“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore, get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown” (Proverbs 4:5-9).

King Solomon was visited by YeHoVaH the Almighty God in a dream. God presented Solomon with a most wondrous offer: “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5).

Whatever you want? Anything?

Men of lesser quality would almost certainly ask for wealth, or for power, or for good health and a long, happy life. Solomon requested none of these things. His mind and heart were focused on his duty to properly lead the people of Israel as their new king. With very big shoes to fill—those of his beloved father David—Solomon undoubtedly was feeling the extreme weight of responsibility that was now resting squarely on his shoulders.

Solomon did not ask for money, or power, or health. Instead, he asked for a “discerning heart to govern [God’s] people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3:9).

YeHoVaH was pleased with Solomon’s request. “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, 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 3:11-12). And because Solomon’s request was so pleasing to God, YeHoVaH then promised him that “I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings” (1 Kings 3:13).

Solomon’s request was granted. He was blessed by God with “a wise and discerning heart” (1 Kings 3:12), so much so that the people of Israel “held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice” (1 Kings 3:28).

Does this mean that Solomon led a perfect life? Certainly not. He, like all human beings, had his fair share of failings and sins, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In the very same chapter we are told that Solomon “offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places” (1 Kings 3:3). This and his decision to disobey YeHoVaH’s Torah by marrying “many wives” (Deuteronomy 17:17) among all the “strange women” (1 Kings 11:1) of the world ultimately led him down a destructive path.

Nevertheless, Solomon still understood this paramount truth: “Wisdom is supreme” (Proverbs 4:7). A wise and discerning heart—a heart that can properly distinguish between right and wrong—is a most desirable thing to be had and should be diligently sought after. Wisdom is to never be forsaken. It is to be loved and cherished. And if we obtain favor in the eyes of YeHoVaH and acquire this splendid gift, we are promised protection, exaltation, honor, and a “glorious crown” (see Proverbs 4:5-9 above).

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding” (Proverbs 3:13).

We may be 3,000 years removed from the days of wise King Solomon, but his exhortation to seek after wisdom and understanding are of more importance today than ever before.

We live in a fast-paced world with fast-paced information. The Internet and social media have opened up to us a universe of instant access to information the likes of which King Solomon could never have dreamed possible. “Facts” (so-called) are thrown at us from every individual, every group, every denomination, and every political party literally every single day. We’re constantly surrounded by politicians, celebrities, media talking heads, doctors, religious leaders, scientists, scholars, professors, podcasters, fitness influencers, nutritionists, and also our own friends and family — all of them vying for our attention and shouting that they’ve got the answers, they’ve got the facts, they’ve got the truth.

Swimming amid this strange new ocean of information-bombardment and sensory-overload it’s easy to feel the sensation of drowning beneath the waves of competing voices and oftentimes conflicting “facts.”

What are we to do in such a time as this? Where are we to turn? How are we to keep our heads above the waves and even, God willing, walk atop them?

If we are to ever walk atop these chaotic waves we must be found continuously walking with HIM who has power to calm the storms. YeHoVaH God and His Word — His Written Word found in the Holy Bible and His Living Word, Yeshua Messiah — are the only solution to the storms of life we face today. They have always been and will always be the only solution. They are the truth and the rock upon which we find refuge from all storms.

“Sovereign YeHoVaH, You are God, and Your words are truth” (2 Samuel 7:28).

“Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 71:3).

Be sure to take sufficient time away from the face-paced online world and spend that much needed time with God by reading and studying His Word, for “The unfolding of [His] words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).

And while studying the Word of God is an absolutely essential first step in the right direction, it is not enough. The Pharisees, for example, had a knowledge of God’s Word, but nevertheless their eyes were blind to God’s perfect light. Many of them had the Torah memorized and could recite whole sections verbatim, but their ears were deaf to God’s gentle voice of truth.

What they all lacked is that precious gift King Solomon gained: WISDOM. And wisdom can only be gained from the same Eternal Source he personally received it from and in the same way.

James, the brother to our Lord Yeshua, begins his letter by addressing it to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (James 1:1), and a few verses later encourages them to seek after the gift of wisdom:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:5-8).

The gift of wisdom comes directly from God. If you are to acquire it, you must ask God. Seek it faithfully from God, never doubting. Fervently pray to have that “wise and discerning heart” granted to you, just as it was granted to King Solomon long ago, and “it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

The purpose for gaining this gift of wisdom is so that you might “distinguish between right and wrong,” between good and evil, between truth and lies. You seek after this gift from God so that you might properly live according to the truth of His Word, as James later emphasizes by saying, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves — do what it says!” (James 1:22).

Paul understood the importance for God’s people to seek after and obtain the gift of wisdom from God. He wrote, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1:17).

It is by obtaining wisdom that you’ll be granted the ears to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd amid all the noise of our chaotic world. It is by obtaining wisdom that you’ll be empowered to follow him wherever he goes and live as he lived.

Yeshua Messiah said, “When [the shepherd] has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. … I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:4-5, 14).

I pray that YeHoVaH God may bless His people with that “wise and discerning heart” (1 Kings 3:12).

Amen.