The Example of Wise Men

God greatly blessed both King Solomon and Daniel. They both were well known and able to influence the lives of many people. Not only were they wise, but they also enjoyed fame, fortune, and great success during their lifetimes.

King Solomon is the author of our wisdom book - the book of Proverbs. God used him to teach us the difference between the wisdom of God and the perceived wisdom of the world. King David was King Solomon's father. He taught Solomon the value of trusting in God and having the wisdom of God above all else. Through Solomon's story, we see the value of having the fear of God as our first priority. From King David, Solomon learned the importance of being faithful, righteous and upright in heart. Solomon viewed himself as a servant. When asked by God what he would like, Solomon asked for a discerning heart to grow God's people and to be able to distinguish between right and wrong. He did not ask for long life, wealth or the death of his enemies. God gave Solomon a wise and discerning heart, riches and honor. God required Solomon to walk in His ways and obey His statutes and commands. If he did this, God promised Solomon a long life. Solomon was rich and famous, and - humanly speaking - he had no need of anyone or anything. Yet Solomon saw the need to seek God and the wisdom of God first.

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Daniel and his three friends were taken captive to Babylon during the reign of Jehoiakim. They were the king's service. Daniel and his friends were seen as being young men without physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, qualified to serve in the king's palace, members of a royal family. While good looks and a noble heritage are nice to have, there was an emphasis on the wisdom of these young men and on their aptitude to learn and to teach. Daniel and his friends got their wisdom from God. Their wise responses got them through three conflicts with the Babylonians. They did not want to eat the king's food and so asked for a trial period to eat only vegetables and water. Daniel was able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream following a time of prayer. They faced a conflict between worshiping a heathen idol and loyalty to the one true God. They chose to trust that God would save them. In each instance, they were able to overcome the conflict with wisdom from God. We too will have many conflicts. We may be tempted to do wrong. Situations will arise in which we have to make important decisions for ourselves. It is important to know that we can rely on God and His wisdom to get us through the difficulties.
recognized as being excellent young men. Because of their qualification, they were selected to be trained for

God blesses are lives in many different ways as we trust in His wisdom. He promises we will live in safety (Prov. 1:33); have a prolonged life (Prov. 3:2); will be blessed (Prov. 3:13); have peace (Prov. 3:17); not fear (Prov. 3:24); have life and health (Prov. 4:22); have power and strength (Prov. 24:5) and have a future hope (Prov. 24:14)

-From Wise Up Wisdom in Proverbs, Positive Action Bible Curriculum, Lesson 3

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