Wisdom, Fools and Gold

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!  And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.  Proverbs 16:16

I count 49 times that the word wisdom is used in the book of Proverbs.  It is used many more times in the bible.  Wisdom is so much more important than mere knowledge - or gold and silver.  Wisdom is the ability to take knowledge and apply it to a given situation or to many different situations.  It is essential for life, and it is essential for eternal life.  Fools despise wisdom (Prov. 1:7).
 
Wisdom does not see the world in black and white.  It doesn't see Scripture in black and white.  It realizes nuance.  It takes differences into account.  It treats similar situations differently.  It requires constant thinking and judging of circumstances.  It treats fools in different ways:
 
Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will also be like him.  Answer a fool as his folly deserves, that he not be wise in his own eyes.  Proverbs 26:4-5
 
Wisdom does not buy into a one-size-fits-all mentality.  It does not reduce life to formulas.  It results in different strategies and ministries.  Those results can even appear to be polar opposites:
 
For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, "He has a demon!"  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, "Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!"  Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.  Luke 7:33-35
 
One of the reasons I have such a problem with fundamentalist type of thinking is that it often sets wisdom aside for a broad brush stroke in black and white.  Nuance is ignored and is often accused of being an excuse for not doing things "the biblical way," whatever way they think that happens to be.
 
Solomon forsook gold to gain wisdom, and God gave him both.  May God's people pursue wisdom.

Solomon The People Watcher

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.

The Wisdom of Solomon

For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, and I saw among the naive, I 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

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. Ecclesiastes 7:2

King Solomon wrote a good deal of wise things, and much of his writing found in the bible is found in what are considered the "wisdom books." Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. In my estimation, I would say Solomon was a "people watcher." He watched other people's actions and lives. He took note of them. He saw patterns in living. He made special notes of cause and effect. He was informed. He knew God's precepts and the advantages and disadvantages of following them. He knew what blessings and curses were. He knew what certain life situations "felt" like to people; even to himself, and he knew these things aside from what God's word really meant.

If I could summarize Solomon's writing in a short quote I would say the following. "I spent a good part of my life acting like a fool, and all of my life watching others act like fools. I've learned my lessons, and I'm telling you about them so you don't have to suffer quite as many consequences. Everybody suffers simply from being human, but listen to God so that your suffering might be less."

Wisdom is applying knowledge to life. Solomon knew how to do that. We should listen to him.

Division of Labor (2)

An anonymous commenter anonymously commented on my division of labor post:

"I wonder if this applies to "outta sight, outta mind"? The other problem I see/experience in this is if people can't afford it, it doesn't matter how good it is, if people can't afford it, they won't buy it."

Yes, I thought about this. So, maybe making yourself available/scarce is a double edged sword? I've probably thought about these things so many times, just not in certain terms.

Division of Labor: Excellence as Scarcity

Julie Neidlinger at Lone Prairie writes about scarcity. Excellence is a form of scarcity, as a book she's reading puts it. I've never thought of it in those terms, but I quickly identified it with the biblical concept (an economic one, too) of division of labor that Ron McKenzie is writing about at Blessed Economist. The concept of division of labor means that people can focus on things they are good at - becoming excellent in those things - and increase the overall standard of living in society.

Being scarce means that with you in low supply, the price fetched for your services can increase. If somebody has general knowledge and skill in a particular area, and you have specific knowledge, you demand a higher price. The buyer can pay one amount for an okay level of service, or a higher amount for excellence. With everybody making themselves more scarce, they can command greater prices, thus making more and being able to hire more people who specialize in more things. This can work with people relationships, too, as Julie points out when she says, "making oneself scarce is no foolish thing." Now, if I can apply this to looking for a job...

Withholding The Truth

"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now" John 16:12

"You can't handle the truth." Jack Nicholson - A Few Good Men

Jesus withheld things from His disciples because they were not able to bear what He had to say. They were not at a point yet to eat meat; they were babes in many ways, and could only handle milk.

Sometimes people make an issue out of not getting the truth told them, not understanding that they don't have the capability to understand or to bear the consequences of knowing the truth. The truth for them is a cause of consternation and upheaval. Sometimes this can only be discerned of those people by starting to tell them truth. Sometimes this isn't a good idea, and should end as soon as it starts.