Godly Wisdom Includes Godly Judgment
Godly wisdom has a judgment that is equitable and impartial.
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
5 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:1-7
In verse 3 above, the scripture tells us that wisdom includes justice, judgment, and equity. These characteristics are a tall order and take much care to achieve them.
How do we develop proper judgment, justice, and equity?
“The fear of the Lord is Lord the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the foundation to all Godly wisdom. When we revere God as the maker of all mankind who is all powerful, it gives us a sobriety test! Recognizing that God is the ultimate judge of everyone causes us to be careful on how we judge other people.
In addition, we need to prayerfully ask the Lord to show us our biases. We cannot represent the Lord well when we have our own issues and prejudices. Our biases cloud our judgment and will cause us to believe one person or group over another person or group. To have Godly wisdom has to push us to live a life free from offense, prejudice, and bias. We should have a desire to be available vessels for God’s insight and direction.
Furthermore, we need to measure any situation against the word of God and use the Bible as our plumb line. This allows the Holy Spirit to be our guide and teacher and to lead us into truth. We cannot allow our preferences or dislikes to determine if a trespass is committed or the extent of trespass that was committed. For example, if we are used to seeing family members lie or use half lies to get themselves out of bad situations, it does not mean that lying is acceptable with God. Lying is still a direct disregard to God, and it should not be excused regardless of who is doing it. We also have to be willing to see the person receive appropriate measure of consequence and not make excuses for them or protect them.
I like the story of King Solomon (see 1Kings 3:16-28) when two harlots made a claim to the baby that was just born. The king did not know how to distinguish between the lying and the truthful person. They were both harlots, so he could have decided that neither of them was telling the truth. Or he could have looked at external factors such as how they were dressed to determine who was truthful. But he chose not to do that. He listened to both sides and then tested them by threatening to divide the child in half between the two mothers. The one who was truthful was willing to give up her child so he won’t be hurt.
Judging a situation or a person should be done with great care, and we must refrain from jumping into conclusions quickly. We set up a jury of peers in the court systems to create equitable situation and to ensure the two sides of the story are heard. How much more should we be careful in dispensing just and equitable justice towards others? We can’t allow the cultural norms or the pressure of emotions to compel us in jumping into conclusions. There are at least three sides to every story. The two sides of the argument and then ultimately God’s spirit leading us into truth, which may or may not be on either side of the two arguments.
Are you a just and equitable person? Do you take time to gather all your facts and listen to all the sides? Or do you have a tendency to take side with those you like or agree with?
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