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What Difference Does It Make? (Part 7) The Mystery Of God’s Wisdom
By Ron Webster October 2023
day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. (How can one not forgive as Christ hath forgiven us? (Eph- esians 4:32). “And he comforted them and spake kindly unto them” (Genesis 50:19-20). Our choices do make a difference to change the course of history! Moses, in Deuteronomy 4:5-8, is one of the first to tell us what true wisdom is. “Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments (rules to live by, and the wisdom to discern how to apply them in our daily life), even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whether ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them: for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the (Gentile) nations, which shall hear all the statutes, and say, Surly this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for?” As Moses states, according to God, What makes a nation great? Is it a nation with all the right laws to live by, or is there more? Most of us are too preoccupied with our own thoughts of our daily lives that we fail to see the hand of God in everything, preserving a faithful remnant. Left to ourselves when we turn our hearts away from our Lord God and Creator, we always degenerate to our lowest state, as the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 1:17-32 as “reprobate.” It came down to this when God took the lives of all living creatures save those on the Ark with Noah and his family. First, as we saw last time, it is a choice between the knowledge of good and evil! Second, we have to choose good, for it is the wisdom of God. He has established what is right and good for all of creation, as He “saw every- thing that He had made, and, behold it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31). To have all the knowledge in the world, but not able to know what is good and what is evil; one can not possibly make good choices without the wis- dom from God who designed everything to work perfectly. As the Apostle Paul comments in II Timothy 3:7, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of truth,” we consider our thoughts to be equal to God’s, as if truth could come from another. Moses, in the rest of Deuteronomy chapter four, explains how we gain the wisdom of God. (Verses 9-10) “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen (the mighty works of God for your good), and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to thy sons, and thy son’s sons; especially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather Me the people together, and I will make them hear My words that they may learn to fear Me (respect God for who He truly is.) All the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children” (the same). When evil prospers, it is very easy to give up! But King David ex- presses his confidence in his Lord and Savior in Psalm chapter thirty seven with these words; “Fret not” but “trust in the Lord.” “Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” “Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.” “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous (right thinkers) forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is merciful, and lendeth; and His seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.” He “forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” Read this entire chapter! Don’t be envious of the foolish when they prosper. After the sons of Israel were safely provided for in Egypt, they be- came complacent even in their misery, forgetting God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:13-21; 17:1-9. Did they also forget God’s faithfulness to Abraham in Genesis chapter twenty two where Abraham finally learned obedience by the things he suffered to trust God to fulfill what He promised, even if He had to raise his son from the dead? Abraham is praised for his faith in Hebrews 11:8-19. Even though he wavered at times, his faith persevered to the end! God always provides a way, just as the Apostle Paul states in I Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation (or testing) taken you but such as is common to man: But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be (tested) above that which ye are able; but will with the (test- ing) also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Even with Job, who lived before Abraham, God had considered Job’s limits in Job 1:12 and again in Job 2:6. Paul additionally states in Ro- mans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His pur- pose.” His purpose has always been as stated in II Peter 3:9, “that none should perish, but all should come to repentance.” It has nothing to do with being chosen, but all to do with our choice to believe, trust, and obey His every Word! The main purpose of a faithful remnant was to be a light of truth unto all the world, first commanded in Deuteronomy 4:1-9, not to “add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it.” But they did evil in the sight of God. The Lord spoke to Isaiah in Isaiah 8:11-15 instructing him that he “should not walk in the way of this people, nor agree with those who want a compact with Assyria, so as not to fear their fear, nor be afraid. But, Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself (for He is your God); and let Him be your fear… And He shall be your sanctuary. But for a stone of stumbling and a rock earthly, sensual, devilish… But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be (approached), full of mercy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace.”
