“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Proverbs 26:12
Devotional Thought For The Day
The thing about the pursuit of wisdom is that it is constantly humbling. This is not because there is something wrong with wisdom; but there is something wrong with us. Sin skews and corrupts virtually everything that we think, desire, feel, and reason about. The pursuit of wisdom is constant revelation of these shortcomings, these “box canyons” that entrap our mind, will, heart, and spirit in sin and error. In consequence of this reality, these dynamics, wisdom must always come from without, and has its origins apart from the heart of man. And our sinful hearts must constantly be taught and influenced from the outside, by wisdom, or we simply revert to our “default” mode, to “auto pilot,” which is captive to the perversions of sin. True wisdom is always of divine origin, and God has chosen to supply it to us through His Word. The saddest foolishness of men is when they believe that they are “wise” enough to actually delete, alter, correct, or add to the written Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, which are “breathed” by God Himself [2 Tim. 3:16]. A truer statement cannot be made about such a person than that “there is more hope for a fool than for him.”
The perversely clever add to our dilemma by supplying us with counterfeit sources of “wisdom,” words and thoughts which have an “appearance of wisdom” [Col. 2:23] but which actually “captivate” people in empty deceit and demonic lies [Col. 2:8]. Some supply us with “additional” scripture – which they purport comes from God. Often, the main part of their deception is encouraging people to rely upon their own hearts, to turn their inner ear and their attention to “intuition” and “direct revelation.” When perverting Christian circles this inner voice is identified as the “Holy Spirit,” and it is never too long before this “inner voice” begins “clarifying” God’s Word and will – which in fact is deleting, altering, correcting, and adding to God’s written Word, Holy Scripture, the Bible [which the real Holy Spirit would never do!]. As soon as this “inner wisdom” exalts itself over the actual written Word of God the corrective to our sinful foolishness is lost, and we are cut adrift from God’s wisdom, and become subject to and enmeshed in the innate foolishness of our own sin and even worse, demonic darkness. The various strategies by which the devil accomplishes this ruse are astoundingly creative and compelling. But again, for those who become thus ensnared in this counterfeit wisdom, “there is more hope for a fool than for him.”
True wisdom is different than scholarship, different even than knowing an abundance of facts and data, and different than “intellect,” native intelligence. It is about the soul, knowing God as He really is, and knowing ourselves. Therefore wisdom is always centered in Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world and reconciles us to the Father, in our Redeemer in Whom we have peace with God, being justified by faith [Rom. 5:1]. This is a life of “walking in the light as He is in the light,” confessing our sins in honest and genuine repentance, and rejoicing that “God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:7-10] In this wisdom we are richly blessed, for “through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” [Rom. 5:2] By God’s grace and blessing, the wise “continue” in Christ’s Word, Holy Scripture, knowing the truth and being freed by the truth [John 8:31,32]. Anyone who walks this path of constant exposure to Christ’s Word, allowing himself to be humbled and instructed by that Word alone, is daily freed from any illusions and all delusions of being “wise” in and of himself.
Solomon, by God’s judgment the “wisest” mere human to have ever lived, concludes his musings on wisdom with these words: “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these.” [Eccl. 12:11,12] God grant such blessedness to each of us!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, You have had mercy on us, and great love for us, eager to bring us back into wisdom through repentance and faith. You have given us Your wisdom, and a sure path to grow in wisdom, through Your written Word, Holy Scripture. Deliver us from such false wisdom that comes from within, that makes us wise in our own eyes, and keep us humbly attentive to Your healing and enlightening Word. Amen.