This document provides an overview of King Solomon's life and wisdom. It discusses how Solomon was blessed and chosen by God from before birth. As king, Solomon prayed for wisdom from God rather than long life or wealth. In response, God gave Solomon great wisdom. The document then examines the seven pillars of wisdom from Proverbs 1:1-7 - development, discipline, discernment, dignity, discretion, depth of understanding, and devotion to God. It argues the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because it means keeping God as the focus and center of attention.

1. SEEKING WISDOM’S WAY
Proverbs 1:1-7
March 2, 2014
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

2. Question for the Class?
What is some of the best advice given to you?
Who gave you that advice?

3. SEEKING WISDOM’S WAY
Proverbs 1:1-7
One Man Who Prayed for Wisdom and Got It
- Solomon becomes King
The 7 Pillars in The House of Wisdom
- The framework for understanding the
wisdom of God

4. Reference
SEEKING WISDOM – FINDING GOD
A Study Guide
By
Dr. David Jeremiah

5. THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon son of
David, king of Israel:
Mashal [mah SHAWL] – ancient Israelite saying
Book of Proverbs – collection of wise sayings
used as a textbook for Solomon’s royal
academy

6. KING SOLOMON
Spiritual Influences that Impacted His Life:
1. Blessed before he was born
2. Blessed upon his birth
3. Pointed out as Israel’s king
4. Prayed for God’s blessing
5. God’s special blessing
6. Prepared for the challenges

7. SOLOMON
1. Blessed Before He Was Born
1 Chronicles 22:9-10
9
But you will have a son who will be a man of
peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all
his enemies on every side. His name will be
Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet
during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a
house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be
his father. And I will establish the throne of his
kingdom over Israel forever.’

8. SOLOMON
2. Blessed Upon His Birth
2 Samuel 12: 24-25
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and
he went to her and made love to her. She gave
birth to a son, and they named him Solomon.
The LORD loved him; 25 and because the LORD
loved him, he sent word through Nathan the
prophet to name him Jedidiah.
(Jedidiah means “loved by the Lord”)

9. SOLOMON
3. Pointed Out As Israel’s King
1 Chronicles 29:1a
1a Then King David said to the whole assembly:
“My son Solomon, the one whom God has
chosen, is young and inexperienced.

10. SOLOMON
3. Pointed Out As Israel’s King
1 Chronicles 28:5-7
5
Of all my sons—and the LORD has given me many—he
has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the
kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6 He said to me:
‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house
and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I
will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if
he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws,
as is being done at this time.’

11. SOLOMON
4. Prayed For God’s Blessing
David’s prayer for Solomon
1 Chronicles 29:19
19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted
devotion to keep your commands, statutes and
decrees and to do everything to build the
palatial structure for which I have provided.”

12. SOLOMON
5. God’s Special Blessing
1 Chronicles 29:25
25 The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight
of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor
such as no king over Israel ever had before.

13. SOLOMON
6. Prepared For The Challenges
1 Chronicles 28:10-12
10
Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house as the
sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”
11
Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the
temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the
place of atonement. 12 He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in
his mind for the courts of the temple of the LORD and all the surrounding
rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the
dedicated things.

14. KING SOLOMON’S REQUEST
1 Kings 3:5-12
6 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night
in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me
to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great
kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was
faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have
continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son
to sit on his throne this very day. 7 “Now, LORD my God, you
have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I
am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my
duties.

15. KING SOLOMON’S REQUEST
Continued
8
Your servant is here among the people you
have chosen, a great people, too numerous to
count or number. 9 So give your servant a
discerning heart to govern your people and to
distinguish between right and wrong. For who is
able to govern this great people of yours?”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked
for this.

16. KING SOLOMON’S REQUEST
Continued
11
So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this
and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have
asked for the death of your enemies but for
discernment in administering justice, 12 I 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.
1 Kings 3:5-12

17. GOD BLESSES KING SOLOMON
1 Kings 4:29-34
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great
insight, and a breadth of understanding as
measureless as the sand on the seashore.
30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom
of all the people of the East, and greater than all
the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone
else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than
Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And
his fame spread to all the surrounding nations

18. GOD BLESSES KING SOLOMON
continued
32
He spoke three thousand proverbs and his
songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He
spoke about plant life, from the cedar of
Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls.
He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles
and fish. 34 From all nations people came to
listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings
of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
1 Kings 4:29-34

19. WISDOM FROM PROVERBS
What is wisdom?
• “The right use of knowledge” Spurgeon
• “Common sense in an uncommon degree”
• “Pursuing the best ends by the best means”
• “Wisdom is knowledge using its head” Twain

20. THE BEHAVIOR OF BELIEFS
by Spiros Zodiates
“Wisdom is a synonym of the Word, and it refers
to the perfection and eternity which is to be
found only in God the Father, manifested to the
world through His Son, the Lord Jesus, and
existing in the world today only through the
Holy Spirit…The wise man is he who has given
himself to Jesus Christ, and who, by the help of
the Holy Spirit, keeps his intellect in submission
to the will of God.”

21. WISDOM
by Dr. David Jeremiah
In Scripture, wisdom always refers to knowledge
of the course of action that will please God and
make life what God wants it to be. When God
promises wisdom, He promises a way of life that
is superior to the way of the world. He
guarantees that we will find “that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans
12:2)

22. How Does Wisdom Come To Us?
1 Corinthians 1:30
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who has become for us wisdom from God—that is,
our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
• Jesus Christ is our wisdom from God.
• He (wisdom) dwells in us through the Holy Spirit.

23. SEVEN PILLARS IN THE HOUSE OF WISDOM
Proverbs 9: 1
1 Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its
seven pillars.
• Proverbs 1: 1-7 describes the pillars
• 7 Pillars indicates wisdom is a “large” house
• The 7 pillars provide the “framework” or
“supporting principles” for understanding the
wisdom of God

24. THE 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM
Proverbs 1:1-7
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Wisdom is Development.
Wisdom is Discipline.
Wisdom is Discernment.
Wisdom is Dignity.
Wisdom is Discretion.
Wisdom is Depth of Understanding.
Wisdom is Devotion to God.

25. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DEVELOPMENT
1. Wisdom is Development.
Proverbs 1:1-2
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of
Israel:
2 To know wisdom …
• It is a developed skill or knowledge learned over
time.
• This “known wisdom” is a learned skill set.
• Other translations: for attaining, for gaining

26. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DEVELOPMENT
1. Wisdom is Development
Proverbs 9:9
9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach
the righteous and they will add to their learning.
Luke 2:52
52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in
favor with God and men.

27. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DISCIPLINE
2. Wisdom is Discipline
Proverbs 1:1-2
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of
Israel:
2 to know wisdom and instruction; …
• Other translations: discipline
• Translated as “reproof or correction”
• Discipline for true wisdom involves Bible study,
memorizing and prayer.

28. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DISCIPLINE
2. Wisdom is Discipline - Intentional Pursuit
Proverbs 2:1-5
1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my
commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding —
3 indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for
understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you
will understand the fear of the LORD and find the
knowledge of God.

29. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DISCERNMENT
3. Wisdom is Discernment
Proverbs 1:2
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for
understanding words of insight;
• Other translations: to perceive the words of
understanding (KJV)
• Root word from which we get “between”
• Ability to make wise choices and decisions

30. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DISCERNMENT
Solomon’s Prayer to God for discernment
1 Kings 3:9
9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern
your people and to distinguish between right and
wrong. For who is able to govern this great people
of yours?”
• Wisdom from God is the ability to make proper
choices

31. Paul’s Desire for the Philippians
Philippians 1:9-11
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may
abound more and more in knowledge and depth
of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern
what is best and may be pure and blameless for
the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—
to the glory and praise of God.

32. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DIGNITY
4. Wisdom is Dignity
Proverbs 1:3 NIV
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
• KJV – To receive the instruction of wisdom,
justice, judgment, and equity
• Learning to behave with propriety and tact
• Wise people reveal their wisdom through their
dignified actions.

33. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DIGNITY
Titus 2:2
2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of
respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in
endurance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every
activity under the heavens:
“to do the right thing at the right time”

34. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DISCRETION
5. Wisdom is Discretion
Proverbs 1:4
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
• The quality of having or showing good judgment
• The quality of being discreet
• Be careful of what you say and do
• Think before you speak

35. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DISCRETION
Jesus’ instructions when sending out the 12
disciples
Matthew 10:16
16 “I am sending you out like sheep among
wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as
innocent as doves.

36. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING
6. Wisdom is Depth of Understanding
Proverbs 1:5-6
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance— 6 for
understanding proverbs and parables, the
sayings and riddles of the wise.
• Listen to the wise counsel of others and learn
from them.
• “Learning the ropes”

37. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING
2 Timothy 2:1-2
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is
in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard
me say in the presence of many witnesses
entrust to reliable people who will also be
qualified to teach others.

38. 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM:
DEVOTION TO GOD
7. Wisdom is Devotion to God
Proverbs 1:7
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
Knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and
instruction.
Proverbs 9:10
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
• FEAR OF THE LORD = reverential trust in God
• This FEAR includes commitment to His revealed
will (Word).

39. Fear Of The Lord
Deuteronomy 6:1-2
1 These are the commands, decrees and laws
the LORD your God directed me to teach you to
observe in the land that you are crossing the
Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children
and their children after them may fear the LORD
your God as long as you live by keeping all his
decrees and commands that I give you, and so
that you may enjoy long life.

40. Fear of the Lord
• Fearing God is the starting point for godliness.
• This fear includes commitment to His revealed
will (Word).
• Fearing God means that we keep Him and His
statues as the focus and center of our
attention.
• Matthew Henry: “Where no fear of God is, no
good is to expected.”

41. WISDOM IS DEVOTION TO GOD
Romans 3:18
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
• Paul describes man’s sinful nature as ‘no fear
of God’
Psalm 36:1
1 I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is
no fear of God before their eyes.

42. QUESTION?
Proverbs 9:10
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.
In your view, why is the fear of the Lord the
beginning of wisdom?

43. NEXT SUNDAY’S LESSON
WHEN WISDOM WAS NOT ENOUGH
– Solomon loses his “fear of the Lord”.
THE FOUR KEYS TO WISDOM
– A Humble Spirit
– A Hungry Soul
– A Hearing Heart
– A Heeding Mind