ExJamesM03_Wisdom: God’s Gift for Life’s Trials (1:5-12)

Introduction

Purpose statement. Amid life’s trials, call out to God for wisdom and trust his guidance. Present joy and eternal reward await.

Exordium. I’ve been biking a lot lately. Typically, I ride the country roads around Waterloo. I wanted to break it up a little and find something a little more exciting, so I decided to drive down to Cambridge and ride the mountain bike trails at Camrock Park. I had a lot of fun. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and it was exhilarating but pretty confusing.

I enjoyed some nice dirt paths that basically meandered through large grassy fields,

But I also ended up falling when a sharp turn took me by surprise. As I lay on the ground with my bike on top of me, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

I ended up going up one of the hardest paths, on accident, the wrong way, up a steep hill with three switch backs. I almost tipped my back backwards trying to pedal up … only to get to the top and see a warning sign—wrong way. The problem, I was in the middle of the hardest trail, going the wrong way, and I had no idea where to go.

On several occasions, another biker flew by me. I wondered how nice it would be if I could just follow him around for a bit.

Let me blatantly set us up for a connection to James. I needed direction to know how to navigate the challenges presented to me, but I didn’t know where to turn.

Context. Our lives are much like those mountain bike trails. All kinds of challenges are presented to us. Sometimes, life presents us with a nice meandering trail, but often we find ourselves falling over our handle bars and falling backwards down a steep cliff with no idea of how we got there or how to get out of it.

In these contexts, of the trials of life, James directs us. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (Ja 1:5).

Simple outline.

James directs us to seek for wisdom—to a God who does not shame us when we come to him.

James offers us an illustration in which varied people would need to seek wisdom—the trials of poverty and wealth.

James offers an incentive for pursuing wisdom—present joy and eternal reward.

Wisdom Sought: God Gives Generously to Those Who Ask in Faith (1:5-8)

Context for needing wisdom. Amid trials, we struggle to know how to navigate both the trial but also our attitude and processing of the trial. Therefore, we need wisdom to appropriately navigate the trial. So then, amid a trial, when we are uncertain of how to advance, we cry out to God for wisdom. He gives wisdom generously—and he doesn’t shame us when we come asking. Instead, he graciously bestows wisdom on us.

The simple gift neither pays back nor expects a payback. That is, God’s gifts do not become debts. He delights in giving; it is his nature to give without calculating the return.[1]

We’ve all come to someone, asking for help, and they choose to help us but not before directly or indirectly shaming us—“I told you so,” or “I hope you’ve learned your lesson,” or “So, I guess I have to help you again …” God doesn’t do this. He doesn’t meet our petition for wisdom with passive aggressive condemnation and shame. Instead, the generous God, meets our request for wisdom with wisdom.

So then, what is wisdom?

Defining wisdom. We see great similarity in the root Hebrew and Greek words for wisdom. Sophia—the Greek term—conveys the general idea of an “ability to use knowledge for correct behavior … or in a clever way.”[2]

Of course, the concept for wisdom can have a broad meaning that would include the ability to apply any given principles to a specific task, such as craftsmen in his work or a soldier in the use of their battle tactics or an employee in the administration of her duties. These would all fall under what Solomon calls “wisdom under the sun.”[3] The wisdom spoken of in Proverbs, throughout the Old Testament, and here in James is fundamentally different in that its’ source is God. Therefore, we define biblical wisdom as “godly cleverness and skill, which results in practical action.”[4] 

This definition for wisdom can be filled out a bit more by understanding the other words Solomon uses in Proverbs 2.

Knowledge. The ability to distinguish between good and evil, usually gained through experience. This is more than the gathering or possession of data. This word is used in the context of young children on a few occasions. Isaiah speaks of a time “before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good” (Isa 7:15). As well God confronts Jonah, as he wines about the death of his plant but doesn’t pity Nineveh in which “120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left” were destroyed (Jon 4:11). When Moses speaks to the people of Israel and tells them that they won’t enter the Promised Land because of their rebellion, but their little ones and “your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it” (Deut 1:39). 

