Lots of Information and Knowledge, But Too Little Wisdom

Are you old enough to remember encyclopedias, which salespeople used to peddle from door to door? These included the encyclopedias Brittanica (its name alone sounded awfully smart); Americana; Funk & Wagnalls (which had absolutely nothing to do with funk music); the aptly named Book of Knowledge; Collier’s, and others. Most of them amounted to a library all by themselves.

 

For many in my generation, when we had to write a report or term paper, the encyclopedia with its vast storehouse of information was our go-to resource. The trick was avoiding the temptation to copy what it said on a particular topic word-for-word.

 

If you didn’t have an encyclopedia, or yours didn’t seem to have all the answers, there was always the library and its card catalog (again, remember that?) with its rows and rows of file drawers listing every one of its books by subject and author. Wading through that was tons of fun! (Uh, no.)

 

But in the ‘olden days,’ those were two primary sources of information. Fast-forward to today. We’ve had an explosion of information that rivals anything Mount Vesuvius spewed out. We’ve got the traditional media – TV, radio, newspapers (print and digital), magazines, and books – as well as social media, the Internet, and now, artificial intelligence. AI has the answers before we even know the questions.

 

Immersed in this vast sea of information, it stands to reason we’re also growing in knowledge. My grandkids probably know more than I did after graduating from high school. That’s great. But have you noticed despite all this wealth of information and knowledge, we seem impoverished by a lack of wisdom? 

 

I won’t cite specific examples, but you know what I’m talking about. Turning on the TV, it often seems as if we’re watching the old film, “Ship of Fools.” One person trying to one-up the other by uttering the most nonsense. News and reality shows revealing folks doing and saying absolutely foolhardy things.

 

Getting back to the question of wisdom and the shortage thereof, what is wisdom anyway? One definition says it’s “the ability to make sound judgments and decisions based on deep understanding of situations and experiences, often involving knowledge, good judgment and the ability to discern what is right or true.” But how do we gain this ability?

 

There’s the story of a young man, hoping to experience a successful life, going to his mentor, the wisest person he knew. “How do you acquire wisdom?” the young fellow asked. “Through experience,” his mentor replied. “Then how do you gain experience?” “Through making good decisions.” “Well, how do you learn to make good decisions?” The wise man quickly replied, “By making bad decisions.”

 

Another young man approached me years ago to discuss what mentoring was all about. I asked, “Why do you want to be mentored?” His response: “So I can learn from your mistakes.” Good answer. As it turned out, the young guy still made plenty of his own mistakes.

 

Again, how do we get wisdom? Walmart doesn’t have a Wisdom department. And we can’t buy it at Target, Saks Fifth Avenue, or even Neiman Marcus. Amazon doesn’t have one-day delivery for wisdom; neither do FedEx or UPS. It’s not a commodity for sale.

 

We can gain wisdom through experience. And experience comes through decision-making and learning from mistakes. But one source for wisdom is largely underutilized: The Bible. The Scriptures present us with examples of people who exercised great wisdom – and many who didn’t. 

 

The Old Testament offers several ‘wisdom books,’ including Job, Psalms and Ecclesiastes. Most-quoted of all is Proverbs, which declares, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). Thousands of years later, things haven’t changed much. We find an assortment of fools everywhere – politicians, business leaders, entertainers and others, mostly operating without a biblical worldview. This fits how Judges 17:6 and 21:25 describe the Israelites: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” This isn’t wisdom, but foolishness.

 

Contrast this to what we read in Proverbs, largely attributed to Israel’s King Solomon, called the wisest man who ever lived. He said the proverbs are “for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, for doing what is right and just and fair” (Proverbs 1:2-3).

 

If this is true, wouldn’t it be a good idea to discover what Proverbs teaches? To that end, many people have resolved to read one chapter of Proverbs every day. Since the book contains 31 chapters, the entirety of Proverbs can be read in a single month. In a year, that’s 12 times soaking in its wisdom.

