A mature leader will know he needs wisdom to honor the Lord and not hurt people. As mentioned in the introduction, knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the art of skillful living. It is living in line with God and the way he has made the world work. It is weighing all the biblical information and knowing which principle to apply now given the current situation.
Leading well, whether in the church or home, requires wisdom. As Solomon began his reign, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and invited him to request anything. Solomon asked, “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people” (1 Kings 3:9). God was so pleased with his request that he declared Solomon would be the wisest person ever to live. He would bless him with riches and honor beyond any other (1 Kings 3:10).
Interestingly, it was both Solomon’s wise words and his wise leadership that spread his fame and brought God glory. Scripture records the Queen of Sheba traveled from modern day Ethiopia to ask him her questions. After hearing the words of Solomon and seeing the accomplishments of his wise leadership, she was left breathless. When she regained her composure, she exclaimed what a blessing it was to hear his wisdom and for his men to live under his rule (1 Kings 10:1-10). Solomon’s wise words and leadership brought glory to God and blessed his people. It was Israel’s golden age and a pointer to the day we will live under the blessing of the true and better Solomon—Jesus. This theme of wise words and actions appears in other places in the Scripture. For example, Luke emphasizes the mighty words and deeds when speaking of Jesus (Acts 1:1) and Moses (Acts 7:22).
If a leader’s actions can bless people, his actions or inactions can also hurt them. The reason Solomon prayed for wisdom was so he might administer justice. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way an important leadership principle that found in these verses. The lesson? Lack of wisdom in a leader leads to feelings of injustice for those underneath him. When you are wise in your priorities and how you go about implementing the plans, it blesses others. When you lack wisdom, those underneath you will feel it as injustice, even if you have a good and sincere heart. That’s why God says approvingly that David led God’s people with integrity of heart and skillful hands. The second is just as important as the first. Realizing the responsibility and power we have in our ministry or parenting role should cause us to cry out for wisdom.
