The Sage vs. the Fool: Introduction
The Sage vs. the Fool: Introduction.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and fools despise wisdom and instruction; The reverent worship of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, while fools hate wisdom and discipline; How then does someone gain the essence of wisdom? We cross the threshold of genuine knowledge when we live in obedient devotion to God. Stubborn know-it-alls will never stop to do this, for they scorn true wisdom and knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7).
The Sage: A person known for wisdom, understanding and discernment; for developing the practical art of living skillfully; for growing in moral intelligence; for being able to practice the truth in daily life; for expressing astute insight and shrewd street smarts; for applying knowledge to make thoughtful decisions and healthy choices; for knowing the difference between wise and foolish, right and wrong, beautiful and ugly, good and evil, true and false; for effectively demonstrating a practical spirituality; for choosing to live into Wisdom itself, the Person of Jesus the Anointed One.
The Fool: A person who doesn’t know what is best for himself; who doesn’t learn from mistakes; who is habitually rebellious; who does not consider the consequences of his behavior; who stubbornly remains unteachable; who is content with self-satisfied ignorance; who ignores counsel and discipline; who pridefully rejects a reverence for God; who has access to the truth but rejects it; who is impulsive and unable to control emotions; who is not concerned about moral blindness; who is unaware of his self-destructive lifestyle; who does not recognize the need to change his thinking and behavior; who is gullible, naïve and dim-witted.
Wisdom: The skill of developing heavenly street smarts that lives into the mind of Christ. So we are not talking about our world’s mean streets. We mean Kingdom streets and godly smarts. In Luke 16:1-9 we find an interesting little story, the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. Surprisingly, the hero in this parable is a dishonest businessman. He used his wits to set up a clever scheme to get his job back. This manager was street smart and was in the end affirmed for his shrewd plan, even though it was dishonest. Jesus used this story to criticize His followers for not being clever or shrewd in matters pertaining to the Kingdom. They were not keeping their spiritual wits at the ready. They were not very clever in the ways of the Kingdom. Eugene Peterson writes about this in terms of “being on constant alert, looking for angles, using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, concentrating your attention on the bare essentials.”
Godly Wit. Being wise is using your spiritual wits to be spiritually productive, to surviving successfully in the ways of the Kingdom. The RSV notes put it this way: “People of God ought to use their energies to further their spiritual welfare, just as dishonest people use their ingenuity to promote their material welfare.” That is wisdom… Applying God’s truths to daily life in a way that cleverly, shrewdly operate “on earth as it is heaven.” As Jesus told His disciples, “Be wise as snakes and innocent as doves.” Be cunning, shrewd, clever, and harmless. (Matthew 10:16).
“Behold! You desire truth in the inner parts of me, truth from the inside out. You love truth and honesty, and you want it held deep-down in my heart. You want me to know wisdom, in fact you teach me wisdom in secret, in my hidden part where no one sees but you. Teach me your truth then, Lord, in my innermost being. Behold! Listen to my plea.” (Ps. 51:6).
A Gift that Goes Deep. Wisdom is not superficial. Anything that is truly wise must necessarily come from deep within us. Wisdom is a gift, and comes from heart-felt devotion to God, from deep union with Jesus. God makes us wise as we depend on Him for our understanding and insight. We don’t somehow produce wisdom out of thin air, or through human effort, or natural intelligence. Wisdom is a gift provided by Wisdom-in-the-Flesh. Wisdom is gained through life experience that is centered on submission, not ambition. “To those called by God, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. It is by Him that you exist in Christ Jesus, who for us was made wisdom from God.” (1 Cor. 1:24, 30). Wisdom is truth in action, and we all know who the Truth is. (John 14:6).
A Hidden Road. The road to wisdom is unknown by humankind, its location hidden from any living creature. Despite our grandest of efforts and depth of sincerity, wisdom is beyond our scope, outside our intellectual reach. True wisdom is a gift from God. “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.” (James 1:5-6, NLT).
“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity. God alone understands the way to wisdom; He knows where it can be found. He set wisdom in place and examined it thoroughly. And this is what He says to all humanity: The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.” (Job 28)
Hidden Treasure. Job knows wisdom when he sees it. He says wisdom is like a secret treasure buried by God. Wisdom is a sublime mystery, says Job, and only God knows where it dwells. In Job 28, he offers fascinating thoughts in praise of wisdom. He details man’s valiant efforts to mine for silver and gold, digging deep in the mountains for precious jewels. Then he asks a question… We spend all that energy and time and ingenuity to find so-called precious materials, but what about wisdom and understanding, which are far more valuable and the most precious of all? Despite our grandest efforts, Job says, we look for wisdom in vain, unless we start with God.
The prudent miner for wisdom starts by approaching the King of the mountain in reverence, devotion, and trust. Holy fear opens the door to the mountain’s throne room and allows access to the King, his truth, his life. Once with him, we honor and adore him, we hallow his name and character, we discover that his presence has been our heart’s desire all along. His being transcends us, his presence transforms us, and we grow in wisdom as a natural, or supernatural result. We find that wisdom is indeed taking root in the fertile ground of our relationship with the King. And we become inspired, literally, to embrace virtue and character, and to participate in the holy process of creativity, all in the Spirit of our Creator himself. And in our pursuit of wisdom, much after Job’s time, we find the Father pointing us to the Son Jesus Christ, “who has become for us wisdom from God.” (I Cor. 1:30). Go to Him, says the Father, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3). You can’t be wise, says the King, without my Prince.
The Shiniest Jewel in the Mountain of Wisdom. When we are focused and intentional, the King does not hesitate to reveal his crown jewel: Love. Love is wisdom’s mature fruit in due season, the currency of the Kingdom, the bottom line of wisdom. He says He is the source of love, that He is in fact Love, which is the deep truth of wisdom. Love has the last word with wisdom’s King, and Love is His last word to the wise.