The Attributes of God, Steve Lawson
Trinity Bible Church, midweek bible study, 5/18/22
Lesson 11. The Wisdom of God
The Attributes of God Steve Lawson
Trinity Bible Church, midweek bible study, 5/18/22
https://www.gracegems.org/77/tbc.htm
LESSON 11. The WISDOM of God
Message Introduction
The thought that the brutal execution of a Jewish man in first-century Palestine could be the means by which God brings salvation to mankind is considered foolishness by the world. But it was in this very event that God demonstrated His infinite and unsearchable wisdom. In this message, Lawson provides a biblical definition of wisdom and examines God's wisdom in creation, providence, salvation, and decrees.
Teaching Objectives
1. To explain what wisdom is, and to show where God's wisdom is most clearly revealed
2. To show how God's wisdom ought to comfort believers who are facing trials and afflictions
3. To commend God's infinite wisdom as an invitation to greater worship
Klassen: God's wisdom is eternal and immutable. For humans, wisdom is slowly acquired through learning and experience. Wisdom for man is "not making the same mistake twice." But for God there never was a period of learning. He never acquired wisdom through trial and error. He has always and will always possess perfect skill.
God's wisdom is also allied with His omnipotence. A man can have wisdom to select the right goals and the right means, but circumstances beyond his control easily prevent him from success. Man's path is fraught with obstacles. Not so with God—He not only knows all things, He not only selects the best goals, He not only knows the best means to achieve those goals, but He also has all power to apply these means and achieve His goals without frustration.
Scripture testifies that God is the source of all wisdom.
Job 12:13 "With Him are wisdom and might; to Him belong counsel and understanding."
Proverbs 2:6 "For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
Lecture Outline
Definition of God's Wisdom
A. Wisdom is the pursuit of the highest purpose and the greatest good.
1. In all situations, the highest and wisest goal is the glory of God, and the good of His chosen people.
2. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10).
3. Wisdom includes both the goal and the means to achieving that goal.
Klassen: "God not only knows all things, but He knows which goals are best, and which means are best in order to achieve those goals."
B. God, who is all-wise, always chooses the highest end and the best means to that end.
1. In all circumstances, He is at work for the glory of His name and the good of His chosen people.
2. Because God is all-powerful, it is significant that His might is constantly employed for the highest purposes.
Don Fortner: Wisdom is more than knowledge. It is the proper and best use of knowledge; and the Lord our God, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, possesses all wisdom. He is "the only wise God" (Job 12:13; Daniel 2:20-21).
Like goodness, sovereignty, power, and holiness, wisdom is an attribute of God's perfect, infinite Being. God is wise, perfectly wise, supremely wise, and consummately wise. His wisdom should inspire our hearts with confidence in Him and praise to Him.
Thomas Watson: God's wisdom appears in His exact and meticulous WORKING. His wisdom lies in His works. These works of God are bound up in three great volumes, where we may read His wisdom:
I. God's Wisdom is manifested in CREATION
A. One of the major arenas where God's wisdom can be seen is in His creative acts and the things He has made.
1. The sky and the heavens proclaim God's glory through their majesty and splendor (Psalm 19:1–6).
2. John Calvin described the universe as a theater where God's wisdom and power are always on display.
3. The world, in its intricate beauty, illustrates God's wisdom (Romans 1:20).
B. Even God's means of bringing the universe into existence was in keeping with His power and glory.
Explain!
C. The order and design of the created order demonstrate the wisdom of its Creator.
Herman Bavinck: "God is the supreme Artist. The world is God's work of art. He is the architect and builder of the entire universe."
Psalm 104:24 "How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."
Proverbs 3:19 "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the heavens."
Jeremiah 10:12 "It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom."
