12 Things - The 12 Apostles of Wisdom

Here are the 12 people mentioned in the Bible who had wisdom. There is so much to learn from each of their lives:

Joseph - Acts 7:10 and delivered him (Joseph) out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

Joseph’s wisdom helped him to have favor wherever he went until he helped to rule a nation through famine and great trials.

Moses – Acts 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.

Moses’ became wise as he grew up in Egypt as the son of Pharaoh. He also learned wisdom as he suffered in the wilderness, and then as he lead his people out of Egypt

Bezalel – Exodus 31:3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

God gave Bezalel supernatural wisdom in all manner of arts so that he could design and construct the tabernacle of Moses and all its furnishings.

Joshua – Deuteronomy 34:9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

It is difficult to follow in the footsteps of a wise and popular leader. Joshua didn’t try to be the same as Moses, He learned from Moses and then used the wisdom God gave him to lead his nation into the promised land and to settle there as God told them.

David – 2Samuel 14:20 “…but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth."

David was a wise King who sometimes got himself into terrible trouble. The greatest thing David cultivated in his life was a heart for God’s presence, and this wisdom kept him from destruction and failure as a leader. Nothing – even David’s sin, could keep him from the presence of God. This is the ultimate expression of wisdom.

Abigail – 1Samuel 25:3 The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. And he was of the house of Caleb.

Abigail is the only woman on this list (hmmmmm…) Even though she had a harsh and evil husband, Abigail was wise in her counsel and actions. She later became David’s wife

Solomon – 1Kings 3:5-12, v 12: behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. (Also 1Ki. 4:29-34)

Solomon was regarded as the wisest man in the Bible. Probably the wisest thing he did was to ask for wisdom when the Lord said he could have anything he wanted.

Daniel – Daniel 5:11-12 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father--your father the king--made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.

Because of God’s wisdom in Daniel’s life, he was able to solve difficult and diverse problems and riddles that brought solutions to the king and honor to Daniel.

Wise Men – Matthew 2:1-12 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

These wise men studied the stars and received wisdom from the Lord that the King of Kings was about to come. They prepared themselves to personally meet this King and to bring prophetic gifts to Him. When they saw Him, they fell down and worshiped Him.

Jesus – Luke 2:40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Jesus was wise as a child

Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Jesus increased in wisdom throughout His life

1Corinthians 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption

Jesus is the wisdom of God.

Stephen – Acts 6:8-10 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people… And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

Godly wisdom is irresistible. Stephen lived a champion’s life as a preacher and minister to the poor. He was crowned in death as he was in life. He saw the glory of God and his own face shone with God’s glory as he was stoned.

Paul – 2Peter 3:15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
Paul’s wisdom has inspired Believers throughout the history of the Church. He preached and wrote to Jews and Gentiles alike, and left his mark on all of us – no matter what generation or denomination of the Church.

Two things that strike me:

• How unbelievably unwise so many of these were at various times in their lives. Each one had to learn their lessons well. The Lord gave each one of them many opportunities to grow in wisdom throughout their lives. Sometimes they succeeded, but so many on the list above, failed miserably in the "wisdom test."

• So many of these wise men (and one woman...) suffered terribly in their lives. No amount of suffering seemed to keep them from God's destiny or the honor of being listed among the wise.

Here is the greatest wisdom of the universe: