A girl once said that she disliked her father’s side of the family because they were too bookish. She preferred her mother’s side because they enjoyed life and were successful in business even though they did not do well in school. With this mindset, the girl grew up interested only in cosmetics, holidays and boys. The sad thing is that the girl was a Christian and she harmed her spiritual life in the worldly environment that she chose.

Bible Passage: Proverbs 4

5, 7 Get wisdom! Get understanding! …

Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.

Does it surprise you that the Bible exhorts you to get wisdom with the pitched fervor of a salesperson? It is the cry of God to His people because the dire consequence of ignoring wisdom is death.

6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.

Like the girl in the story, people who do not like to read will tend to satisfy their curiosity and desires in a carnal manner. The bookish person reads of the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, while the carnal one needs to experience it, sometimes to be burnt by the experience but more often than not, to be captured in its addiction.

Yet people today say that they do read. But what? Glossy fashion, food, entertainment and travel magazines, more likely. Popular psychology contained in self-help books that usually push a humanistic, i.e. without God as the centre, view of what makes a human succeed and happy. With regards to this, the inspired Preacher Solomon suggests that the Word of God should instead be the only foundation to understanding the mysteries and meaning of life; any other works of literature, history and philosophy are only useful supplementary material when aligned with the words of the one Shepherd:

The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.                        (Ecclesiastes 12:11,12)

In this modern world, to seek wisdom, we begin with the lifelong study of the Bible. Then we must study enough in the world to have a career and support our families. We should study languages so that we can preach the Word of God to all nations. We must be conversant with logic and numeracy to navigate in this data-driven computer age. We should read about current affairs and then read the relevant histories to really understand current affairs so that we are aware of how the Last Days will pan out, especially where the country of Israel is concerned.

Finally, wisdom has as much to do with the heart as it has to do with the mind. The heart in the Bible is associated with hope, faith and love, and these are the essences of our true humanity, which is as the image of God. Head knowledge without the guidance of a good heart is of great danger – Satan is the epitome of this perversion.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.

Unlike all sales pitches, God’s plea for us to seek wisdom is so that He can give it to us free of charge.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.                                                    (James 1:5)

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