wisdom and revelation". Note the order. Wisdom is put before revelation because of its

prime necessity. Of what use is knowledge without wisdom? Where there is no wisdom,

knowledge can be squandered and abused. In fact knowledge without wisdom can be a

menace. True wisdom is not inherent in fallen human nature. We need this as a gift of

God as much as anything else. How glad we should be to read James 1: 5 "If any of you

lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not".

The classic N.T. passage dealing with wisdom is chapters 1: and 2: of I Corinthians.

There the word occurs 17 times and the seeker after truth should carefully ponder over

these chapters. In Ephesians and Colossian wisdom occurs 9 times (Eph. 1: 8, 17; 3: 10;

Col. 1: 9, 28; 2: 3, 23; 3: 16; 4: 5). All these references should be studied too, and

then the importance of this divine gift will surely become apparent.

Wisdom leads on to revelation, the basic meaning of which is "to remove the veil

from" and so disclose what has been hidden. If ever there was a need for `opened eyes' it

is here where we are dealing with the most profound truth of the Scriptures. Thousands

read these epistles and their wonder and teaching is unperceived.  They cannot

comprehend the new calling revealed therein, neither do they understand those who are

rejoicing in the riches unfolded in them. There is no doubt that the believer needs this

revelation from God regarding Ephesian truth, just as much as when he was an unsaved

sinner he needed Christ revealed as Saviour. This need for revelation should be a

challenge to every child of God who reads Eph. 1: 17.

Such revelation is closely connected with the ascended Christ in glory, where He is

now enthroned in the heavenly places. The truth of all the callings of the redeemed is

linked with the Lord Jesus Christ in some way, either as King of kings in His earthly

sovereignty or as Head over all things in His heavenly exaltation. It is this latter aspect of

the knowledge of Christ that Paul stresses here, and when we remember that the word

translated "knowledge" is sometimes "acknowledge" (Col. 2: 2; Titus 1: 1; Philemon 6),

we have even deeper truth, namely that divine wisdom and revelation are intimately

connected with a practical acknowledgment in our daily lives.  God does not pour

spiritual truth into our minds quite apart from our practical response. This would not be

wisdom. If we are not prepared to `acknowledge' in practice day by day, then we are not

in the right condition for divine enlightenment.

The Apostle continues his prayer, pre-supposing this necessary enlightenment to have

been experienced: "Having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is

the hope of His calling" (18 R.V.). Hope is the fulfillment, or practical realization of the

callings and promises of God. When Paul stood before Agrippa, he declared, "And now I

stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers, unto

which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come"

(Acts 26: 6, 7). The hope of the twelve tribes will be realized, the Apostle asserted,

when the promises concerning the seed and the land made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

are fulfilled and this they were waiting for as late as Acts 26: This indeed is the "hope