Matthew Harmon’s The Wisdom of God is a brief book tracing the theme of wisdom not through typical books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, or Job, but through the entire storyline of Scripture in just over 100 pages. This is a concise work of biblical theology that recoveres a neglected theme in how we read the Bible.
The Short Studies in Biblical Theology (SSBT) series is a personal favorite of mine. While leaner than the New Studies in Biblical Theology (NSBT) volumes, it offers the grand sweep of a theme without burying the reader in all the details. As a father of five that is refreshing!
Matthew S. Harmon is Professor of New Testament Studies at Grace College and Theological Seminary. He is a member of Christ’s Covenant Church, serving, preaching, and teaching regularly. He is the author of numerous books, including commentaries on Galatians, Philippians, 2 Peter, and Jude, and several books on biblical theology, such as sin and restoration and eschatology.
Matthew Harmon opens with the observation that we live in an age overflowing with knowledge, while, conversely, lacking in wisdom. The problem isn’t that we don’t know enough, but that we struggle to make sense of what we know. As he puts it, the “explosion of knowledge… makes it increasingly difficult to determine how different elements and forms of knowledge relate to one another” (1). This frames the entire book. Like Israel in Jeremiah’s day, constantly drawn to what was new and impressive, we too need to be called back to the “ancient paths” of God’s foundational wisdom.
How does Harmon define “wisdom”? Harmon writes that it is “the ability to discern good from evil and apply knowledge, skill, and experience in order to live in right relationship with God and others within the world that God made” (2). Wisdom is not merely intellectual knowledge, theories about how everything should work. It is moral, relational, and practical.
Wisdom, as Proverbs tells us multiple times, begins with the fear of the Lord. To miss that is to misalign oneself with reality. Harmon notes that life becomes disordered when this foundation is absent.
How do we live out this wisdom? Thankfully, Harmon avoids turning wisdom into moralistic self-help. Our problem is not simply that we fail to apply wisdom. Adam and Israel both received commands from God that they knowingly rejected. We lack the correct starting point altogether, and this problem is only resolved through faith in Christ.
Harmon proposes that Scripture reveals God through recurring patterns embedded in redemptive history. These patterns are are divinely intended to show us who God is, how the world works, and where history is heading.
According to Harmon, the theme of wisdom follows a consistent threefold pattern:
- God reveals his wisdom.
- Humanity reviles God’s wisdom.
- God reverberates his wisdom.
Each chapter follows this three-fold pattern, tracing it through key moments in the biblical narrative: Eden, Sinai, Solomon, exile, and ultimately to Christ, the church, and the new creation.
Harmon shows that God reveals his wisdom in creation, in his word, and, ultimately, in his Son. Humanity, however, consistently rejects that wisdom, redefining good and evil on their own terms. In response, God reverberates his wisdom, vindicating it through his judgment and mercy.
For example, one reads in Deuteronomy 4:6 how the law was meant to display Israel’s wisdom to the surrounding nations. Yet, this external law could not overcome Israel’s rebellious heart (neither did God’s external command to Adam and Eve keep them from choosing their own form of knowledge). The problem was neither with the knowledge nor the wisdom revealed, but with Israel’s heart.
Harmon includes eight tables throughout the book, highlighting parallels between figures like Adam, Israel, and Solomon. The connections between Adam and Solomon reveal how even Israel’s wisest king’s sin was nothing new. He merely repeated the same failure as Adam and Israel before him. While most of the parallels are good, the Adam–Israel parallels seemed to stretch beyond what the text shows.
Interestingly, for a book on wisdom in the Bible, there is very little engagement with the wisdom literature itself, that of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Aside from a fair amount of references to Proverbs and a brief nod to Job and Ecclesiastes, Harmon’s focus is on the rest of the biblical canon. But his goal is not to expound the wisdom books in isolation to the rest of the Old Testament (which others have done, even separating it from God’s covenantal instructions), but to show how wisdom is woven from creation to new creation.
Recommended?
Harmon offers a canonical, Christ-centered vision of wisdom instead of mere moralistic myopia. Wisdom is not merely a set of principles to follow. It is found in the person, character, words, and actions of Jesus Christ found in the Scriptures and displayed through his people, the church (Eph 3:10).
This is an excellent resource for pastors, Bible study leaders, and thoughtful lay readers who want a clear and accessible introduction to a biblical theology of wisdom. Harmon succeeds in taking a neglected theme and restoring it to its proper place within the biblical narrative. He reminds us that true wisdom is not found only in mastering useful information, but in rightly relating to the God of wisdom himself (Jas 3:13–18).
Buy it from Amazon or Crossway!
Other Reviews in the SSBT Series:
- Divine Blessing — William Osborne
- The New Creation and the Storyline of Scripture — Frank Thielman
- Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People — Nicholas Piotrowski
- The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God — David Schrock
Lagniappe
- Series: Short Studies in Biblical Theology
- Author: Matthew S. Harmon
- Hardcover: 119 pages
- Publisher: Crossway (March 2026)
Review Disclosure: I received this book free from Crossway. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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