 

Proverbs offers insights on numerous topics, such as the importance of restraining anger; receiving correction and discipline; the need to seek wise counsel and guidance; the value of having discernment and being prudent; dealing with envy and jealousy; overcoming sexual temptation; cultivating generosity; working diligently; pride and humility; striving for integrity and honesty.

 

Ultimately, they’re all anchored in “the fear of the Lord.” This doesn’t mean expecting God to pounce on us whenever we step out of line. It’s having a reverential awe for all that He is and does – His holiness, righteousness, power, love, mercy and grace. And recognizing He’s the source of every good thing.

 

Repeatedly Proverbs affirms that fearing the Lord’s a good thing: 

“The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble” (Proverbs 19:23). 

“Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4).

“He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death” (Proverbs 14:26-27).

Ultimately, fearing and loving the Lord provide the foundation for becoming the people God intends for us to be. Need proof? Study Proverbs. 

Wisdom – Product of Years and Experience

Sometimes I wish we could walk down an aisle at Walmart or some big-box store and grab a large carton of Wisdom. You know, the stuff that enables you think through and evaluate situations and usually come up a reasonable solution or response? Or to formulate a balanced perspective on life's uncertainty and perpetual chaos.

 

Looking around our world, we might easily conclude that if wisdom were a commodity, then there’s been a serious disruption in the supply chain – because the shelves seem virtually empty. Maybe the good ship Wisdom is permanently moored offshore with its precious cargo stuck in the holds below decks.

The late author and biochemistry professor Isaac Asimov stated years ago, “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” Things haven’t improved since then.

 

Wisdom, unfortunately, isn’t something you can order online or purchase at the local mall. And even for those who do possess a good measure of wisdom, they didn’t acquire it in bulk. They gained it one tiny bit after another, and usually not in rapid succession. Because wisdom is a product of years and experience. As someone has said, wisely I might add, “Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.” 

 

When my children were learning how to drive – as my grandchildren are now – my greatest concern was not their abilities and training, but the fact that you can’t teach experience. It comes only through time and the process of living life; consequently, wisdom also can be accumulated only over time. 

 

We typically must learn from our mistakes, hoping those mistakes aren’t bad ones. Novelist William Saroyan offered the insight that, “We get very little wisdom from success, you know.”

 

Fortunately, gaining wisdom isn’t solely the product of things we do. Our experiences also include things we see; what we observe. I’ve learned a lot from older, wiser people who understood far better than I did how life works – and how it doesn’t. Watching how they responded to circumstances, ranging from keeping their cool in times of crisis to their approach to handling personal finances, has helped me immeasurably. Some things are better caught than taught, I’ve discovered.

 

There’s one more way for gaining wisdom. Perhaps the best way of all – one that many people in our world apparently have little interest in. It’s the wisdom that comes only from God, and most commonly from reading and studying His Word, absorbing its truth and striving to put its teachings into practice.

 

As Proverbs 1:7 asserts, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 2:6 adds, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

 

How valuable is biblical wisdom? The Scriptures themselves put it this way: “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the main who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her” (Proverbs 3:13-15).

 

But as I’ve written before, decades ago our society began the process of eliminating thoughts of God from our collective conscience, and I believe we’re paying the price. In the Ten Commandments alone, if we were to consider and apply them consistently, would give us incredible wisdom in how to effectively address many of our world’s greatest problems, from poverty to violence to turmoil in our homes and workplaces. 

 

The Bible offers clear principles about finances, including avoiding debt, being diligent to save, living within our means, giving generously to help others, and recognizing that ultimately, God is the owner of everything. Imagine if the Federal government operated within those guidelines.

 

The alternative is described in Proverbs 10:14-15, “Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment. Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.” As the centuries-old adage tells us, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” We could arrive at similar conclusions about those who fail to seek and use wisdom in other key areas of life.

 

Godly wisdom doesn’t come easily, but neither is it withheld from us. It only demands a heart that is willing to submit to the Lord, acknowledging that “Father knows best.” As Proverbs 15:33 declares, “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”

Would that He might bless us with wise, humble leaders – and that we would seek to become humbly wise as well. 

