When public opinion begins to masquerade as intelligence, we desperately need to prize wisdom.
Do we need authenticity? You bet. Honesty? Absolutely. Should we embrace mystery and paradox? Of course.
But at the end of the day, wisdom must be held in the highest esteem, because an authentic, honest, mysterious, paradoxical fool is still a fool. So where do we turn to find the kind of wisdom that will enable us to see with clarity and conviction? This week’s story serves as a sort of cautionary tale for us in this endeavour.
First of all, we are often told that old age brings wisdom. There are even biblical references people cite to back up this theory. For example, Job asks (somewhat rhetorically), “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12.12).
Well, yes, sometimes.
However, Solomon himself, the wisest man who had ever lived, disproves the theory that wisdom always comes with age. He actually grows less wise as he gets older! Our elders are often a source of wisdom, but they’re not completely reliable.
A second potential source of wisdom is the counsel of our peers. Proverbs 15:22 tells us, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
But Rehoboam got counsel, lots of it. He sought the opinion of his peers and they gave him bad advice.
What about outsiders? Sometimes it’s helpful to seek the wisdom of those who are outside our immediate community. Sometimes Christians think that they have cornered the market on wisdom, but that’s not true in many areas. It would have been foolish to think that the Egyptians had nothing of value to say about how to govern people; they’d been doing it longer than the Israelites had been, well, the Israelites. Two whole chapters in the book of Proverbs are taken up with wise sayings from pagan kings (see Proverbs 30–31).
But Jeroboam brought back what he thought was wisdom from Egypt, and it ended up ruining the kingdom, driving a semi-permanent wedge between the 10 tribes to the north and the remaining 2 tribes of the south.
Old age, peer groups, outsiders, all of these are potential sources of the precious wisdom we so desperately need. But we must never forget that they are also potential sources of even more foolishness and pooled ignorance. Once again, we are left to consider that only God is completely reliable. Whatever wisdom we think we may have accumulated must be run through the filter of God’s Word. Only then do we learn to discern wisdom from folly.
Father of lights, You are the fountainhead of true wisdom, counsel, discernment and understanding. You often mediate Your wisdom through others, but please prevent me from making that my final source. I acknowledge that biblical wisdom is the skill in living life with each aspect under Your governance, and that I cannot attain this skill without the fear of the Lord. May I learn to fear Your displeasure and desire to be pleasing to You, so that I will live my life before You rather than seeking to impress people. I know that when I am more concerned with what You say and desire than with the opinions and expectations of others, I will actually be empowered to serve them better. I want to order my steps before You, to hold fast to You, to aspire to be like You, to hope in You and to pursue You above all else.
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