Sept. 11, 2011
Background Scripture: Proverbs 4:10-15, 20-27
Devotional Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-11
We often have difficulty in discerning the differences between wisdom, intelligence, knowledge and education. Sometimes very intelligent people are unwise. Neither do knowledge or education make us wise, per se.
Wisdom is the ability to make constructive use of intelligence, knowledge and education. And that is what the Old Testament sage means when he writes: “The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight” (4:7).

Remember: The Old Testament poetic style is to match or repeat ideas, not sounds, so the sage is equating “wisdom” and “insight” – two ways of saying the same thing. Wisdom is the ability to see inside our knowledge.

I don’t know how it is in your section of the country, but increasingly in Texas there is an emphasis on equating educational quality with the number of “right” answers on a test. The other day I was told that our grandson was at school (it is summer as I write) doing a practice run on the standardized Texas tests. What they are testing is his ability to memorize data, not think.

We sometimes make that same error in our churches, focusing on knowledge, education and intelligence instead of wisdom. I’m not saying we shouldn’t memorize the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes and more, but unless we understand these, we will not have the treasured wisdom.

Light a candle

In Proverbs 4 the writer lays out some simple, yet profound guidelines. The first of these, as I’ve just outlined, is to gain understanding of what the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount mean for us personally.

We do not often quote from The Apocrypha (a collection of Jewish writings that were not deemed authoritative by the early churches); nevertheless, it puts it succinctly: “I shall light a candle of understanding, which shall not be put out” (II Esdras 14:25).

Beautiful sentiments not expressed in our lives are worthless. These are not museum pieces to put under a glass and admire, but principles by which we can live our lives for Christ. We might sum up 4:10-19 in deciding that, if you do not want to take the road you’re on all the way to Hell, then don’t travel it at all.

Recently in talking with someone about his use of drugs, I was surprised to hear him say, “Oh, I don’t go all the way with that stuff. I always stop short of going all the way.” There are many harmful practices that are not so blatantly disastrous as the use of drugs, but I find it hard to imagine that people think they can travel that road without going all the way to self-destruction.
This is also true of lots of moral issues today: People think they can turn onto the toll road and still get off when they see danger looming. Degenerate behavior begins with the first choice of something we know is harmful, even though we think we are in control.

As former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer observed, “The good Lord set definite limits on man’s wisdom, but none on his stupidity – and that’s just not fair!”

Detour!

Thus: “I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness … Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on … the path of righteousness is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day; The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (4:11,12,14,15, 18,19).

Usually we reserve the term “sophomore” for the second year of a scholastic education. The term is derived from two Greek words: “sophos” means wise in learning and “moros” means a fool (or moron), as in one whose mind is not fully developed.

A sophomore is a “wise fool,” then, who is wise enough to know that he or she does not know everything. And that is the beginning of wisdom.
So, how long will your sophomore years last?

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Rev. Althouse may write to him in care of this publication.