Thomas Watson: The creation is both a monument of God's power, and a looking-glass in which we may see His wisdom. None but a wise God could so meticulously contrive the world. Behold the earth decked with such a variety of flowers, which are both for beauty and fragrance. Behold the heavens bespangled with lights. We may see the glorious wisdom of God blazing in the sun, and twinkling in the stars. His wisdom is seen in marshaling and ordering everything in its proper place and sphere. If the sun had been set lower, it would have burned us; if higher, it would not have warmed us with its beams. God's wisdom is seen in appointing the seasons of the year. "You have made summer and winter." If it had been all summer, the heat would have scorched us; if all winter, the cold would have killed us. The wisdom of God is seen in chequering the day and the night. If it had been all night, there would have been no labor; if all day, there would have been no rest. Wisdom is seen in mixing the elements, as the earth with the sea. If it had been all sea, we would have lacked bread; if it had been all earth, we would have lacked water. The wisdom of God is seen in preparing and ripening the fruits of the earth, in the wind and frost which prepare the fruits, and in the sun and rain which ripen the fruits. God's wisdom is seen in setting bounds to the sea, and so wisely contriving it, that though the sea is higher than many parts of the earth, yet it should not overflow the earth. We may cry out with the Psalmist, "O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all." There is nothing to be seen in this world, but miracles of God's wisdom!
II. God's Wisdom is manifested in PROVIDENCE
A. With His glory as the goal, God orchestrates human circumstances so as to bring about this highest end.
1. God sovereignly and wisely arranges the specific details of each person's life (Acts 17:26).
2. Though we may not understand why certain aspects of our lives are the way they are, Scripture affirms that God works through all circumstances to achieve His purposes for us.
3. In His wisdom, God uses trials and difficulties to draw His children closer to Himself and to make them more like Jesus Christ.
B. Often, seemingly dark and hopeless circumstances later reveal God's sovereign wisdom at work.
1. Though Joseph's brothers intended evil against him, God intended that their actions would bring about good (Genesis 50:20).
2. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the greatest evil ever committed, but God predetermined that Christ's death would bring about His perfect plan of salvation.
C. In all situations, God is wisely carrying out His master plan for the glory of His name and the good of His chosen people.
Brad Klassen: "God's wisdom is displayed not only in His creation, but in His guidance and governance of the created realm; all the way down to the smallest of details. There are no random atoms, and no circumstance beyond His wise control. By His wisdom He is working everything toward His ultimate plan—His glory and the good of His chosen people.
Bavinck: "The wisdom of God is manifest in the creation, ordering, guidance, and government of all things."
Thomas Watson: Every providence has a mercy or a wonder enrapt up in it. The wisdom of God, in His works of providence, appears:
(1.) By effecting great things, by small contemptible means. He cured the stung Israelites, by a brazen serpent. If some sovereign antidote had been used, if the balm of Gilead had been brought, there would have been some likelihood of a cure; but what was there in a brazen serpent? It was a mere model, and not a real serpent; and it was not physically applied to him who was wounded; he was only to look upon it—yet this wrought a cure! The less probability in the instrument, the more is God's wisdom seen!
(2.) The wisdom of God is seen in doing His work, by that which to the eye of flesh seems quite contrary. God intended to advance Joseph, and to make all his brethren bow to him. Now, what way does He take? First Joseph is thrown into the pit; then he is sold into Egypt; then after that he is put in prison. But by his imprisonment God made way for his advancement. For God to save in an ordinary way, would not so much display His wisdom. But when He goes strangely to work, and saves in that very way in which we think He will destroy, His wisdom shines forth in a most conspicuous manner!
God would make Israel victorious, and what way does He take? He lessens Gideon's army. "The people that are with you are too many." He reduces the army of thirty-two thousand, to three hundred; and by taking away the means of victory, makes Israel victorious.
God had a design to bring His people out of Egypt, and a strange course He takes to effect it! He stirred up the hearts of the Egyptians to hate them. "He turned their heart to hate His people." The more they hated and oppressed Israel, the more God plagued the Egyptians, and the more glad they were to let Israel go. The Egyptians were urgent that they might send them out of the land in haste.
God had a mind to save Jonah when he was cast into the sea, so He let the fish swallow him up, and so brought him to the shore.
God would save Paul, and all who were in the ship with him, but the ship must be wrecked, so that they could all come safely to land upon the broken pieces of the ship. Acts 27:44.
