Father, You say that if we ask for wisdom, you will give it to us freely. We ask that you would help us to start to comprehend what wisdom is. Be with us as we study your word to see what you have to say about it. Holy Spirit, you are the Spirit of Wisdom, come inhabit this space as we consider how we may become wise. Jesus, you are the Word of God, you are the very words on the page, but you are alive, help us to be conscious of you as we look at this topic. Amen. Well, I bit off a whole lot when I promised that I would start walking with you through the nature of Biblical Wisdom. I took a whole semester class on it when I was in college, many moons ago, and I was a cocky little punk back then. So, what is Biblical Wisdom? Where does it start? How can we grow in wisdom? According to Proverbs 1:7, wisdom begins with the (humble) fear of the Lord. I’ve talked about humility a bit in the past, and even mentioned the fear of the Lord, but in case you don’t remember, here is a refresher. This whole concept is profoundly counter-cultural, it flips most of the world’s way of life on its head, as it is based on the Kingdom of Heaven, not the kingdom of this world. So, what is humility? Humility is an accurate view of who you are in relation to God, then others. Humility places others and God at the center of your life, rather than you. It does not give you low self-esteem or reduce you in any way. Rather it changes your focus. What is the Fear of the Lord? It means that you honor and obey Him, you respect Him. What does that look like? Giving of yourself without concern for repayment, following His ways, doing what is right and never seeking to injure yourself or another. The Fear of the Lord makes His opinion of you and your thoughts and actions more important than what others think or say. The Fear of the Lord will lead you to following Torah (not Mishnah or Talmud, mind you, but Torah). You heart is turned toward Him, not toward other things or people, that is the Fear of the Lord. So, what happens when we put humility together with the Fear of the Lord? Fireworks. That is where wisdom, Biblical wisdom, takes root. That is the starting place, because as a humble person, you are flexible and willing to learn, and willing to honor one who knows and understands more than you do. You aren’t a cocky piece of work that thinks you’re the cat’s meow and can’t learn anything from anyone. This is entirely against the grain of Western society and culture, where we are told, particularly as men that we have to be “alpha”, or macho, self-absorbed, and the kind of person who will squash anyone or anything that gets in his way. That, coupled with making much of God, and choosing His ways over those that the world would have us walk out, with all of the destructiveness baked into those other ways. We will want to connect with others who are walking in the same way that we desire to, so that we can learn how to do life better. So, for today, biblical wisdom begins with the humble fear of the Lord. It does not end there, but that is its genesis in our lives. Next week, we will get into some of the different kinds of wisdom that are discussed in the Bible, and yes, there are at least a handful. We will take a look at more scripture where those different kinds of wisdom show up, then seek to gain more through prayer.

St. Porphyrios was a modern Orthodox monk, who lived during the 20th century, in Greece. He was known for being extremely discerning. Whenever a negative thought comes along, simply redirect your focus. Choose to press into the Lord and His Love, and His love will drive away those thoughts, whether of harm, anger, lust, or any other dark thing. Those things cannot exist in the presence of Jesus’ accepted love for you. Rest in Him. Breathe in His love, it is the atmosphere you were designed for. This will make your life much more peaceful.

The prayer of St Francis of Assisi... I used to sing an arrangement of this prayer in choir when I was in college. This is about asking God to make us more loving, less self-centered, and more Christ-like. Simple. Can’t say too much about it, as it nicely encapsulates the core of what it means to become sanctified or to grow closer to theosis. We are called to be smaller, and to exalt others over ourselves, not be the center of our own universes. That does not mean that we are nothing, that we do not matter and should be trampled upon. However, it does mean that we think of others more often than we do ourselves.

Humility is the key. Ever wondered how to avoid Sin? St. Anthony has an answer for us, today. Humility is how we avoid these things. If you are humble, you will not seek to glorify yourself. When you are humble, you are not the center of your own world. When you are humble, gluttony, sloth, and lust fall by the wayside more easily. Those 7 deadly sins are all based in pride and self-centeredness. The antidote is humility. What is humility again? Humility is embodied love for others. How do we show this? Putting others first. This does not mean that we seek to become doormats or anything like that, but that we choose to serve God by serving His image-bearers. Become more interested in others and in the Lord than you are in yourself.

