God Talks- Wisdom

What is the most important trait for any person to have? You might argue that it would be love, and you could provide good reasoning for that view. However, I'd like to propose that the most important trait for anyone to have is wisdom. Proverbs 4:7 says "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." This verse is saying that wisdom is one of the most important things to go after. Even for the non-believer, who, by seeking true wisdom can come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Once born-again, the person will acquire traits like love, and other fruits of the spirit.

I am reminded of a book I read in Bible college which asked "What is the best question ever?" Before you do anything, you ought to ask "is this the wisest thing to do?"

So, wisdom is the most important trait for a person to have. In Proverbs 2:4 were are encouraged to seek wisdom,which is personified in the feminine form. "If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures..." Could you imagine if people sought wisdom like some single people seek out a significant other? Also, if you knew that there was buried treasure in your backyard, what would you do? Would you dig one hole and call it a day? Or would you tear up your entire backyard until you found that treasure?

Seek knowledge

So how do we obtain wisdom? First, we must do something more basic. First we must seek knowledge. "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge" (Proverbs 18:15). The wise man seeks knowledge. The same idea is echoed in Proverbs 15:14. The type of knowledge spoken of here is open ended; it includes not just knowledge of God, but knowledge about every subject. We have a serious problem in our culture with people not caring to learn. Our society has amassed so much information, but this upcoming generation has no desire to sift through it and find the Truth. They are more than comfortable to live off the benefits of this knowledge, and curse the very foundations that it comes from.

As this video and Proverbs 2:4 suggest we cannot be lazy in this pursuit of knowlege. The word "seek" implies that knowledge is active. We are to actively seek new truths, just like you would search for treasures hidden throughout your backyard. We should seek knowledge in all disciplines (including theology, philosophy, history, science, language, arts). Stretch your mind by learning about subjects that are not your forté. The word knowledge in these verses could also be translated "understanding", so we aren't to just memorize new facts, but also seek to understand these concepts in a deeper way. Finally, the wise man doesn't seek knowledge, just to have a big head about it, but to use what he has learned to better himself, others, and to bring glory to God.

A while back I did a bit of research on ways to improve you IQ. There are two tips that I'd like to highlight: (1) read, (2) don't stop learning. That's why I read articles and non-fiction books all the time. Even fiction can be good, when it's used as an allegory for reality.

Another way that we learn is through the opinions of others.

Be Reasonable – Listen to others

That's the key to being reasonable: being willing to listen to others. If you can listen to what others have to say (not just letting them talk while you think of other things) you might actually learn something.

Proverbs 18:13 says "If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame." Do you speak before you give others a chance to? Even as adults, we all need to learn to "listen before you speak". This goes beyond principles of democracy, to an emotional level. Don't you want people to hear what you have to say? People are all crying out for someone to hear them, so let us extend a listening ear to a friend who may be going through a hard time. Even in debate, hear your opponent out. Taking the time to listen to someone will show that you care. You may even gain respect from an opponent.

The other benefit of listening to others, is that you might learn something. You may get a better understanding of what someone else believes (and hopefully greater empathy for them), or you may (gasp) realize that you are wrong about something. Proverbs 18:17 puts this concept in a courtroom setting "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him." This verse also hints at a psychological phenonemon called anchoring bias, our tendency to be biased towards whatever side of an issue that we have heard first.

In court we go through a lengthy process called cross-examining, where we listen to both sides until all the facts are presented and all the arguments are heard, and then the judge and jury come to a conclusion. Likewise we ought to do the same thing for ourselves with controversial topics. Listen to all the facts on both sides and then come to a conclusion. This is something that my mentor drilled into my head: "Always check out the other side!" Now I understand that it's not always feasible to do this for every issue. It takes time and motivation. (We ought to make time, though.) At the very least we ought to be willing to listen to the other side.

Some cross-examining tips: We should actively seek out new arguments on the opposing side. (Part of that "seeking knowledge" thing.) Also seek for the best arguments, because anyone can tear apart a terrible argument. If you become convinced of the other side, seek out the best arguments on your original side.

So many times we as Christians don't do this, especially when it comes to different theological camps, different religions, and even atheism. These principles of cross-examining apply to Christianity itself. If Christianity is not true, then we shouldn't believe it. This isn't just my idea, it's biblical. 1 Corinthians 15:17 says that if the resurrection never happened, then our faith is meaningless. However, my religious background taught that you shouldn't question God or the Bible, only believe. Many genuine Christians are still stuck in that mindset. "So, you want me to question God and the Bible?" Yes! Respectfully.

You don't need to have every answer to every question, but you should be looking for the answers. I am still working through the question: why do we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God? I don't have all the answers to that question, but enough to make me confident in what I believe.

When cross-examining my mentor always said that we should be open minded, but not empty-headed. Meaning don't forsake what you you have learned with a reasonable degree of certainty. Don't forsake your God-given ability to reason. Don't be foolish or gullible.

Don't Be Gullible

Proverbs 14:15 says "The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps." The word simple here is someone who is naïve. Have you ever met someone who believed everything you told them? Have you ever been that person? I have. Having faith is NOT being gullible. Gullibility is not a virtue. We ought to believe the Truth whole-heartedly, but we shouldn't believe everything we are told.

The Fool

Going back to Proverbs 15:14 it say that fools feed on foolishness. They eat it up. This is a bit different from being gullible, I think. This seems more like someone who doesn't care either way if it's true or not, as opposed to someone who is simply too trusting.

Proverbs 18:2 tells us that "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." Have you ever met someone like that?

There are two things to remember about the word fool when it's in the Bible. First off, the word comes from 5 different Hebrew words, which are often translated "fool". These 5 words signify 5 different levels of foolishness. Second, a fool is not the same as our western concept of a "stupid person". This is profound! In our western concept of stupidity, such a person is one who CANNOT figure something out. A fool (in ancient middle-Eastern thought) is one who has all of the facts, but WILL NOT to figure it out. So take heart, depending on what level you are at, it is better to be a fool than an idiot. At least a fool can change his heart and wise up.

In Conclusion

Just like foolishness is a moral refusal, wisdom is the moral know-how to live righteously. In this post, I talked about living a righteous life (particularly in regards to being well-rounded). Righteousness is doing what is right, wisdom is knowing how to do what is right.

Wisdom is especially important for Christians, as we are commanded to walk in wisdom (Matt 10:16, Eph 5:15, Col 4:5). If we don't have wisdom in our lives, we are called to ask God for it (James 1:5). God is the the source of all wisdom. So take heart if you feel foolish and inadequate, I'm sure we all have, whether we admit it or not. However, if you humble yourself and ask Him right now to give you wisdom, He'll do just that. That's exactly what I had to do a number of years back. I was reading through the book of Proverbs, and felt so convicted because I wanted to be a wise man, but I kept seeing myself as a fool. I remember crying out, and nothing changed... immediately, but over time things did. I have not arrived, but I continue to grow in wisdom.

So, in my personal opion, wisdom is the most important trait for a person to have. You could argue that love, and the fruits of the spirit are more important. Paul tells us that without love, even with all wisdom, he is nothing (1 Cor 13:2). Even so, wisdom teaches us how to apply God's unchanging Word, in a world that is constantly changing.

In order to obtain wisdom we must:

• Seek knowledge – Always be learning
• Be reasonable – Listen to others
• Not be gullible

So before you do something, ask yourself: is this the wise thing to do?