In reference to the church, God often goes by contrary means, and makes the enemy do His work. God can make a straight stroke, with a crooked stick. He has often made His church grow and flourish by persecution. Exodus 1:10, "Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous." But the way the Egyptians took to suppress them, made them multiply. Verse 12, "But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites." Just like the soil, the more it is harrowed, the better crop it bears. The apostles were scattered by persecution, and their scattering was like the scattering of gospel seed. They went up and down, and preached the gospel, and brought daily converts. Paul was put in prison, and his chains were the means of spreading the gospel. "Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advancement of the gospel." Philippians 1:12.
(3.) The wisdom of God is seen in making the most desperate evils, to work to the good of His children. As several poisonous ingredients, wisely tempered by the skill of the apothecary, make a sovereign medicine, so God makes the most difficult afflictions work together for the good of His children. He uses severe afflictions to purify them, and prepare them for Heaven. "For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory!" 2 Corinthians 4:17. These hard frosts hasten the spring flowers of glory! The wise God, by a divine chemistry, turns our afflictions into cordials. He makes His people gainers by losses; and turns their crosses into blessings!
(4.) The wisdom of God is seen in that the sins of men shall carry on God's work; yet He Himself should have no hand in their sin. God ordained the crucifying of Christ, yet it was wicked men who murdered Him. (Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27-28). Herein is God's wisdom, that the sins of men carry on His work, yet He has no hand in them!
(5.) The wisdom of God is seen in helping in desperate cases. God loves to show His wisdom when all human help and wisdom fail. Expert lawyers love to wrestle with difficult law cases, as this more shows their skill. God's wisdom is never at a loss; but when providences are darkest, then the morning star of deliverance appears. "He remembered us in our low estate." Sometimes God melts away the spirits of His enemies, "The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us." Joshua 2:24. Sometimes He finds them other work to do, and sounds a retreat to them, as He did to Saul when he was pursuing David, "The Philistines are in the land!" When the church seems to be upon destruction, and her peace and liberty are ready to be sacrificed, then the deliverance comes.
(6.) God's wisdom is seen in befooling wise men, and in making their wisdom the means of their overthrow. Ahithophel had deep understanding, "The counsel Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God." But "The Lord turned his counsel into foolishness." "God catches the wise in their own craftiness;" that is, when they think to deal wisely, He not only disappoints them, but ensnares them. The snares they lay for others, catch themselves! "They have fallen into the pit they dug for others. They have been caught in their own trap." God loves to counterplot politicians; He makes use of their own wit to undo them. He hangs Haman up on his own gallows!
III. God's Wisdom is manifested in SALVATION
Brad Klassen: "God's greatest display of wisdom is His work of salvation." 1 Corinthians 1:18-30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:3
"God manifests His wisdom in the Incarnation. The incarnation of the Son of God will always be the ultimate expression of the wisdom of God, for it demonstrates God's skill in applying the best means possible to achieve the most glorious end possible."
Jonathan Edwards: The wisdom of God in the work of redemption is of vast extent. The plan of salvation is so manifold, that one may spend an eternity in discovering more of the excellent ends and designs accomplished by it.
Don Fortner: Above all else the wisdom of God is revealed in the salvation of sinners by Christ (Ephesians 1:7-8). Wisdom is displayed in other works of God; but all wisdom is displayed in the great works of grace by which we are saved. Behold the wisdom of God in:
1. The Person appointed to be our Savior, Christ (Job 33:24).
2. The means by which Christ came, The incarnation (Hebrews 10:5-10).
3. The people God sent His Son to save (Romans 5:6-10; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
4. The method by which Christ accomplished our salvation: Substitution, Blood atonement! (2 Corinthians 5:21).
5. The method by which salvation is brought to sinners: Irresistible, effectual, almighty grace! Romans 9:16).
Thomas Watson:
(1.) Salvation is the masterpiece of divine wisdom! God has contrived a way for happiness for sinful man, and still uphold His justice! We may cry out with the apostle, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" This has astonished men and angels. If God had left us to find out a way of salvation when we were lost, we could neither have had a head to devise, nor a heart to desire, what God's infinite wisdom had planned for us.