Understanding. The ability to practically use knowledge. This type of understanding requires someone to know how to use the knowledge they possess. “While understanding is a gift of God, it does not come automatically. The possession of it requires a persistent diligence. It is more than IQ; it connotes character.... When one acts on the objective presentations of God’s revelation, he will attain the ideal of the significance of understanding.”[5]

Discretion. Discretion is the ability to see ahead. It is most often used in a negative sense. The evil plotted and schemed against God. Human scheming resulted in the Tower of Babel. But, in the singular form, it is used 5 times in Proverbs in a positive manner. Its meaning is close to understanding or wisdom, but it seems to add a nuance of dimension. Discretion, in the context of wisdom, is the ability to look ahead and think through how certain decisions and responses would work out.

Picture climbing a dangerous mountain (or Camrock Trails mountain biking)

Knowledge is like having the map—you know where the trail is.

Understanding is knowing how to read it and follow it.

Discretion is looking ahead and realizing which path is safe and which will collapse under your feet.

But wisdom is more than that. It’s like having a seasoned guide walking beside you, helping you take the right steps at the right time. That’s what biblical wisdom is: godly skill and cleverness that results in right, practical action.

Ask in faith, with no doubting. Now imagine the climber who keeps second-guessing the guide. One moment he follows the map, the next he ignores it. He steps off the safe path, slips on the loose rock, then scrambles back in fear. He’s unstable. He never makes progress because he won’t trust the wisdom that’s right in front of him.

James says that’s exactly what happens to the double-minded man. If anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously. But if he doubts and won’t trust the guide, he becomes like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind, unstable in all his ways (James 1:5–8).

Some examples:

Biblical: (1) In 1 Samuel 15, Saul refuses to obey God, and instead he follows his own wisdom and spares King Agag and the best of the livestock. His kingdom is taken as a result. (2) Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions and follow him. The man walks away sorrowful, choosing his own wealth (Mk 10).

General: (1) God’s Word directs a Christian couple to work through conflict, forgive, and pursue reconciliation. Instead, at times, they follow their own heart, into an affair. Families are broken apart. (2) As part of a company, a Christian employee chooses an unethical decision to cut a corner or cheat for more profit. (3) Parents know God has called them to train their children in a godly way, yet they choose to sway to cultural expectations surrounding sports, extracurricular events, entertainment, social media … The child experiences cultural success but not wisdom.

So then, if I have consistently doubted and he has withheld his wisdom, how do I restore that? Repentance and ongoing trust in his Word and the Spirit’s illumination.

Wisdom Illustrated: Poverty and Wealth Offered as a Case Study (1:9-11)

The Context. James seems to offer a timely illustration for his recipients. While he writes to a broad geographically disperse audience, he consistently brings up the issues of poverty and wealth numerous times throughout his epistle. We are left to assume that he saw these issues as pressing issues throughout the church.

Poverty and Wealth throughout James. (Chapter 1) Later in chapter one (1:27), James acknowledges that true religion is caring for orphans and widows in their affliction (the poor and vulnerable). (Chapter 2) In chapter two, he warns against favoritism to the rich and dishonoring the poor (2:1-7), and a few verses later argues true faith would clothe and feed a brother or sister that is in need (2:15-16). (Chapter 4) In chapter four, James offers a warning to wealthy merchants who assume they’ll be able to grow their business the following day without reliance on or acknowledgment of God (4:13-16). (Chapter 5) In chapter five, James denounces the wealthy who exploit workers and live in luxury while others suffer (5:1-6).

The Trials of Poverty and Wealth. Both poverty and wealth are trials—needing wisdom to navigate well. We more quickly see the trials inherent in poverty. Within the trial of poverty, the believer needs to find their delight in the position God has raised them up to through their relationship with Christ.

However, wealth is also a trial that tests faith and refines the believer—a trial most of us wish we could find ourselves in. Like Jeremiah says, the wealthy person needs to not boast in their wealth, privilege, or position, but rather in their humble position before God.

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Je 9:23–24).

Extended beyond Wealth and Poverty. Both, the poor and rich need wisdom to process their trials in such a manner. But this principle reaches far beyond money. Consider social status in our culture.

A student who struggles with grades may feel “less than,” while another with impressive grades may feel “more than.”

The person overlooked at work may think they don’t matter, while the one with the promotion may start to think they matter too much.

In church life, someone quiet and unnoticed may feel like they have little to offer, while someone with a prominent gift or position may begin to feel proud.