After Cain slew Able, God raised up Seth (Genesis 4:25). Seth was the seed that would start the line descending from Eve to bring forth the One to destroy the power of Satan in Luke 3:23-38. Gene- sis 4:26 states when Seth’s son Enos was born: “then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” When Noah was called to build the ark, February 2024 The Apostle Paul again speaks of another mystery in I Corinthians 2:7, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.” The wisdom of God has been revealed to us only to the ex- tent that we can have confidence in putting our trust in His every word, the rest has been hidden to be revealed as He sees fit!
there were only two other godly men alive, Seth’s son Methuselah, Noah’s grandfather who died the year the flood came, and Lemech, Seth’s grandson, Noah’s father who died five years before the flood, to help and encourage Noah in the 120 years of building the ark. All the rest of the wicked world was taken by the flood except Noah and his family, the only ones left of the faithful remnant of which the Christ was to be born. Since the flood, Noah lived about two years short of Abram’s birth. Then about 100 years after the flood, to preserve a faithful remnant, God confounded the languages of men to slow down the spread of evil, in that He promised Noah never again destroy the world with a flood. Shem, the son of Noah, lived 148 years after Abraham was born, and died 48 years after Isaac was born. Isaac dies (Genesis 35:27-29) after the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel) were born. Since Noah died, there were still seven of the nine generations alive when Abram was a young man, as listed with those faithful (Luke 3:1-34), to en- courage Abram. Then about twenty years after Jacob was born, the last of the generations prior to Jacob except Isaac his father had all passed away. As I mentioned last time, the mysteries of God that are revealed remain a mystery, if our foolish hearts have become darkened by choosing to pur- sue the knowledge of evil. In the previous article, as stated in Romans 1:20, His marvelous creation clearly shows the invisible things of God and His eternal power and Godhead. God chose to reveal His mysteries as He sees fit for us to know Him only as we need to know Him. But Paul contin- ues in verses 8-10 of I Corinthians 2, by “Which none of the princes of this world knew (even with the nation of Israel): for had they known it (the wisdom of God) they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.” Yes, it does make a difference if we know the wisdom of God that He has revealed to us! But as it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us (the mysteries of His wisdom) by His Spirit: for His Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God.” This is also true about man, to know God one needs to search the words of God, to find the deep things of God, and the Spirit of God will guide us in all truth. Many do not find the deep things of God, because they are search- ing in all the wrong places. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (will not disapprove): and it shall be given him.” James also states in James 3:13-18 the difference between wisdom from above and wisdom which “is
sibilities over to the world, and now we don’t like how they are taking care of them. Long ago we turned our children’s education over to the Government. Long ago we also turned our securities only found in our Creator over to corporate executives for insurances of all kinds — home, auto, health, and even retirement, all of which are very much government regulated, and now we do not like it! In our misery, we curse our government, and the evil ones using our tax dollars to man- date how we must think and live for the “good” of all. We have rejected our King of kings as Israel did in Judges 8:22-23, and I Samuel 8:5-8 for a man to rule and fight for them. Eventually crying out for His cru- cifixion in John 19:15, because He did not throw off the Roman rule by establishing His kingdom! As with all generations, if we don’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it. How much more do we need to suffer before we learn obedience, and walk by every Word that has proceeded out of the mouth of God? But God in His compassion, is merciful “not willing that any should perish, but all come to repentance,” giving Israel hope of a future. Isaiah 9:2, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” That light was from the beginning (John 1:1- 10), for, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him: and without Him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:1-3 makes a clear statement that Jesus, the Son of God, created all things, for nothing was created that He did not create; being equal with the Father both as God; His words being the essence of truth by which we know both the Father and the Son. “In Him was life (for “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed in his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7; “and the Life (of the Spirit) was the Light of men. And the Light (since the knowledge of evil was brought into the world now) shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not, (could not even begin to understand it, let alone master it)… That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world (since creation) and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own (mankind), and His own received Him not.” Generally speaking, most of creation has not received Him, the Son of God as their Lord God and Creator, to walk in the light as He is in the Light, the light of life. Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is what we must live by (Matthew 4:4)! But man is continually adding to, or diminishing from His every Word. “But as many as receive Him (the Word, every word, that none per- ish, but all come to repentance,” II Peter 3:9), to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12). For His name represents everything He is, as described by His every word, for “the Word was God.” God has given every man plenty of good reasons to believe, trust, and obey Him since creation, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them (the true Light which lighteth every man which cometh into the world, John 1:9); for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they (or we) are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19- 20). The children of Israel, “when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful: but became vain in their imaginations… changing the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man… and their foolish hearts was darkened.” (Romans 1:21-23). Likewise we today seem to be following the same path of destruction. If this isn’t enough to convince us, who name the Name of Christ, possibly even in vain, to repent and put our faith and hope in the promises of a faithful and loving Creator, instead of the world, then I don’t know what will! God spoke to the children of Israel in Isaiah 55:6-11 concerning His wis- dom. “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts (fleshly wisdom): and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Our salvation is en- tirely dependent upon our returning by faith to His wisdom! “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.” Why is this? Because our thoughts and ways are perverted by the knowledge of evil that is ever present in this world. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher then your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” For as the rain and snow comes down and returns not, “But watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: It shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” After the demise of the two houses of Israel, what now is God’s pur- pose for the Jewish people? First let me ask: Does God’s plan and purpose planned before creation center around the children of Israel, the Jewish people as a special chosen people, or all of mankind? God’s plan and purpose does not center on any group of people, ex- cept the saints, the faithful remnant, to be a light to the rest of the world! As I have stated many times previously, (II Peter 3:8-9) “The Lord is not slack concerning (all of His) promises, as some men count slackness!” This is not referring to creation or anything else that, “one day with the Lord as a thousand years as one day…” but is (specifi- cally referring to His) “longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” This is one blatant attempt at dismissing God’s very straight forward explanation of His creation, at the expense of His long suffering. Next time, more hope through the promises of the New Covenant, and the mysteries of the promises given to Eve in Genesis 3:15. Yes, God does know our choices do make all the difference and so should we! As Paul states in Romans 11:25, “I would not… that ye be ignorant of this mystery.” What mystery but the wisdom of God described first by Moses, then by God Himself in Isaiah 55:6-11. Paul in Romans 11:1-24 explains what really happened to the nation of Israel. They had turned away from their God; but there still remained a faithful remnant of seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election (chosen) of grace” (Verse 5). Who are the chosen of Grace? But those who have by faith trusted God’s every word. The rest have chosen to be willfully ignorant of the wisdom of God that is now revealed by Jesus the promised Messiah. Yes it does make a difference, “for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory” (I Corinthians 2:8-10). thou unto Me. Wilt thou also disannul My judgment? Wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be righteous? Hast thou an arm like God? Or canst thou thunder with a voice like Him? Deck thyself now with majesty and ex- cellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty. Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him. Look on everyone that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret. Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.” If one can do what God does every day to preserve life for us on this earth, then you should be able to save yourself. But only God has that kind of wisdom and power to accomplish what He does on our behalf, everyday. In chapters 38 through 41 God reveals much about the mysteries of His creation which by His wisdom and power, sustains His creation. Job’s final response to the mystery of God’s wisdom and power in Job 42:1-6, saying, “I know that Thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withheld from Thee, Who is he that hideth council without knowl- edge? Therefore have I uttered that I understand not: things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech Thee, and I will speak: I will de- mand of thee, and declare Thou unto me. I have heard of Thee by the hear- ing of the ear (every word of God): but now mine eye seeth Thee.” As Zig Zigler said, “When we put everything in God’s hands, we eventually see God’s hands in everything.” Job’s final and most important statement is, “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” If Job was guilty of questioning the wisdom of God out of ignorance; how much more are we guilty of questioning His wisdom out of willful ignorance with all that God has since revealed of Himself to us since Job! The Psalmist states in Psalms 136:2, 4, 5; “O give thanks unto (the Lord) God of gods: for His mercy endures forever… To Him who alone doeth great wonders… To Him that by wisdom made the heavens: for His mercy endures forever.” Also in Psalm 111:10, “The fear of (or, to honor) the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments.” The Apostles also refer to the mystery of God’s wisdom and what has been revealed by Jesus. Paul makes these comments in Romans 11:25- 36, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” What is he talking about? Moses stated prophetically in Deuteronomy 29:24-30:3, “Wherefore hath the Lord done this… Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of Egypt: For they went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom He had not given unto them. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book (chapter 28). And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shall obey His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul: That then (and only then!) the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.”
