Thought for Today

Job 12:12 Is wisdom with the aged, and understanding in length of days?

Psalm 51:6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.  

Proverbs 8:11 for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.  

Matthew 11:19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

Wisdom 6:12 Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her.  

“σοφία, ας, ἡ wisdom; (1) generally, the ability to use knowledge for correct behavior insight, understanding (CO 4.5) or in a clever way skill, cleverness” (Friberg, Analytical Greek Lexicon)

Is wisdom vindicated by her deeds? The Greek word σοφία appears in the Bible 216-257 times. How often does wisdom appear in the world around us? There are those days when true wisdom seems totally absent from our world.

During our recent Bible Study we looked at the parable of the children in the marketplace from Matthew 11:16-19. I have been thinking about those words above from that parable about wisdom being vindicated by her deeds.

Wisdom is a much-valued virtue in the Bible. The largest number of biblical references to wisdom occur in Proverbs. Interestingly, in Greek the noun we translate as wisdom, σοφία, is a feminine noun always requiring feminine pronouns. We have transliterated that Greek word into a feminine name in English, Sophia.

I’m far too great a chauvinist to suggest that true wisdom is a virtue restricted to women. I also know that in Greek, as in many languages, nouns have gender but there is no correlation between linguistic gender and biological gender. Thankfully, English has almost no linguistic genders. The only familiar example in English is that ships and naval vessels always require feminine pronouns.

Last week during our Bible Study and again this morning, however, my interest is most piqued by the question, “Is wisdom vindicated by her deeds?” How do we judge true wisdom in our modern world? Do we associate wisdom with academic knowledge? Is someone  deemed wise based on the number of degrees listed following their name? Maybe wisdom is granted by someone’s title or position. Is office indicative of wisdom?

The definition for σοφία in my Greek lexicon is a good definition for our English word wisdom, “the ability to use knowledge for correct behavior.” The internet offers a somewhat different definition, “1a : ability to discern inner qualities and relationships: INSIGHT; b: good sense: JUDGMENT; c: generally accepted belief; d: accumulated philosophical or scientific learning: KNOWLEDGE” (merriam-webster.com) My theological dictionary offers, “Knowledge of what is good and true; the basis for knowing what is true or false.”  (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 303)

I believe Jesus was correct. For me, true wisdom can only be ascertained or judged by the actions and deed resulting from its application. It may be a subtle difference, but the difference in the definitions from my lexicon and theological dictionary do differ from the one from the online dictionary. From a biblical perspective and from a faith perspective, the primary concern of wisdom is producing correct behavior based on knowing what is good and true.

Hopefully it is no surprise that James 2:26 immediately comes to my mind, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” I equate true wisdom with true faith, with the belief in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. The wisdom of such faith, the commitment to such faith, produce the works associated with our Christian faith. The truly wise accept the words of God’s Son and exhibit lives transformed by their faith. They can discern good from false; they use their knowledge of scripture and of Jesus for correct behavior. What might exhibit such correct behavior? “Luke 10:27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." The wise do just that.

Be truly wise, live lives of love, trust God,

Pastor Ray