not our own achievement, given to those who humbly ask, as the New Testament echoes that if any lack wisdom they should ask of God who gives generously, so that we do well to recognize our own limits and ask God for the wisdom we cannot produce ourselves.

Lord, in this prayer, the writer, aware of the frailty and limits of human understanding, asks you for the wisdom that only you can give, sent from you by your Spirit. Give me wisdom, the prayer asks, her who sits by you on your throne. For what man will know the counsel of God? The thoughts of mortals are unstable, and our plans are prone to fail. Who has known your counsel, unless you gave wisdom, and sent your holy spirit from on high? The writer recognizes that human understanding is frail and limited, that we cannot on our own grasp your counsel or know what is truly wise; and so he asks you to give the wisdom that comes from you alone. This shows the wisdom of asking you for the wisdom I lack, aware of my own frailty. Show me the humility and the request in this prayer. The writer does not presume that he can figure out your will or grasp true wisdom by his own understanding; he recognizes the frailty and limits of the human mind: our thoughts are unstable, our plans prone to fail. And out of this humble recognition of his own insufficiency, he asks you for wisdom, the wisdom that is with you and that you alone can give, sent by your Spirit. This is a model for me. I often face decisions and situations that require a wisdom I do not have, and I can either presume on my own understanding, trusting my own frail and limited mind, or humbly recognize my insufficiency and ask you for the wisdom I lack. True wisdom is finally your gift, not my own achievement; and you give it to those who humbly ask, giving generously. Take that to my heart, for true wisdom comes from you, given to those who humbly ask. When I face what requires a wisdom I do not have, keep me from presuming on my own understanding; help me recognize my own frailty and limits and humbly ask you for wisdom, Lord, who give generously to those who ask.