The idea I've long held of what scripture says about wisdom...and it says a lot...is that wisdom is essentially a moral quantity. I consider that "wisdom," in scripture essentially means knowing, and doing, "the right thing."
But scripture also recognizes what it usually terms "worldly wisdom.;" and which is never about doing "the right thing." I was thinking about that fact this morning: how can both (even with one's contrasting modifier) be rightly termed "wisdom" ?
My teacher Derek Prince once preached on wisdom from Ecclesiastes 10:10:: "If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success." And I think that may be the key.
Wisdom makes our efforts successful...in whatever purpose we expend our efforts. If our purpose is worldly...to enrich ourselves, glorify ourselves, make our lives comfortable...there is an app for that, a worldly "wisdom" that enables us to succeed: even if our endeavors totally lack any intent to do the right thing.
That may be what's going on in Jesus' surprising commendation of the unrighteous steward in Luke 16:1-9: that even though his purpose was entirely to feather his own nest, he evidenced an understanding of how God's creation "wisdom" works, and trusted it to succeed, even among the "sons of this age."
As God's creation, we know wisdom is a good thing: and man possesses no good thing except by God's gift. Wisdom is one such gift: and I think Romans 11:29 may apply here, that God's gifts are "irrevocable" in doing the work for which He created them.
