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Who has known the mind of the LORD? (Rom. 11:33-36).  Let us begin in an attitude of humility.  Humility is lowliness of mind and heart before God.  Humility is an attitude of submission before God whereby we recognize His greatness and glory.  O the depth of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God! (Rom. 11:33).  How unsearchable are His judgments.  His ways are past finding out.  The finite mind fails when attempting to probe the infinite mind of God.  Who hath been His counselor?  Paul quotes from Isaiah 40:13.  Isaiah 40 is devoted to affirming the superiority of the LORD and the sovereignty of the LORD. Isaiah declares boldly for Israel to “Behold Your God! (Isa. 40:9).  The LORD is the incomparable One.  “To whom then will ye liken God?” (Isa. 40:18).  We must know God.  The goal for us is to know something of the wisdom and knowledge of God so that we can live our lives in full view of that wisdom and knowledge.  Knowing God is the beginning of knowing ourselves in relation to Him.  This is the reason we begin with the deepest and heartfelt humility.
What is Wisdom?
The wisdom of God tells us that God will bring about the best possible results, by the best possible means.  Wisdom is based upon knowledge and God is omniscient (all-knowing).  God knows the past, present and future.  He knows the intricate details of the entire universe including our own human nature and physical and spiritual being.  Isaiah asks, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” (Isa. 40:12).  Each probing question emphasizes the limits of human knowledge and ability.  But, what human prowess cannot do, God can do!  Isaiah mentions that God created the stars and knows them all by name (Isa. 40:26).  God is the creator.  Human beings are His creatures.  The error of  modern man is to humanize God and deify self.  This act of arrogance attempts to invert the relationship between ourselves and the one, true, and living God.  When we give up our knowledge of God, we will plunge into the darkness and corruption that has been created by the god of this world–Satan himself (Rom. 1:18-32).  Humility of heart recognizes the superiority of God and produces the fear of the LORD that respects God’s wisdom over the wisdom of this world.  Wisdom is not only knowledge, it is know-how.  Wisdom entails the skillfulness to formulate the best plan and to carry it out in the best and most effective manner. Wisdom sees the end from the beginning.  Only God can do this.  Thus, the need to guess or conjecture is eliminated.  This makes God’s knowledge and wisdom absolute.
Characteristics of God’s Wisdom
God is naturally wise.  This means that wisdom is part of His nature.  Wisdom is the essence of His being.  God is wholly, completely wise.  Nothing God does fails.  Nothing God does is self-defeating.  Nothing God does is NOT the BEST!  God’s wisdom represents the best of the best when it comes to guidance and instruction.  God’s wisdom is unsurpassed.  God is invariably wise. God never makes a mistake.  His judgments are perfect and right altogether.  Consequently, human beings are not in a position to correct God.  We might ask, “Why did you create me thus?” Or, “Why do you permit suffering?”  These types of “why” questions must be resolved in absolute trust of God’s superior wisdom.  We ask these questions because we do not know the answers and, in these instances, only God does.  We began in humility and we must continue in humility.
The Manifestation of God’s Wisdom
There are four areas where we can readily see God’s wisdom.  The first is creation.  Everything that God created was very good (Gen. 1:31).  God created human beings male and female.  God created human beings in His image (Gen. 1:27).  God is the ultimate reality.  God’s created order is part of our reality.  Any attempt to change God’s created order is foolishness.  When people rebel against God there is going to be a clash between God’s wisdom and the wisdom of this world.  Instead of humility, we become arrogant and desire to supplant God’s will with our own will thus making ourselves into a god (Ps. 104:24-26; Proverbs 3:19-20).  The second is God’s commandments.  The LORD giveth wisdom (Prov. 2:6).  Out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.  God gives us sacred knowledge through the revelation He has given us in His Word.  This knowledge is the only basis for salvation.  God’s Word is unique because it comes from Him and instructs in righteousness.  It gives guidance and direction for our own lives.  The Bible fool is the one who rejects the wisdom from above for the wisdom of this world (Matt. 7:24-27).  Those who hear and obey God’s Word are truly enlightened and characterized as wise. The third is Christ Jesus our Lord.  Paul declares, “But we preach Christ crucified, not the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (I Cor. 1:23-24).  Through Jesus Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself (II Cor. 5:18).  Through Jesus Christ, the resolution of man’s sin dilemma (condemnation before God) is accomplished.  Jesus makes justification possible (Rom. 5:8-9).  “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”  The fourth is the church of Christ.  In Eph. 3:10-11, God’s Word teaches, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  The church of Christ is made up of those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28).  The church is the spiritual body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23).  The church is the spiritual sphere where all spiritual blessings are to be found (Eph. 1:3).  The church is comprised of the saved (Acts 2:41,47). The church makes spiritual union with Christ and all of those of like precious faith possible.  The church has the grand spiritual purpose of guarding the truth and proclaiming the truth to all nations and tongues.  The church is glorious, spotless, and holy (Eph. 5:27).  The church strives to imitate Christ. The church is comprised of those who are God’s children (Gal. 3:26-27).  When we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized by one Spirit into His spiritual body–the church (I Cor. 12:13).
The wisdom of God is unsurpassed!  It is the best of the best.  It is set in strong contrast to the wisdom of this world (James 3:13-18).  When we humble ourselves in the sight of the LORD, we will walk in His wisdom.  We will walk in His love, truth and righteousness. We will follow the wisdom from above and reject the wisdom of this world.