And today, social media magnifies this. One person scrolls through their feed and feels like they don’t measure up — not enough friends, not enough likes, not enough approval. Another person checks their posts and feels validated, important, maybe even superior.

In each case, we need God’s wisdom. When we turn to God’s wisdom as revealed in His Word, we come to realize our true worth isn’t in our wealth, our grades, our job, or our talents — it’s in Christ.

Wisdom Rewarded: The Crown of Life for Those Who Endure (1:12)

Those who face trials with steadfast faith find joy both now and forever. In this life, their character is refined like pure metal, growing strong and genuine. In the life to come, they receive the crown of life—a picture that gathers up every crown known in the ancient world: the festive crown of joy, the royal crown of authority, the victor’s crown of triumph, and the crown of dignity and honor. For the Christian, all these are fulfilled in Christ. Life becomes a feast of joy, a reminder of our royal identity as God’s children, a victory through Christ’s power, and a dignity rooted in God’s love that counted us worth the death of His Son. The crown of life is not simply a reward to come but a new kind of living now—life abundant in Christ. James reminds us that when Christians endure trials with Christ’s strength, their struggle itself becomes glory, and their life becomes more splendid than ever before. [6]

Conclusion

As I lay on my back with my bike on top of me, I didn’t lay there thinking, “my value as a person lies in my ability to conquer this path.” That didn’t cross my mind. I did think I’m not very good at mountain biking and I have a lot to learn. But my identity was not wrapped up in my biking abilities. I realized I have a lot to learn—assuming I ever go back. I’ll need to look at the map a bit more …

Similarly, James offers us very practical counsel. Unlike my biking—which I can choose to do or not. We can’t choose whether we are going to have to navigate the paths of life. We may be able to choose to some degree which paths we go down, but even that is not totally in our control. So then, as we navigate these inevitable challenges, James directs us to seek wisdom from the one who designed the course.

Thankfully, my joy and eternal position are not rooted in whether I can perfectly navigate the trials of life, but rather rooted in Christ who perfectly navigated them for me.

Closing Prayer

Vermigli, Psalm 39.1. O most mighty God, since we are troubled with present calamities in this most difficult time and pressed down by such a great storm of afflictions, we flee to you for help. We humbly ask that you would bridle our mouths and tongues with your Holy Spirit, so that nothing may proceed from us that is offensive to your divine majesty or unworthy of our profession. Yet, since we cannot rightly complain that these troubles are greater than our sins deserve, or that we are punished unfairly, grant that we may silence the wicked cries of those who wrongly accuse you. Instead, stir within us a deep grief for the terrible sins we have committed. Let our hearts burn with true sorrow, and kindle in us continual repentance. Grant that we may rightly understand, O most gentle Father, the fleeting state of our life at every moment and hour, for it is nothing but vanity however we live it. We are foolish to think that all our anxious toil or the gathering of uncertain riches can profit us at all. Therefore, O mighty Lord, it is necessary for us to look only to you. If you will mercifully free us from our grievous sins and great iniquities, our sure hope is that we will no longer be a scorn and reproach to the ungodly. For you have been accustomed to remove your plagues from those who are cleansed of their sins, lest they be utterly consumed under the shaking of your mighty and invincible hand. If your hand were to continue in judgment according to our deserts, it would consume and grind us to powder as a moth destroys a garment. Therefore, O good God, hear our humble prayers. Since you know that we cannot find perfect rest here on earth, grant that by steadfast faith we may at last live with your glorious majesty and walk safely before you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[7]

Endnotes

[1]Daniel M. Doriani, James, ed. Richard D. Phillips et al., Reformed Expository Commentary (P&R Publishing, 2007), 25.

[2]Timothy Friberg et al., eds., Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Baker Academic, 2000), 352.

[3]Ecclesiastes 2:19, 9:13

[4]Louis Goldberg, “647 חָכַם,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 283.

[5]Louis Goldberg, “239 בִּין,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 104.

[6]This paragraph is a summary from William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 55–56.

[7]D. Peter Martyr Vermigli, Most Godly Prayers Compiled Out of David’s Psalms, Modernized, ed. Aaron Sturgill (Crowdedship Publishing, 2025), 39.1.