When I first heard about the gifts of God, I had no idea that they were spiritual gifts. I did some research to find out what these gifts were, and I was thinking that the gifts were only for the Son of God. Then I found the passages within the Holy Bible for these gifts. According to 1 Corinthians 12:11, each spiritual gift is manifested through the Holy Spirit and the gifts can be found in verses 8-10. Here are the gifts:
Wisdom
Knowledge
Faith
Healing
Working of miracles
Prophecy
Discerning of spirits
Speak in tongues
Interpretation of tongues
As I was reading this, I wanted all of the gifts, but I prayed first for wisdom. After that, maybe a year later, I was told by a woman in our church that I had the gift of the “prophetic word”. YAY? But wait, what does that mean? It means that God answered my prayers for wisdom and it was not until today, July 29, 2021, that I would have a better understanding of what that truly means.
I believe now that you cannot have wisdom, without having understanding. In the book of Job, we are told the following:
Wisdom is the fear of the Lord and comes from the mind (see 28:28 and 38:36).
Understanding is to depart from evil, and comes from the heart (see 28:28 and 38:36).
King Solomon also explains wisdom and understanding in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (NKJV)
There are many examples in the Old Testament that God gave wisdom and understanding to people. The greatest example of this is King Solomon who was the son of King David. According to one passage in the Holy Bible, he had a dream where God appeared to him asking him what he wanted, and Solomon, being only a boy, asked for an understanding heart to administer justice to God’s people (1 Kings 3:1-15). When he woke up, Solomon stood before the ark and offered peace offerings and burnt offerings to God. The Holy Bible says that God gave to Solomon, “wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:29 NKJV). In fact, the Holy Bible says that people who heard of Solomon’s wisdom, would come to hear his wisdom (1 Kings 4:34).
Well okay. Now I see that wisdom and understanding go together, but is there anyone else that was given both wisdom and understanding? Yes. Uri, who came from the tribe of Judah to build the tabernacle, the ark of the Testimony, and the mercy seat during the time of Moses (Exodus 31). God also gave him knowledge. Okay, that is one example. Who else was given wisdom, understanding and knowledge?
Jesus. Isaiah 11 talks about Jesus Christ. Read what it says in verses 1 and 2:
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”
If you compare that with John the Baptist baptizing Him, you will find that when Jesus was baptized, “the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God Descending like a dove and alighting Him” (Matthew 3:16). Check out the other gospels of Mark, Luke and John and you will find that they said the same thing. I do not know about you, but when I was baptized, I did not see anything like that!
Just like Uri, Jesus came from the tribe of Judah. This comes from Jacob’s blessing (Genesis 49:3), but more importantly, this comes from God’s promise to King David:
When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-16 NKJV)
Just as God gave wisdom and understanding to Solomon, and further gave knowledge to Uri, and gave all these things to Jesus your Savior, God wants to bless you. If you are reading this, I feel in my heart that God wants to give you wisdom. But my brothers and sisters, wisdom is only a part of it, so when you pray for wisdom, pray also for understanding and knowledge! Pray for all of the other gifts too, for the gifts of God is for all of His children.
Announcement: next week, (week of August 9, 2021) I will post an article on the gift of knowledge. Each week, through the end of September, will focus on a different gift, unless God tells me otherwise.
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