Thomas Aquinas said that pursuit of wisdom is a noble pursuit. In the height of his ministry, he was writing up to 30 pages a day in his quest to find this wisdom. Many men which the subject of philosophy revere were in the same category of writers, or teachers which their students wrote much of what they expounded. We read the recorded thoughts of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and many others still today in our pursuit to understand truth. These so-called great thinkers are lauded for this pursuit of wisdom. While many of these scholars from the annals of history were seeking purely the wisdom of the world and men, the Bible takes a similar approach to how we should behave toward truth.
One of the most revered individuals in history and regarded by some to be the wisest man who ever lived was Solomon. “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt” (1 Kings 4:29-30). This wisdom of Solomon earned him profound respect even among the Gentiles as “people[s] of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.”
Those who are defined by wisdom are rarely categorized as brutes, rubes, or fools. These types of people value violence, tradition, or their own passions over wisdom and learnedness. Solomon understood this and in 2 Chronicles 1:7-12 he prayed to God, who responded. It reads:
In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father and have made me king in his place. O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.”
We, likewise, should seek wisdom. Job asked, “But where shall wisdom be found?” (Job 28:12), and there is truly one answer which he states earlier in the book: “With God are wisdom and might; He has counsel and understanding” (Job 12:13). Seeking that wisdom is what gives us the pathways to righteousness. Jesus begins His ministry with one of the beatitudes by saying, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). As Psalm 37:30 states, “The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice,” which links the righteousness of the people of God with wisdom. Psalm 111:10 takes it a step further: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
I saw a meme not long ago which had the caption, “Let’s get rid of the man cave and bring back the study.” In a time of self-indulgence and where wisdom is no longer revered, but scoffed at, we children of God need to know that the broad way of barbarism is a way which is not illuminated by wisdom, but instead by the light of evil and sin. We must find the strait and narrow way which Jesus describes in Matthew 7:13-14, and to do that, we must have an open and thoughtful mind which actively seeks that wisdom which only God supplies.
Lance Byers