Pearl of Great Price Part 3

Pearls of Wisdom

You no doubt have heard the saying “pearls of wisdom.” Solomon wrote a lot about wisdom in Proverbs. Wisdom is a treasure! Proverbs 2:1-6: My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth (Word) come knowledge and understanding.”  

The only time the word pearl is mentioned in the Older Testament is in Job 28:18b, “and the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.”  Wisdom is more precious than pearls! Jesus told His disciples not to “cast their pearls to swine.” (Matthew 7:6)  Jesus is telling His disciples  to share the wisdom of His spiritual truths with those who hunger and thirst for it, not to those who don’t cherish it.

Solomon tells us to seek wisdom. Where is wisdom found? In the Word of God, which is pure, perfect wisdom – the wisdom of God. There is life in the Word of God – both the Living Word Jesus and the written Word. A person searching for wisdom will find it in God’s Word which is holy. In Christ who is the Living Word are “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3 Man cannot do anything to make a pearl more glorious, but Jesus  the Word and the Holy Spirit can.

Solomon said that wisdom was better than silver, gold and precious gems. “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding, for her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire compares with her…….She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who take hold of her” Proverbs 3:13  I don’t know why Solomon referred to wisdom as “she,” but my best guess is because the Bride of Christ will be full of wisdom – His wisdom in His Word. Solomon was a type and shadow of Christ, the King of Peace, who builds His temple in the hearts of humanity.

Solomon, the King of peace, whom God gave wisdom, built God’s physical temple in Jerusalem according to the instructions God had given to his father David. The instructions came from the father, but the son built the house/temple. Sound familiar!  The Bible says that because Solomon asked for wisdom and not riches, wealth, honor, the life of his enemies or long life, God gave him wisdom that excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. (see 1 Kings 4:30) Solomon is the type and shadow of God’s King of peace – Jesus – “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3 Solomon built an earthly, temporary temple with the wisdom of God, but Jesus who is all spiritual wisdom is building a spiritual, eternal temple in the hearts of those who love and serve Him.

Colossians goes on to say that we are being “built up in Him and established in your faith. (see Colossians 2:7) In Colossians 3:16-17, we are told to “let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word and deed, do all in the Name of Jesus giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Last Mention of Pearls in the Bible

          The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each one of the gates was a single pearl. Revelation 22:1 In the New spiritual Jerusalem, all must enter through the gates of pearl. There were 12 gates but only one Heavenly New Jerusalem. The temple of Solomon had no pearls because Jesus, the Pearl of Great Price, had not finished His work of redemption at the cross yet. Once this was completed, all – both Jew and Gentile – must enter the Spiritual Holy Temple of God through the Pearl of Great Price – the Body of Jesus Christ which began with His twelve Jewish Apostles -- hence the 12 gates/doors in the Heavenly House of God. Salvation is indeed of the Jews. Jesus, who is God, came through the Jews in order to release them from the demands of the Law and establish salvation by God’s grace and truth through Jesus Christ.  “For the Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The Law was given, but Jesus Christ came. He showed us God! He said, “I am the Gate/Door.” It took tremendous suffering to make a pearl the size of a Gate/Door.  Jesus said, “I am the gate/door for the sheep. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved.” John 10:7, 9  Jesus’ suffering opened the gates of heaven. His original twelve Jewish disciples suffered even to death for His Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven was worth their all. They surrendered all to follow Him. Our value is in Him—being like Him.

            The treasure and the pearl of great value were the object and greatest desire of the Man and the Merchant. Lost humanity is the object of Jesus’ greatest desire. Jesus didn’t stop here. He sent the power of the Holy Spirit to help us become His pearl of great price. Jesus’ earthly suffering on the cross did not compare to heaven’s glory. 

It all began with God’s love!

            God would not leave those He loves and created in His image and likeness to remain in their sinful condition. God’s love, however, can’t be exercised at the cost of His holiness, righteousness and justice. In other words, the original Man/Adam was created to love and be loved. God would lavish His love and nature upon Adam. He also wanted Adam of freely reciprocate that love. Once Man sinned, God would do everything possible to bring mankind back to Him. God in Jesus took upon the flesh of man in order to show His infinite love to humanity. Jesus would show God’s holiness and love in a way that humans could understand. When we know and see the great lengths that God went to bring us back to Himself by suffering for our sin and drawing us back to His love, hopefully we will willingly begin to love God. We will want to love the things that God loves and hate the sin that separated us from God. When our hearts open to the love of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, it will be possible through our willingness to be drawn into the beauty of His love and holiness and share it with others.