Aspects of Christian Character: Wisdom...?

The next 'Christian character' that we are going to be talking about is the Biblical character of Solomon, son of our last subject, David. One thing people may be wondering, is wisdom really an aspect of Christian character? Well, I think it is. You see, wisdom isn't just common sense or experience, it's almost a divine understanding of things happening in the world around you. Solomon already had things like common sense, but because of a wise choice he made, God made him overflow with blessing, and he was the richest king in history. Let's take a look at what happened, shall we?:

29 The king then took an oath: "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 30 I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place."

1 Kings 1:29-30

2 "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, 3 and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, 4 and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'

2 Kings 1:2-4

This last excerpt I think is a strong statement on how David wanted Solomon, and that Solomon wanted for himself, the kind of lifestyle that we all should strive for. It's interesting how the hand of God works in some people's lives. If we live them according to the way of the plan that God has for us, and let Him lead in our lives instead of follow, then 'everything we do will prosper.' The words of David himself, inspired by God

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

But, now we need to go back to Solomon, as he has just been crowned king of Israel after the death of his father David:

5 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, O 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. 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. 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. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.

1 Kings 3:5-15

You see, Solomon was one of those people that did make the right choice in the right situation, and he was greatly blessed for it. So now, instead of having common sense, he had God-given wisdom. And, not only that, but the Lord blessed him with many other things as well, such as riches and a prosperous kingdom. And Solomon built a glorious temple for the Lord. However, we need examples of the wisdom of Solomon, and not just take it at face value:

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19 "During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne."

22 The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours."
But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king.

23 The king said, "This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.' "

24 Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."

26 The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!"
But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!"

27 Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."

This simple story is a great testament to the God-given wisdom of Solomon. For further proof, one need look no more than the book of Proverbs. This book is filled to the brim with fairly practical advice from Solomon to his son, so that he may live his life according to the commands of the Lord. Another strong testament that Solomon's life represents is being careful and evaluating what you wish for. Now in this case, Solomon made the right choice, but what if he hadn't? Everything he gained in his life would be gone and superficial were it not for the knowledge and wisdom that the Lord imparted to him.

The David Syndrome

Next up on our study of the aspects of Christian character: David. David had something that no one else in the Bible had; God called him 'a man after God's own heart.' What made David so special? He had sinned just like everyone else: He committed adultery and murder. Yet he was still a man after God's own heart. Why? Well, let's take a look:

David was the youngest of eight brothers, and the tender of his father's flock of sheep. At a young age, he was anointed by the prophet Samuel over all of his older brothers to be the future king of Israel:

"but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11 So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"
"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."
Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."

12 So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."

Now, most everyone knows the story of David and Goliath, but the Bible shall recount it for you anyway:

4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

20 Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.

25 Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel."

26 David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

David would not let this giant Philistine man so openly defy the God that he strongly believed in:

45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

Because of David’s strong faith in the Lord, he was able to defeat the giant with help from above. This was one strong Christian character attribute that David had. David then on had great success in battle, for the Lord was with him. This is not to say that David did not go through any more trials, for he did, in fact. His best friend’s father, the current king, tried to kill him. But, even so, the Lord was with him, and he survived. Even through all of David’s pitfalls with sin, he remained faithful to God, throughout his life, and this is why God calls David a ‘man after his own heart.’

Aspects of Christian Character: Obedience

Over the next few weeks, I shall be going through a study of Christian character and Christian characters. Meaning I shall take an aspect of Christian character and apply it to a Christian character of the Bible. Confusing? Maybe, but let's get into it shall we?

The first aspect I'll talk about is obedience. This aspect of Christian character is almost famously attributed to the Biblical character of Abraham. Abraham (Or, formerly Abram) was called by God to:

"1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him;"

-Genesis 12:1-4

How many people would just get up and leave, far away from their home, taking their family with them? Even though this came with a promise of blessing from the Lord, not many people would. But, as it says in verse four, Abram did. Abram was probably a poor farmer, and probably didn’t have very much, but he left anyway. We find out later that there was a great famine in the land that the Lord had told him to go, so he had to relocate his family once again to Egypt, an even greater test. But, the Lord looked after him as promised, and Abram moved on. Now, the Bible is a much better teller of Abram’s story than I, so I shall piece together some key verses that tell his story:

1So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

(Genesis 13:1-2)

Just for reference for the next verse, Abram then learned that his relative Lot had been captured, and rescued him. This is a short dialogue involving him and the King of Salem after Abram and rescued Lot, as well as many other people.

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.

20 And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself."

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'

(Genesis 14:18-22)

This is a strong proclamation of faith on Abram’s part, because he was very content in letting God, and God alone fulfill the promise of blessing that He had given him. Later, God did fulfill part of his promise to the now christened Abraham, by giving the barren Sarah the gift of a child, named Isaac. The time of Abraham’s obedience was not yet over, though:

1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.

2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

(Genesis 22:1-2)

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.

12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

(Genesis 22:6-12)

This was the greatest test that Abraham could possible receive. His wife Sarah had been barren for some time, and the Lord blessed them by giving them a child. But even that one child Abraham did not hold from the Lord when He asked him to give him up, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. This brings forth one of the greatest qualities of Christian character that Abraham had, and that was strict obedience to his God. He would let nothing stand in the way of him fulfilling God’s wishes, and did as he was told, even to the utmost extreme. I think this is an example that we can all take home and apply to our own lives, because many of us are reluctant to comply with what God wants in our lives.

I can recount a personal story that my mother has passed down to me:

When she was single, after graduating from college, she told God, “Take me wherever you want me to go, and I will go. Once place, that I will not go is New York City. Please don’t take me to New York City.” Who is my mother to negotiate with God? Guess where she spent the next eight years of her life? New York City. This just goes to show that even when you sometimes don’t want to obey God, He’ll still fulfill what He wants for you in your life.