Thought for Today
Psalm 51:6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.
Luke 2:40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Acts 6:3 Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task,
Wisdom – (Gr. Sophia, Lat. sapiential) Knowledge of what is good and true; the basis for knowing what is true or false. The term has a long philosophical history, since “philosophy” means “love of wisdom.” It is an attribute of God and a gift of the Spirit. (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 303)
The word wisdom is found 212-234 times in the Bible, depending on the translation. The Greek word σοφία (sophia) is a very beautiful word, often used as a proper name. Our English word wisdom is often read and heard, but, regrettably is more rarely demonstrated in private or public discourse than it should be. We hear it bandied about in terms and phrases like “common wisdom.” We don’t see it demonstrated often enough in what is said or done in society.
There are books in the Bible aggregated into what is known as Wisdom Literature, most usually Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Within Proverbs, especially, wisdom is often personified and presented as a gift from God, e.g. “1:20 Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice”; “2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
This coming Sunday is designated as Trinity Sunday on my liturgical calendar. Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday following Pentecost. Just as Pentecost celebrates the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit, Trinity Sunday celebrates the Holy Trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, three Persons in one Godhead. Some writers and scholars have equated Wisdom with the Holy Spirit. They find in verses like “Proverbs 8:30 then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,” evidence of this equality.
I have never been comfortable with the personification of wisdom. It is certainly implicit in the language of some verses in Proverbs; however, I read such verses as poetic license used to emphasize the importance of wisdom, and its being “an attribute of God and a gift of the Spirit.”
As I view the world in which we live, I see only sporadic outbreaks of wisdom. We sometimes echo the question of Job, “12:12 Is wisdom with the aged, and understanding in length of days?” Were it only so! I do not see a great deal of wisdom demonstrated in much of what goes on in the world around us, irrespective of age or length of days.
Jesus warned us, “Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars . . .” We have heard, we have seen, and we continue to hear and see wars. Where is the wisdom in war? Some wars seem inevitable; but, could WWII have been avoided had other measures been implemented earlier to deter the aggressor nations? Wisdom would seem to dictate taking firmer actions sooner in order to remove the need for wars. Could WWII have been avoided by more rational peace terms to end WWI? Sadly, we only can be sure of what did happen, not what might have happened.
The same is true of much of even daily life. Could all loss of life due to traffic accidents be avoided were we all to obey traffic laws? As I drive our roads, many (most?) cars whiz around me going at speeds far in excess of the posted limits. Where is the wisdom in needless speed?
Yesterday, our Community Food Pantry celebrated its 10th anniversary. I see great wisdom in the actions of all those who work diligently to alleviate food insecurity. I see great wisdom in all the first responders who risk life and limb to help others. We all can demonstrate great wisdom if we only “Micah 6:8 . . . do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” We demonstrate great wisdom when we “Luke 10:27 . . . love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
Stay safe, act wisely, trust God,
Pastor Ray