The Wiser the Better

There are all sorts of books, websites, programs, teachings, and more about how to become smarter and gain more wisdom. After all, who would not want to be wiser? One such source is titled “5 Effective Ways to Increase Wisdom,” and it comes from operationmeditation.com. Those “Ways” of increasing wisdom range from “Meditate and Know Yourself First,” to “Make Mistakes.” While there may certainly be value in applying the suggestions mentioned in this article and others, there is a piece of advice that has a universal benefit to all people everywhere. Naturally, that advice comes from God’s divinely inspired Scriptures.

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote much about wisdom. Particularly, where to find it and how to obtain it. He said that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). It is interesting that despite being the wisest person alive, Solomon did not say that one should come to him for wisdom. In contrast, he said that wisdom begins by fearing the Lord. What an important statement! What good is it to have knowledge if you lack a fear of the One true God? You could possess more knowledge and “wisdom” than any person in the world, yet without a fear of the Lord it is all futile.

In the two verses prior, Solomon speaks about giving advice, correction, and teaching to a pair of different groups. Those two groups are scoffers and wise/righteous men. He says that the scoffer will hate the one bringing the instruction; however, the wise/righteous man will accept it and become even wiser. It can be difficult to receive words from someone speaking about something that involves how we are living our lives. None the less, if it is done out of love and good intentions, it can and will bring benefit to us. Such a benefit could even be of an eternal nature. Which group do we want to be a part of, the scoffers or the wise?