For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, and I saw among the naive, and discerned among the youths a young man lacking sense, passing through the street near her corner; and he takes the way to her house... Proverbs 7:6-8
One of the things I have taken great affection to over the years is the realization that Solomon was a people watcher. When the Lord asked him what he would receive, Solomon replied with wisdom as his choice over wealth and fame. Wisdom does not come without the ability to understand both other people and human nature. And understanding others does not come without watching them, taking note of how they live and act. Wisdom also does not come instantaneously, as can knowledge, but is the ability to apply knowledge to life. It is an acquired trait that takes much experience.
Wisdom is knowing the difference between answering a fool according to his folly and not answering a fool according to his folly (Prov. 26:4-5), because wisdom knows both what kind of fool is acting and with what kind of folly. Wisdom is the epitome of anti-one-size-fits-all. Without it, we should die.
I've always thought it strange that a man with so much wisdom yet lacked the sense to deal with his own humanity, failing God when he chased his own flesh....
ReplyDeleteJim, thanks for the comment. I've thought the same thing, too, and I've often wondered at the timeline of Solomon's life. Maybe he was like the proverbial (no pun intended) marriage counselor who was himself going through a divorce. In his later years he was taken off into idolatry by his many foreign wives. Interesting fellow.
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