Mercy had a mind to save sinners, and was loath that the justice of God should be wronged. "It is a pity," says Mercy, "that such a noble creature as man should be eternally undone; and yet God's justice must not be a loser. What way then shall be found out? Shall man be forever lost?"
Now, while Mercy was thus debating with itself, what to do for the recovery of fallen man, the Wisdom of God stepped in, and thus the oracle spoke: "Let God become man; let the Second Person in the Trinity become incarnate, and suffer and die for the sins of His chosen people; and so for fitness He shall be man, and for ability He shall be God! Thus justice may be satisfied, and man saved!" O the depth of the riches of the wisdom of God, thus to make justice and mercy to kiss each other! Great is this mystery, "God manifest in the flesh." What wisdom was this, that Christ should be made sin, yet know no sin; that God should condemn the sin, yet save the sinner! Here was wisdom, to find out the way of salvation.
(2.) The means by which salvation is applied sets forth God's wisdom, that salvation should be by faith, not by works. Faith is a humble grace, it gives all to Christ; it is an adorer of free grace. And free grace being advanced here, God has His glory, for it is His highest wisdom to exalt His own glory.
(3.) The way of faith declares God's wisdom. Faith is wrought by the word preached. "Faith comes by hearing." What is the weak breath of a man to convert a soul? It is like whispering in the ears of a dead man. This is foolishness in the eye of the world; but the Lord loves to show His wisdom by that which seems folly. "He has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise." Why so? "So that no one can ever boast in the presence of God!"
If God were to convert by the ministry of angels, then we would be ready to glory in angels, and give that honor to them, which is due to God. But when God works by weak tools, makes use of men who are of like passions with ourselves, and by them converts—then the power is plainly seen to be of God. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us!" Herein is God's wisdom seen, that no flesh may glory in His Presence.
IV. God's wisdom is manifest in His ETERNAL DECREES (Isaiah 25:1). Don Fortner: Usually, the wisest acts of men are the results of thoughtful deliberation and sober consultation. Therefore, God's eternal decrees are called "his counsels of old." God did not need to deliberate or consult with anyone about what He should do. Yet His decrees and purposes, being fixed by the highest wisdom are called His "counsels." Thus He condescends to speak to us mortals with puny brains in a way that we can understand! God, in His infinite understanding of all things, knew from eternity what is best to be done; and by wisdom He decreed it according to the good pleasure of His will. He appointed the end of all things and ordained the best means to accomplish that end.
In predestination, He set the proper time for the accomplishment of all things, and guarded His purpose against everything that might hinder its accomplishment. The end for which God ordained all things is His own glory! (Proverbs 16:4; Romans 11:36).
The beneficiaries of God's purposes and decrees are His own elect, whom He predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ in everlasting salvation (Ephesians 1:5-6, 11; Romans 9:23; 11:33-36). God's eternal purpose of grace in election and predestination, is revealed for the glorifying of His grace in saving sinners (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). In order to accomplish His eternal purpose of grace, God has wisely ordained the time, season, place, and end of all things under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11, 14, 17).
Though there are many devices formed to overthrow God's purpose and thwart His decree, they are all vain. God not only disappoints the devices of the crafty, He uses their devices to accomplish His own wise designs (Psalm 76:10). His counsel will stand; and He will do all His pleasure (Isaiah 46:10). The thoughts of His heart, His decrees, shall be performed unto all generations. He not only overthrows, but He wisely and sovereignly uses the deeds of the wicked to accomplish His holy pleasure! The plot of Satan to overthrow His dominion only served to accomplish His purpose (Isaiah 14:14, 24, 26, 27).
The Covenant of Grace was a work of infinite wisdom (Hebrews 8:10-12). It was wisdom in God that devised such a covenant and moved Him to make it ordered in all things and sure for the glory of the divine Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the everlasting salvation of His elect. It is a covenant stored with all the promises and blessings of grace (Titus 1:2). It is a covenant that was made with Christ as the Surety of a chosen people (Hebrews 7:22). Every blessing of the covenant, as well as every condition of it, was placed in Christ, put upon Christ, and fulfilled by Christ (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:9). Thus did God in great and infinite wisdom find a ransom suitable and a way honoring to Himself to justify His elect! (Job 33:24; Romans 3:24-26).
Review Questions
1. Even works of evil and hatred are a part of God's wise plan.
a. True
b. False
2. God's wisdom is best described as ________.
a. His knowledge of everything
b. The purity of His thoughts
c. His choice of the highest end and the best means to that end
d. The quality of His knowledge that distinguishes His thoughts from man's
3. Because God is ultimately wise, all of the following are true except __________.
a. The history of the world will lead to His glory
b. His wise choices will always be comprehensible to people
c. Studying the natural world reveals His wisdom
d. His providential choices will always have their desired end
4. God's wisdom is best displayed in the works of Creation and Providence.
a. True
b. False
Discussion Questions
1. How can meditating on God's wisdom help you or someone you know to be comforted when reflecting on the difficulties of life, both past and present?
2. Many people, even those who do not claim to be Christians, find their emotions stirred when viewing nature. How can you use opportunities like these to point them to the God whose wisdom created the natural world?
3. Are there times in your life when it feels like God did not choose the best means to accomplish His glory? How can considering the wisdom of the cross, which is foolishness to the world (1 Corinthians 1:18), bring clarity and renewed trust in His plan?
4. How should your everyday decisions be affected by a consideration of God's wisdom and the final goal to which His wisdom is directed?
5. Your comments on this statement by J. I. Packer: "Wisdom without power would be pathetic, a broken reed. Power without wisdom would be frightening. But in God boundless wisdom and endless power are united, and this makes Him utterly worthy of our fullest trust." Job 12:13, "With Him are wisdom and might; to Him belong counsel and understanding."
Don Fortner:
God is PREEMINENTLY wise. That is to say, in comparison with Him, no one else possesses any wisdom at all. God the Father is wise. God the Son is the embodiment of wisdom; and God the Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom; but in comparison with the wisdom possessed by the infinite God, no one else has any wisdom at all. The holy angels, though they are wise and holy creatures by God's design, when compared to Him, are charged with folly (Job 4:18). And man, though he would be wise and thinks himself wise, is as "a wild donkey's colt" before God. We have very little wisdom even in natural things, and none in spiritual things by nature. If we attain any spiritual wisdom it is by the gift of God. We are wise to do evil; but to do good, we have no wisdom. God alone is wise. Wisdom belongs to God exclusively.
God is ALL-wise. He possesses all wisdom regarding all things; and He is wise in all His glorious Being. Everything God is, is wise; and everything He does reflects His wisdom. There is no defect or lack of wisdom in Him with respect to anything. Men may be wise in some thing's and foolish in others; but God is wise in everything. No man is always wise. Sometimes the wisest of men say and do foolish things, but not God. Neither His Word nor His works can be charged with folly. There is not an unwise word in all the volume of Inspiration; and there is not an unwise action in all His works. "O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all" (Psalm 104:24).
God is ESSENTIALLY wise. Wisdom is His nature and essence. Wisdom is what God is. As God is Love, as God is Spirit, as God is Goodness, so God is Wisdom. Without wisdom, He would not be God. God is wisdom essentially and eternally; and His wisdom is underived. It is immutable wisdom. It never increases and never diminishes.
Moreover, God is the SOURCE and FOUNTAIN of all wisdom. Whatever wisdom there is in the universe among angels and men, it comes from God. He is the Author and Giver of wisdom. The angels of Heaven get their wisdom from God. The great men of the earth get their wisdom from God. All the wisdom that Adam had in innocence, or his sons have in the earth, even all the wisdom that Solomon possessed and the wisdom of God's elect in eternal glory—is wisdom given, bestowed and maintained by God! I repeat myself deliberately: Wisdom is the gift of God (James 1:5). Anyone who possesses any wisdom by which he is distinguished from others, be it natural or spiritual—has his wisdom by the sovereign bestowment of the Almighty (1 Corinthians 4:7). Whatever wisdom there is in any of us, God put it there. He who gives wisdom to the wise, is the infinitely wise God.
