The Pillars of Wisdom According to St. James the Just
The Pillars of Wisdom According to St. James the Just.
“Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out its seven pillars.” (Proverbs 9:1).
This verse pictures the quality of wisdom as a wealthy woman who has built her lavish mansion with seven columns that support and stabilize her home. She welcomes all who want to partake of wisdom’s delights to come into her house and enjoy the spectacular feast that will feed the soul of all who dine with her. The Hebrew word “chokmoth” is used for wisdom over 200 times in the Hebrew Bible, and is taken to mean the divine gift of using sacred sense in how one lives one’s life at a practical level. Biblical wisdom as described below is the biblical key to a life of blessing and success. The foundation on which the house of wisdom is built is a reverent awe of the Lord, a humble adoration of God and His character, a faithful and fearful trust in His mercy and goodness. Solomon, the probable writer of Proverbs, never went into detail on what he meant by the seven pillars of wisdom. But this verse can easily and biblically point to a number of ways we can understand these seven pillars that support and beautify the house of wisdom.
Wisdom can be described biblically as sensible judgment; moral discernment; gifted insight; profound understanding; shrewd and righteous street smarts; spiritual intelligence; prudent decision-making; cleverly practicing the truth in daily life; the opposite of being gullible, naïve, foolish. In Scripture it also refers to being highly skilled in a particular area of expertise.
Seven: a Biblical symbol for perfection, completion, fullness, fulfillment, wholeness, finished. A case can be made that seven (7) is God’s favorite number. Because of what it represents, the number seven seems woven into the very fabric of Holy Scripture. Between the Hebrew Bible (OT), and the Gospels (NT), the number seven is mentioned in well over 700 passages. One particular number mentioned that many times is not coincidence. It is significant. Scripture reveals that seven represents an idea that is part of so many passages that it would be tiresome and tedious to relate them all. God decided in His wisdom to create the universe in seven days, and the number 7 has been kept busy ever since. Many theologians consider seven to be a holy number because of its weighty presence in Scripture. Knowing what seven means in the context of a biblical passage will help us to understand that passage better. Seven (7), the biblical number that tops all other numbers.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom. The vague reference to the house of wisdom and its seven pillars in Proverbs 9:1 can easily point to any number of meanings. We could also conclude that there is no intended reference to anything in particular, except perhaps to the complete perfection of wisdom in its very nature. The seven pillars may be a figure of speech referring to the nature of wisdom being complete in and of itself, and not referring to seven principles or seven particular qualities of wisdom. It could be that the seven pillars of wisdom are simply pointing to that quality of divine wisdom that lacks nothing. On the other hand, many biblical scholars have claimed that the seven pillars could logically point to either the seven days of creation, the Sevenfold Holy Spirit, the seven qualities of wisdom according to St. James, or even the gaining of wisdom through the seven formal times for prayer found in Psalm 119:164. But why feel like we have to choose one of those perfectly reasonable options? All four of those understandings make sense, and so they all could be true.
“But the wisdom that is from heaven above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17).
A More Contemporary Understanding. Many Christian scholars believe that the seven pillars of wisdom in Proverbs 9:1 points directly to this passage above found in James 3:17. These seven qualities of godly wisdom are considered by many to be the seven beautiful and supportive characteristics holding up the house of wisdom. These seven pillars are what wisdom looks like inside its house, comprising the perfection of wisdom. One can easily picture here that purity is the central column holding up the house of wisdom, which is surrounded by six other beautiful and strong pillars that adorn and stabilize wisdom.
- Pure (hagnos) = morally, physically, spiritually undefiled; free from corruption in thought, word and action; being inwardly and outwardly clean down to the center of one’s being in heart and mind; having a purity that is holy and sacred thus set apart for God’s purposes.
- Peaceable (eirenike) = inclined towards peacefulness; promotes harmony and unity among others; eager to bring reconciliation to conflicts between persons who are divided; able to cause shalom to flourish, bringing wholeness, well-being, and complete peace.
- Gentle (epieikes) = courteous; considerate; patient and understanding; moderate in one’s interactions with others; fair and equitable, reflecting humility and kindness.
- Reasonable (eupeithes) = easy to correct; open to reason; ability to listen to others agreeably; willing to yield; open to persuasion; teachable; ready to be convinced; open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and submissive to God’s will.
- Merciful and Good Fruits (eleos; agathon karpos) = eager to put love into action for those in need; full of lovingkindness; defined by acts of tender compassion; loyalty to others because all are made in God’s image; demonstrating God’s covenantal love to us for those in distress.
- Impartial (adiakritos) = unwavering in fairness and discernment; wholehearted certainty in being unbiased; without favoritism; free from prejudice; not swayed by external circumstances.
- Genuine (anypokritos) = literally, “not an actor;” free from any hint of hypocrisy or deceit; authentic; straightforward; utterly truthful; undisguised; no hidden agenda; wearing no mask; without any phoniness.
If we ever start to wonder what God’s divine wisdom looks like as demonstrated by His Son Jesus, these seven qualities of the wisdom that comes from above is the perfect reference point. The wisdom of the world looks nothing like this, of course, and so it should not surprise us that a wise person in this world is considered just the opposite in the other world in which we have gained our citizenship.