A few years ago, a dairy farmer association was searching for ways to encourage people to drink milk. They tried the usual approach of pointing out milk’s benefits, with little to show for it. Then someone came up with a simple question Got Milk? That ad campaign generated remarkable gains. Today’s wisdom from Proverbs provides similar advice.
“Get wisdom— how much better it is than gold! And get understanding— it is preferable to silver.” (Proverbs 16:16, CSB)
The teacher in Proverbs elevates wisdom and understanding above wealth. That’s a powerful priority. Put simply, wisdom is the application of knowledge and experience. Understanding is the ability to learn and think critically. Both are important, but wisdom is more valuable than raw knowledge.
I’ve seen it in my career. Someone gained knowledge and passed all the exams, but failed miserably when applying that knowledge to the task at hand. I’ve also seen it in the context of church and Christianity, with folks who could quote scripture but were blind to how their own actions did not align with it.
How do we get understanding? The primary method is asking honest questions. Often, our questions are designed to persuade rather than to seek the truth. Through questions and their answers, we gain understanding. We also learn to look beyond the surface. Getting understanding is more than book learning. It is also people learning, skill learning, and experience learning. Through our experience, we learn that fire burns, but what do we do with that knowledge? That requires wisdom
How do we get wisdom? God is the ultimate source of wisdom; it is always good to begin there. “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5, CSB) We must also distinguish between God’s wisdom and the world’s wisdom. Common sense is not always Godly wisdom. The truest way to gain wisdom is to apply knowledge. It may succeed or fail, but from that application comes more wisdom and understanding. Knowledge left unused will never become wisdom.
How do we distinguish God’s wisdom from worldly wisdom? James has the best answer for that question. “Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.” (James 3:13–18, CSB)
Got wisdom?
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