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God is always faithful to make a way to pre- serve the faithful rem- nant. When only Isaac and Jacob were left to encourage the sons of Jacob, God had al- ready prepared a wide- spread famine where Jacob and his twelve sons ended up in Egypt, where there was food stored up for seven years by Joseph, the youngest son that was sold as a slave by his brothers. When Jacob died in Egypt, Joseph’s broth- ers began to fear him. But “Joseph said unto them, Fear not: For am I in the place of God (to seek revenge)? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass as it is this
of offence to both houses of Israel, for a gin (a net) and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be bro- ken, and be snared, and be taken.” They continued in their blindness, becoming reprobates, until both houses of Israel were carried into captivity. Even there, God provided hope and comfort to the faithful in their captivity. I will have more on this subject later. Are we also going down this same road to destruc- tion? God continues in Isaiah 8:16-22, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples,” the faith- ful remnant that follows God’s every Word from a heart that is set apart, sanctified to be a light of truth unto the world. And the Son of God, who said “I will wait upon the Lord, (the Father) that hideth His face from the house of Jacob. And I will look for Him. Be- hold I (the Son) and the children (the true children, spoken of in John chapter 8, of which these Pharisees were not!) whom the Lord (the Father) hath given me (John 17:12 and John 18:9) are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion. And when they shall say unto you, ‘Seek unto them that have familiar spirits (mediums), and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter,’ Should not a people seek unto their God, (than) for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word (by adding or dimin- ishing from it), it is because there is no light in them.” Are we any different today? “And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead (hard pressed) and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hun- gry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their King and their God, and look upward. And they shall look into the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dim- ness of anguish; and they shall be driven to dark- ness.” Are we going down this same road by not taking re- sponsibility for our bad choices, turning our hearts after the world? Having turned our God given respon- God asks Job in Job 38:36, “Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who hath given understanding to the heart?” And in Job 40:2 “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him? He that reproveth God, let him answer it.” God continues in Job 40:7-14, “Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare As recorded in Exodus 19:1-8, the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sinai, and camped before the Mount. And the Lord called unto Moses out of the moun- tains, saying to the people, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagle’s wings, and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant (to walk by faith in all My promises to meet your every need), then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine (including the souls of men): And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” I will rule my kingdom through you. But in I Samuel 8:5- 7, they rejected that notion. Continuing in Exodus 19:7, “And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, ‘All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.’ And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.” The wisdom of God sufficient for their needs was given to them. But Isaiah said in Isaiah 29:13, “Wherefore the Lord said, For as much as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear (respect and confidence) to- ward Me is taught by the precept of men.” In Isaiah’s day Israel was denying the wisdom of God for the wisdom of men, which is always distorted by the knowledge of evil! Are we any different today? Job states in Job 27:2-6, “As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the almighty (I cannot discern my dilemma, and I cannot hear God’s wisdom), who hath vexed my soul; (But this I do know) all the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you (his so called friends): till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My right- eousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.” Job knew that only true wisdom comes from our God and Creator, for he also stated in Job 13:15-16, “Though (God) slay me, yet will I trust Him: but I will maintain my own ways before Him. He also shall by my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before Him.” Job 28:12-15 also says, “But where shall wis- dom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof: neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, it is not in me: and the sea saith, it is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighted for the price thereof.” Job finishes with this in Job 28:23-28, “God under- standeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof. For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth the water by measure. When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: Then did He see it, and declare it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man He said, Be- hold, the fear of the Lord (a respect of which He is most worthy), that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is under- standing.”
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