The Love of Wisdom
Be Strong, Be Well — Tuesday, August 18
For those who were in our Wednesday Bible class for our study in the book of Proverbs, you will remember our discussion of philosophy. The meaning of which is the “love of wisdom.”
Associated with wisdom is reason, knowledge, understanding, and truth. It is not knee-jerk reactions, opinions, or assumptions.
We live in a world where so many folks don’t care about any of those things in the first list above, but live by those in the second. The first, takes diligent effort and reasoning. The second, people just fall into and blindly follow, sometimes in an emotional frenzy.
We are a seriously divided country. Much of what we see these days is a lack of wisdom and careful reasoning.
Listen to the wise writers of Proverbs. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7). “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (2:6). “A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. When the wicked comes, contempt comes also; And with dishonor comes reproach...He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him...The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge” (18:2, 3, 13, 15).
The writer of old described the very thing that’s going on in our streets today. “Scoffers set a city aflame, But wise men turn away wrath. If a wise man contends with a foolish man, Whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace. The bloodthirsty hate the blameless, But the upright seek his well-being” (Proverbs 29:8-10).
Philosophy, or the “love of wisdom,” must be grasped by everyone, if we’re going to get a handle on those things troubling our society. Ideologies without a foundation of wisdom and truth that are left unchecked, are going to destroy our country as we know it. —Chris