God is omniscient.  He is all-knowing.  The Bible is exemplary of the wisdom of God.  It is a piece of the mind of God revealed to the heart of man.  That makes the Bible unique and special.  It is the ultimate source of knowledge and wisdom for our lives.

The Pursuit of Wisdom
A noble quest of the human heart is to possess the wisdom that comes from God.  Seek and ye shall find!  In Proverbs 2:1-4, Solomon uses four phrases to capture the essence of this quest.  The pursuit of wisdom involves:  inclining thine ear unto wisdom, applying thine heart to understanding, crying after knowledge and lifting up thy voice for understanding.  Seek wisdom as silver and search for her as for hid treasure.  Stop for a moment and consider what you are pursuing in life.  Is it worthwhile?  Is it going to last?  The wisdom of God is a treasure worthy of the pursuit.  It is worthy of the time and effort to gain it.  It is worthy of any cost or sacrifice necessary to secure it.

The Source of Wisdom
Solomon writes, “For the LORD giveth wisdom.  Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”  “Out of his mouth” refers to the words of God.  The words of God reveal the wisdom of God.  God gives us insight into the way things really are.  He gives us truth.  Truth is fundamental to the Christian walk.  God’s wisdom is manifested in His created acts. The beauty and design of the universe in which we live testify to His wisdom.  Consider your own body.  David states that we are “fearfully and wonderfully” made (Psa. 139).  The design is complex and precise.  It takes a superior intellect or mind to produce the design and beauty that we observe all around us every day.  God’s wisdom is manifested in His word. Paul writes, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Rom. 11:33).  God’s Word provides guidance to our lives.  There is an alternative, but it is the way of foolishness.  We can reject God and the knowledge He gives to us but this would be foolish.  God’s word provides direction for morality affecting both human conduct and character.  God’s Word provides direction for salvation and shows us the way of the cross leads to a heavenly abode with Him.  God’s Word helps us to know ourselves and human nature which surrounds us.  It shows us the way to be better husbands, wives, fathers and mothers.  It warns against the pitfalls of temptation and sin.  The Word of God is a vast treasure of the divine thoughts of a  Holy God.  If we pursue the wisdom from above, we can find it and apply it to our own lives thereby enriching our lives immensely.

Practical Aspects of Wisdom
God does not withhold wisdom from the upright.  God is a buckler (shield) to the upright.  Here are some practical aspects of His wisdom. First, God’s Word defines righteousness.  Righteousness is right conduct as defined by God’s precepts.  Pursuit of His holiness will keep us from evil and identify us as His children.  We become partakers of the divine nature. Second, God’s Word imparts judgment (spiritual discernment).  Spiritual insight and sensitivity that enables us to distinguish right from wrong and good from evil.  This spiritual discernment instructs the conscience and guides us through the maze of choices and decisions that must be made every day.  We have the wisdom of God as a moral compass.  Third, the Word of God gives us equity or a sense of uprightness.  This pathway of righteousness leads us to God and to heaven.  Fourth, God’s Word gives us knowledge of every good way.  Good is defined by God’s own nature.  To be good and walk in that which is good is nothing less than the pursuit of God Himself.  Fifth, God’s Word imparts discretion.  Discretion is the capacity of well-considered action.  It is an aspect of judgment.  Sixth, God’s Word gives understanding.  Understanding is when the mind of man is joined with the truth from God and results in insights into the way things really are.  It involves the capacity in the case of opposing rules to make the right choice or in the matter of extremes to choose the right medium. These practical aspects of the wisdom of God are essential for living a successful spiritual life and navigating the obstacles and temptations that Satan places in front of us.

The Results of Wisdom
Wisdom from above protects and preserves.  It keeps us from evil men, evil designs and sinful ways.  It delivers us from the flattery of a strange woman.  We can distinguish truth from a lie or right from wrong and so choose our steps carefully and walk in the pathway of righteousness. Wisdom preserves relationship with God.  It preserves the righteous.  The upright shall dwell in the land but the wicked shall be cut off.  Destruction and death follow the indulgent life characterized by the pursuit of evil.  This is foolishness.  The way of wisdom preserves life and expands enjoyment of life.  It gives hope beyond this life consisting of eternal life with God.

Jesus distinguished between the wise man and the fool.  The wise man is the person who hears the sayings of Jesus and does them.  The foolish man hears the sayings of Jesus but does not submit to them (Matt. 7:24-28).  Wise or foolish–you choose!