Ask For Wisdom? Or Something Else?

Challenging Assumptions in James 1:5

The originally readers of the letter from James wanted things. Those things were primarily riches and high position. James addresses those issues throughout his letter, such as the following:


James 2:2-5
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Also, the readers were trying to obtain riches and position through, what they thought, was wisdom. And they were boasting of such wisdom. But James counters and writes that they didn’t have true wisdom and they should not boast as if they did:

James 3:13-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

James 4:13-16
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

James then moves to point out that since they didn’t have the wisdom to get what they wanted, they should try another way – by asking:

James 4:2-3
You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James is making the same point in James 1:5:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Many have misinterpreted this verse by reading it, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God for wisdom.” But that is not what James is trying to say. He is saying, that if you don’t have wisdom to get what you want, then you should ask God for whatever it is you are wanting.