 |
Wisdom and Folly
The Fall of Wisdom
By I Gordon
Introduction
I don’t know about you,
but it seems to me that things are getting quite crazy in this world of ours.
The western world, once founded upon the general beliefs and morality outlined
in the Bible, is in the process of abandoning (probably should have said demolishing!)
this foundation and effects are staggering. Wisdom, it seems, has been one of
the first casualties. As I thought about the state of things recently, I
started thinking about what the Bible says concerning wisdom and folly.
Questions like ‘what is wisdom?’, ‘where is it found?’, ‘Is it important?’ and most
importantly ‘why is it so lacking in our world?’ Now fortunately, the Bible has
a lot to say on this topic as we shall see!
Help from an ancient book
My study on wisdom took me
to a fantastic chapter in what is reputedly the oldest written book in the
Bible – The book of Job. Now I’m sure you know his story so I won’t go into
that, but it is fair to say that in Job and his dreadful situation, we have a
man in desperate need of wisdom! Here was a man in great need of wise words and
wise counsel. And yet, from most of his so-called “friends” he received the
total opposite of that which he sought! As the saying goes, with friends like
that, who needs enemies! But Job longed for wise counsel and we see this in his
last speech to his “friends” in Job 28 – a beautiful chapter from a man
desperate to find wisdom!
O
Wisdom – Where art thou[1]?
Job 28:1-12 “There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways. The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it. Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there. Man’s hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains. He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures. He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light.”
Job starts his speech by thinking about the knowledge that man had acquired. They knew how to mine for silver and they knew how to refine gold… For that age, they certainly had acquired a great understanding for that which they saw as precious. Obviously, today, our knowledge is far greater. We not only search the depths of our earth, but we send out probes to other planets to gather information about our solar system. Not only that, but we also explore the depths of the human body, delving down into the cellular level to understand and manipulate the DNA. And with the Internet we have an explosion of knowledge that is almost mind boggling. And yet, more than ever, Job’s next question is telling:
“But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?”
But where is wisdom to be found??? That is the important question... then and now! You see, mankind can explore the depths of the earth, they can explore the depths of the universe, they can even explore the depths of the human body, but they will not find wisdom! And there lies the problem. With the great knowledge that mankind has obtained[2], they do not have the wisdom to know how to apply it… And that is a scary situation!
That which is worth more than rubies…
Job 28:13-22 Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot
be found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; the sea
says, ‘It is not with me.’ It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can
its price be weighed in silver. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with
precious onyx or sapphires. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor
can it be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the
price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of
So mankind has a problem in that it cannot find wisdom… in fact it doesn’t even know where to look! Where would you look to find wisdom? The deep and the sea say ‘it’s not in me’. The birds of the air cannot see where it lies. As a general rule, it can be honestly said that mankind doesn’t even know where to look to find wisdom though some do search in vain in many wrong places! But another problem is introduced in this passage - mankind doesn’t even comprehend wisdom’s worth! Mankind concerns itself with all things that can bring it wealth, yet wisdom is of far greater wealth than gold or rubies! But it’s not interested! Only death and destruction have heard a rumour concerning wisdom. Oh the folly of man! He ignores wisdom most of his life, searching after wealth and pleasure and he usually only starts looking for it in the face of death or destruction! Folly…
But
there is one that knows where it lies…
Job 28:23-28 “God
understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views
the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he
established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a
decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom
and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun
evil is understanding.’”
There is only one who knows where wisdom dwells. Only one. If you don’t know this ‘one’ then you will miss true wisdom, for this one is God Himself. And He has revealed to mankind where the fountain of wisdom springs forth from. It is right here in our text – “the fear of the Lord – that is wisdom!” That is the source… that is the starting line…that is the key for finding and obtaining wisdom. And that, does it not, explains why there is such a lack of wisdom in our world! Even amongst our leaders – for without a fear of God[3], you will not find wisdom.
Let’s have a look at what the wisest man in the Old Testament had to say concerning wisdom. And, as King Solomon shall show us, we’ve got a bit of an issue!
Wisdom
& Folly
Prov 9:1-6 “Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out
its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also
set her table. She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the
highest point of the city. “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to
those who lack judgment. “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
In the New Testament, two
types of wisdom are seen – the wisdom of God and the wisdom of this world. And
both consider the other to be absolute foolishness! In Proverbs, these two are
pictured as two women – one called Wisdom and one called Folly. Now, in the
passage above, we see that Wisdom has built her home around seven pillars[4],
and has prepared a great feast for all that would like to come and dine with
her. Not only that but she has sent out her maids to find those that see their
need for her help. On top of that, Wisdom herself has gone to the highest point
in the city and cries out so that everyone who has ears to hear will receive
her invitation and find the joy, fellowship and satisfaction that come from
dining at her table.
If it was simply Wisdom’s
voice that could be heard, things would probably be well with the world. But,
unfortunately, there is another woman who yells out even louder!
Introducing
the loud, boisterous, Miss Folly
Proverbs 9:13-18 “The woman Folly is loud; she is
undisciplined and without knowledge. She sits at the door of her house, on a
seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by, who go
straight on their way. “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those
who lack judgment. “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” But little do they know that the dead
are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.”
Oh yes… good old folly.
She, the Bible says, is without knowledge. Yet her ignorance doesn’t stop her
being loud, outspoken and brash! She calls out and entices all to come and
dwell in her house… but little do they know that it is a place of death! God’s
wisdom cries out all around us, yet most have been turned aside by folly.[5]
Folly is all around us and
cries out louder and louder in this crazy age…
- She is in our
kindergartens when they wanted to ban hot cross buns so that little kids from
other faiths wouldn’t be offended!
- She is in our schools
when they teach that we evolved from monkeys, there is no absolute truth, and
then wonder why our youth start acting like animals.
- She is in our parliament
when they say it is child abuse for parents to smack their children, but
declare it is a woman’s right to kill and abort a baby in the womb.
- And folly has made her
home in our churches when they think we can win the world, by being like the
world[6].
Notice also who folly’s
main target is… the ones that she would most like to entice are those that are
making their paths straight. It is those that normally listen to wisdom and
forsake the prevailing thoughts of the world that folly is especially after.
Think about that, for the wisdom of this age, or better still, the folly of
this age is flooding in and if Christians aren’t careful, they will slowly find
themselves listening and believing the lies of folly more and more.
Conclusion - So what is the answer?
You will notice something
if you look closely at Proverbs 9. You will notice, I’m sure, that it has a
pivot point. It starts, as we have seen, with Wisdom crying out desiring all to
listen and turn to her for help. It ends, as we have also seen, with Folly
crying out trying to entice people from the true path. The chapter sits like a
pair of scales with wisdom on one side and folly on the other, and the pivot
point upon which this chapter rests is verses 9 and 10 in the middle of the
chapter –
“Instruct a wise man and he
will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One
is understanding.”
So there we have it again! The fear of the Lord is again seen to be the
deciding factor as to whether Wisdom or Folly is exalted. But it is not going
to be easy to walk in the fear of the Lord in the coming days. The voices of
folly increase[7]
and surround us in this age and it is going to get a lot harder to swim against
the tide. But that is what the Christian is called to do. So turn your ears,
eyes and hearts towards the Lord once more, and apply your heart to wisdom.
I’ll leave you with the following sound wisdom and truth – God’s word for you!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“My son, if you accept my
words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and
applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for
understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for
hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the
knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store
for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards
the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
Then you will understand
what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your
heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect
you, and understanding will guard you.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------