Fear of God – Far from Common

“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” This famous phrase had its genesis in President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address in 1933. As FDR uttered these words, several people at the event reportedly muttered, “I was afraid he would say that.”

This whimsically colored version of "The Scream"by
Edvard Munch is how some perceive the fear of God.

Fear is a funny world in the English language, conjuring up many images. For children, fear can mean apprehension the “boogeyman” might suddenly pop out of a closet or from under the bed. Or that mommy or daddy might abandon them at the mall. As we get older, an expanding array of other fears supplant the boogeyman.

It’s a word we attribute to a dog cowering in a corner, tail between its legs, hoping to avoid another blow from its abusive owner. Or employees who arrive at work wary of their tyrannical boss’s unpredictable behavior.

We use a convenient word of Greek and Latin origin – “phobia” – to describe fears, often irrational, of virtually everything, including heights, spiders, snakes, crowds, enclosed places, flying, specific colors, black cats, the number 13, and red-headed people. (Is there a phobia of red-headed woodpeckers?) Politically correctness has led to the creation of new terms, like homophobia and Islamophobia. 

But when you hear the phrase, “fearing God,” what comes to mind? That’s a legitimate question, since numerous verses talk about the fear of the Lord. The book of Proverbs, for instance, gives an admonition, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). Similarly, Psalm 111:10 states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

For some, to fear God suggests being prepared to duck, hoping to dodge a bolt from Heaven the Lord might choose to throw down if He catches us doing something wrong. Is that what it really means to fear God – anticipating divine zapping when He feels inclined to do so?

Tame that down a notch, and some people regard fearing God as always being at risk of becoming the object of His displeasure and impatience as we repeatedly fail to meet His perfect, righteous, never-changing standards.

However, not long ago I talked with someone who expressed an opposite opinion. He posited there’s no reason to fear God at all, since He’s so loving that He’ll accept whatever we do. This makes Him sound like the parent who never corrects or disciplines her child, or the grandparent who delights in doting on the grandkids, knowing before long they’ll be going home with their parents to deal with the fruit of their spoiling. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Kids do the darnedest things!”

A definition of the “fear of God” favored by many is “reverent awe” or “admiring submission.” This involves understanding that while He is accessible – “Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16) – the Lord is, after all, Creator not only of this planet but also the entire universe. That’s not something we should take lightly, with a casual shrug. He made everything and can do whatever He chooses with what He’s made.

The foreboding image of the Lord lurking nearby, poised to yell, “Gotcha! I knew it!” is unfortunate and stands at odds with the concept of grace – God’s unconditional favor we could never merit or earn. We’re told, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Titus 3:5 seconds this motion by declaring, “he saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy.”

Nevertheless, this doesn’t justify an attitude by which we might regard God as “Bro,” or as our good buddy. We “fear” law enforcement officers, not because we suspect they might harm us, but because they have the power to enforce laws if we break them. I remember when I was in school, we also “feared” the teacher, knowing she or he had authority to discipline us or reduce our grades if we misbehaved or violated classroom rules. 

God is Creator of all we see – as well as everything we can’t. It reminds me of the parent who, in a peak of frustration, said, “Son, I brought you into this world – and I can take you out!” 

In most cases, because of His love, grace and mercy, God doesn’t act in a similar way. However, we know He can, and sometimes has done so. Think of those who perished in The Flood except for Noah and his family, or the residents of the sin-riddled cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the Egyptian army as they pursued the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. Ananias and Sapphira, members of the early Church, thought they could get away with misrepresenting their generosity. They greatly underestimated how much God values integrity.

So we worship a God fully capable of doing fearsome things. But If we truly know Him, and have an accurate, honest appraisal of ourselves, He deserves our reverent awe and wholehearted worship, praise and gratitude. As Psalm 34:9-10 tells us, "Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him…those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”