December 21st, 1955 "Real Wisdom" Late Mr. N. Daniel
Ezekiel 28:2-5, "Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God: Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou has said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic has thou increased thy riches, and thing heart is lifted up because of thy riches:"
Here God is talking to Tyrus. God says, "Thou art wiser than Daniel." Daniel is known to be a wise man. The prince of Tyrus was very wise. How wise? To become wealthy and proud. All his wisdom was used to exalt himself and make himself equal to God. What a contrast to Christ! Philippians 2:6,7, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men:" Jesus was willing to relinquish His equality with God, He relinquished His position and became a humble man and accepted the death of the Cross.
Ezekiel 28:14, "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have Set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire." Satan was a perfect cherub in the sight of God. But he wanted to be equal with God. Isaiah 14:14, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." Pride! Pride was the ruin of the first angel in heaven. God is very generous. He wants to give us equality with Him. The created beings were raised to near equality with Him. Jesus was ready to give up His equality with God, and come to the earth and be born in a poor manger. Humility is the sign of greatness. Christianity is a religion of paradoxes. One who loses his life for Christ gains it. He who humbles himself most is exalted highest. He who does not think of his earthly needs but seeks His kingdom is provided with every thing. But worldly wisdom is different. The prince of Tyrus was wise for himself. Daniel was wise but not for himself. Every true child of God is filled with true wisdom. This wisdom makes one humble. Riches, name and fame are never the aims of a true Christian. Philippians 2:9, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given him a name which is above every name." There is no name so high as the name of Jesus. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. People will one day acknowledge the Saviour of the world. You and I should hasten that day by preaching the Word. You must acknowledge Him as Lord. Many who are saved continue to be their own lords. They are saved but they have not accepted the Lordship of Christ. Daniel was wise but not to contradict or reason with God. He kept himself open to receive the counsels of God. He does not bother to justify himself or complain about others. Look at what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. But if not, O king, we will not serve thy gods." The wisdom which God gives makes us humble before God and before men and keeps us always ready to learn. The qualities that God gives us are those that float us into higher regions. A man who is humble is higher than the world. He will rise higher and higher. Jesus was humble and made himself of no reputation. He came into the manger that you may go to heaven. Jesus came that you may not sink, He has come with heavenly wisdom and heavenly grace to lift us from sinking. We must submit ourselves to the counsels of God. Are we of such wisdom as to make ourselves equal with God? Are we that wise as to make ourselves equal to other men? No! Let big men be big. Let your aim be the Christ-like nature. Let us not be wise to become rich, to become great, to become proud. There is joy in poverty. But if God gives us riches we must use them for the extension of His kingdom.