The wisdom of God is UNSEARCHABLE. Its depth cannot be fathomed. It cannot be traced and found out to perfection (Romans 11:33; Job 11:6-9; 28:12-23).
V. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS of God's Wisdom (Brad Klassen)
1. Adore God for His infinite wisdom.
An all-wise God is worthy of admiration, worship, trust, and obedience.
The demonstrations of God's wisdom in creation, in providence, and in our salvation, should all be the regular focus of our sincere gratitude and adoration.
When was the last time you adored God for this attribute?
Daniel 2:20 "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him!"
Romans 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!"
Romans 16:27 "to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen."
2. Be content in all of your circumstances.
When we complain about our circumstances, we are actually questioning God's wisdom. By complaining against God, we imply that we are wiser than Him about what is best, and attempt to impose ourselves as God's counselors.
Sincere belief in God's wisdom means we must be content in all of our circumstances, including our trials! Everything we endure is the very best means to accomplish God's most perfect ends—His glory and our conformity to the likeness of Jesus Christ. If there was a better way to bring this about, God would have chosen it and brought it to pass. But since He hasn't, we must acknowledge that our present circumstances are what we need most.
Do you really believe that your painful circumstances are the very best means for God to achieve His ultimate purpose of glorifying Himself and issuing in your eternal good, even if you don't understand how?
Do you sincerely adore God not just for His wisdom in the grand scheme of things, but for His wisdom in ordering your particular circumstances?
Romans 9:20, "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'"
John Newton: "A humble submission to the Lord's will is founded in a persuasion of His wisdom, power, holiness, sovereignty, and goodness. It befits us, both as creatures and as sinners, to submit to the wise appointments of our Maker! Whatever befalls us is according to His all-wise purpose, and therefore must be right in itself, and shall in the outcome be productive of our eternal good.
If every event, great and small, is under the direction of His providence and purpose; and if He has a wise, holy, and gracious end in view, to which everything that happens is subordinate and subservient—then we have nothing to do, but with patience and humility to follow as He leads, and cheerfully to expect a glorious outcome. How blessed are they who can resign all to Him, see His hand in everything, and believe that He chooses better for them than they possibly could for themselves!"
3. Dedicate yourself to the acquisition of God's wisdom. Prov. 2:1-6; 3:13-18; 4:5-9; 8:1-11; 9:10
4. Reject the wisdom of this world.
Christians are often allured by the false wisdom of this world. So-called higher education, the media, materialism, rationalism, subjectivism, hedonism, and a host of other "isms" are offered as "real wisdom." But all of these messages begin with man as the authority, and operate in antagonism to the lordship of God and His word.
5. Scripture Application
Jeremiah 9:23-24 "This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise man boast of his __________, or the strong man boast of his __________ , or the rich man boast of his _________; but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord.
Romans 1:22 "Professing to be wise, they became ____________!"
1 Corinthians 3:19-20 "For the wisdom of this world is ____________ in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."
Ephesians 1:17-19 "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of ____________ and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe."
VI. Meditate on the Perfect Wisdom of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnzYnOe6kI
The perfect wisdom of our God,
Revealed in all the universe:
All things created by His hand,
And held together at His command.He knows the mysteries of the seas,
The secrets of the stars are His;
He guides the planets on their way,
And turns the earth through each day.The matchless wisdom of His ways,
That mark the path of righteousness;
His word a lamp unto my feet,
His Spirit teaching and guiding me.And oh, the mystery of the Cross,
That God should suffer for the lost
So that the fool might shame the wise,
And all the glory might go to Christ!Oh grant me wisdom from above,
To pray for peace and cling to love,
And teach me humbly to receive
The sun and rain of Your sovereignty.Each strand of sorrow has a place
Within this tapestry of grace;
So through the trials I choose to say:
"Your perfect will in Your perfect way!"
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!"
Romans 11:33
SUMMARY of the last four lessons:
Lesson 8: God is our Omnipotent friend!
Lesson 9: God is our Immutable friend!
Lesson 10: God is our True and Faithful friend!
Lesson 11: God is our All-Wise friend!
Next week: Lesson 12. The GOODNESS of God