Wisdom and Understanding
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http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Field Notes
Wisdom and Understanding
By Michael E. Brooks
"Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor
turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not
forsake her and she will preserve you; love her,
and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal
thing; therefore get wisdom" (Proverbs 4:5-7a).
Kalimpang, India is a beautiful city of several
thousand inhabitants, high in the foothills of the
Himalayas in north-eastern India. Until about 1900
it was just a sleepy small village in a remote and
rather harsh (though beautiful) setting. But then
a British educator came and built a school, which
was soon known throughout a wide area for its
excellence. Students came, then others until a
large and vigorous community was created, which
endures to this day. Kalimpang now is probably
better known as a tourist and trekking
destination, but its school is still open, still
of highest reputation, and still making a positive
contribution to the city.
Many cities worldwide are known because of schools
located within them. Athens, Greece was the
bastion of culture and wisdom for centuries.
Alexandria, Egypt; Cambridge, England; Cambridge,
Massachusetts; and many other ancient and modern
cities are linked with schools or with the ideals
of education and wisdom. All this is simply to
suggest that there is something fundamentally
constructive about the whole process of education
and those who devote themselves to it.
There is, however, a caution which we must add.
The Bible word for the constructive product of
education is "wisdom". The pursuit of wisdom and
its exercise are wholeheartedly endorsed
throughout Scripture. There is a distinction
between wisdom and mere knowledge, though. The
pursuit of facts alone does not constitute true
education. It is the possession of facts (i.e.,
knowledge) along with discernment and judgment
(i.e., wisdom) that brings blessing. And true
wisdom is found only when one seeks after God.
James teaches,
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach,
and it will be given to him" (James 2:5).
Paul adds, "Knowledge puffs up" (1 Corinthians
8:1b). Intellectual arrogance and pride abound in
our modern degree-conscious world. One's worth is
assessed by the string of letters or titles
following his or her name. Our vocabulary is
increasingly laden with technical terms that only
the informed insider can recognize, so that we
have many "languages" designed to be spoken only
within a small, knowledgeable circle. Does this
really make us worth more? Does it constitute true
wisdom? Not according to the Bible.
The genuinely wise person is the one who knows how
little he truly does know. The one who recognizes
his own insufficiency and need for God. "The fear
of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"
(Proverbs 1:7). Only when we turn to him in
humility and need can we be said to have acted
wisely.
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