In the last article, we talked about wise decisions that prosper entire projects and give the wise man nobility, strength and capability of understanding and perceiving everything.
Just like the decision of the wise director that prospered his company, and the wise emperor who chose the best successor for his kingdom. Let us continue our journey with wisdom.
A just person’s wisdom:
There’s wisdom regarding judgment, for a wise man can judge everything presented to him perfectly and clearly, announcing everybody’s right, hence, the people will sense the ability of this wise man concerning right judgment. The Scripture tells us a story about Solomon the wisest king of all ages. His God-given gift of wisdom was manifested in one of the cases submitted to him and he judged it perfectly.
One day, two women submitted their case before him to judge between them. One of them explained that they dwelled together in the same house and no one was with them, and she had given birth to a son. Three days later, the other woman also gave birth to a son.
Then it happened that her son died at night, because she lay on him accidentally. So she arose in the middle of the night and took her dead son from her side and laid him on the other woman’s bosom while she was asleep, and took the living child instead of her dead one. When she had risen in the morning to nurse her son, there he was dead! But when she had examined him, she discovered he was not her son!!!
The other woman said the same thing, that her son was the living one and the dead one was the other woman’s; thus they kept quarrelling before the king. And each one claimed her right to the living child.
Then the king said: “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”
But the other agreed immediately and said: “But divide him.” So the king ordered them: “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
And when all the people had heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. Truthful are the words of Scripture: “And a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment.”
Therefore, any person who is granted wisdom by God, and preserves and develops it, will find his wisdom becoming a beacon guiding others, besides everybody will fear and love him.
Wisdom and power:
Also, wisdom is the source of the wise person’s strength: “Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city.” Wise Solomon says: “Wisdom excels power.” For he who has wisdom is better than he who has power and authority yet lacks wisdom.
I once read a story about one of the just judges who was famous for his wise judgment and no-one could ever deceive him, therefore one of the princes who had heard of him wanted to test his justice for himself.
So he disguised himself in merchant’s clothing and headed to the judge’s city on his horse, and at the city entrance, a lame man begged for charity and he gave him some money. As he was leaving, the man pleaded with him to convey him to the city square, so he accompanied him, but when they arrived, the lame man refused to dismount the horse, claiming that the horse was his! As the quarrel escalated severely, they both went to the judge.
In court, the usher was calling for the disputing parties, then the judge summoned a carpenter and ghee vendor, both disputing ownership of some money, each claiming the money was his. The carpenter said: “I bought ghee from this vendor, and when I took out my wallet to pay for it, he snatched it out of my hand, trying to steal the money.”
As for the vendor, he said: “It is a lie, this carpenter came to buy ghee, and after I gave it to him, he wanted to exchange some money for a gold coin, and as I was taking out my wallet, he snatched it, trying to escape, so I caught him and brought him here.” The judge listened silently, and accordingly, he told them to leave the money and come back the next day.
After that, it was the turn of the case of the merchant and the lame man, so the merchant mentioned what happened, then the judge ordered the lame man to speak, so he said that as he was riding his horse in the city square, the merchant was sitting on the ground, and he pleaded with him to take him to a certain destination, and there he refused to come off the horse’s back, claiming that it was his. The judge considered, then said: “Leave the horse here and come back tomorrow.”
The next day, the disputing parties came before the judge, then the carpenter and the ghee vendor came forward first to hear the verdict, so the judge told the carpenter: “The money is yours”. And he judged that the vendor should be beaten for lying!
After that, the usher summoned the merchant and the lame man before the judge, who asked them: “Can you discern the horse from among 20?” then they both answered at the same time: “Yes”, so the judge led them to the stable, then the merchant indicated the horse immediately, recognizing it from amongst 20, as did the lame man. Hence, the judge told the merchant: “The horse is yours, take it”. “As for the lame man”, the judge said, “beat him for lying!”
After the trial, as the judge was walking home, the merchant followed him, so the judge turned to him asking what he wanted. “I wanted to know how you knew that the money was the carpenter’s and the horse was mine.” So the judge replied: “The money was the carpenter’s, because I put it in a glass of hot water to see if any ghee would float to the surface of the water, for definitely, if the money was the ghee vendor’s, it would have remnants of ghee from his hands.
As for the owner of the horse, it was a more difficult issue, for the lame man as well as you immediately pointed to the right horse, yet I didn’t want to see which of you would recognize the horse. On the contrary, to see which of you the horse will recognize! And when you had approached the horse, it turned towards you, then I knew that the horse was yours.
The Scripture says: “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion.”
To be continued…
