Watching the political debates unfold as our nation’s presidential election takes place, we see clearly the incredible value of wisdom. We hear a string of quotable quotes, jabs, responses, and attempts at pulling on heartstrings and casting vision – and all of this in a fairly dynamic setting. There is such a difference between an opinion offered in a press statement and a fitting timely response given in a face-to-face debate. One single effective smart reply could effectively swing an entire state, even the entire election.

Now look at the wisdom God gave his statesmen:
~Solomon (1 Kings 4.29-31,34)
And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations…And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
~Daniel and his friends (Daniel 1.17-20)
As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
~Joseph (Genesis 41.38-41)
And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

I guarantee that if either Solomon, Daniel, or Joseph were to have spoken in these current debates – the wisdom they would have spoken with would have shone so clearly, no one would be able to stand against them. The superiority of the wisdom God gave them was so self-evident, entire nations and even regions of the world were basically handed to them to rule. Those who would naturally be their enemies (or at least deeply skeptical of their positions/background) quickly became their strongest supporters.

When Jesus spoke to the Jews about Solomon, he made a startling claim (Luke 11.31): “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.”

That means that as tangible and superior as the ruling wisdom of Solomon (and of Daniel and Joseph) was to any other wisdom in the known earth, the wisdom given to us in the person of Christ is more tangible and more effective. There is no question God desires today to have men and women who – although they were not called as powerful, influential and wise – are now given a mouth and wisdom that even those who would be their enemies simply cannot counter. If we were truly willing to hear Jesus charge us to “Occupy til I come,” then we would have among us the acknowledged foremost experts in the fields of business and finance, politics, science and all academics; even those prophetically able to forecast pivotal world events. When it comes to those areas that truly shape nations and influence kingdoms, no one would be wiser than the people of God; and that would be well known among those outside the church.

Why would God desire this? Because every nation on the face of the earth should be wide open to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Can the church exist (and even flourish) under brutal opposition and persecution? Most definitely. But why shouldn’t we make use of every single resource at our disposal for advancing the good news of Jesus’ resurrection?

If righteousness exalts a nation, and if sin is a reproach to any people, why shouldn’t we have champions among us who can sway entire nations towards righteousness and away from sin; towards true justice and away from immorality and greed and corruption? I mean people who are all but unmockable – who never act in self-interest or self-defense, who never have to pander to anyone – who open their mouths and just absolutely make sense. Why shouldn’t there be godly nations whose people are so securely rooted in the gospel that the church can operate powerfully within them, and springboard the spread of the gospel to every unreached people group remaining in the earth? Could we truly be “in but not of this world,” yet actively and literally overwhelming this world with the gospel of Christ?

If the answer is yes, then we must quickly stop building our own separate kingdoms, and engage together in the conquering power that has already overcome the world: even our faith >>