I have some deep Lutheran roots. Here is a combo breaker from the Renaissance, from the pen of Martin Luther, the “Great Reformer”. Yes, he has his issues. That is not the point today. Prayer is life for us, as Christians. After all, it is just a conversation with God that never ends. That is not to say that there won’t be silent moments, just like any human relationship. Much is communicated even in those moments, but prayer = breathing for your spiritual life, just as the Bible is spiritual food, and the Spirit is the Living Water we need in order to keep pressing on toward the goal.

Back to Patristics, with St Gregory the Great. What do you fear? If your only fear is not losing God’s friendship, then you have a ways to go to perfection. That is deep, but perhaps also based on a misunderstanding from this great early theologian. Can we lose God’s friendship? Not if we walk in HIs ways and seek His face. However, such a thing can be achieved if we walk away from Him in meaningful ways. I believe that that is the foundation of double predestination. God knows who will choose Him, but gives each one the freedom to choose, even once we do make an initial choice to call Him Lord. I don’t have the time to unpack this here, but I think that perfection is knowing that God’s love is all-encompassing for those who have accepted and yielded to it.

Lord, Come. Open our hearts and minds that your wisdom would pour into and through us as we study what wisdom is. Help us to grasp what wisdom is in Your book. Help us to gather skills and to have open eyes and ears to notice patterns in the world that others may miss. Teach us to understand ourselves and others better, that we would be able to make better judgment calls in our lives. I have gone off the rails because I wandered away from you in the past. Forgive me. Help me to stay aligned properly as I move forward. Help me to know when and how to say things to benefit not only myself, but others more and more as time goes on. In Jesus’ name, Amen. There are 2 Hebrew words that often get translated as “wisdom”: Chokmah – related noun which is usually translated as “wisdom” Chakam – wise or crafty in word, action, or mind If some one is chakam, they have skill in some area or other, whether as a politician, plumber, or proctologist. It has to do with having information to recognize patterns reliably so that you can make good decisions. If one has chokmah, it takes skill and adds a spiritual dimension to it, as one has to have a right relationship with God in order to have true chokmah. This is the form of wisdom we will focus on in this series. We will also talk about the kinds of folly and fools, as that is a fun topic, and as we get better at recognizing them, even in ourselves, we can understand how to handle different kinds of people better. That is a large part of why we should want to have chokmah, rather than simply be skilled in certain areas, though that is a part of the picture. That kind of skill does not require God to accrue, but to turn that skill into a more generalized wisdom, at least in reference to the Bible, that is, we need to be in constant relationship with the Lord. Let me give an example: Say you had a friend who was a patriot, but had been forced to sit through some leftist indoctrination as a part of his or her job in sales. Now imagine that they had stumbled their way through a rough deal, then got to 4th and goal, only to have their clients turn on them, accusing them of being manipulative or somehow “forcing” things to happen in a way that would only benefit your friend, but not their client. Now say there were things that the friend could have done better, but that was water over the dam by then, then the friend comes to you, hurting over what the client was saying, and freaking out over possibly losing half of their commission on the deal. On one hand, the friend readily acknowledges their errors over the course of the deal, on the other, they neither wish to destroy relationship nor lose money. What would you tell them? Do you have the wisdom and discernment to navigate that situation without making it worse? I didn’t. I was the conservative equivalent of the screaming liberal, and I not only blew up that relationship, but lost money on top of it, because I chose to throw that liberal claptrap in the client’s face. I was going to let it ride, but couldn’t leave well enough alone. I even thought hard about simply giving them what they wanted, as these were some of my wife’s acquaintances whom I was helping. I am more broken up still over the broken relationships there than I am about the lost commission. Money is just money. People matter far more than money. That is wisdom, hard won. Take it for what you will. So, what is wisdom? On a basic level, it is the ability to recognize patterns in people and situations, then insight to know what to do about those patterns to turn them for the greatest possible benefit for all involved. On a Biblical level, it is that, plus a constant relationship with the God of the Universe. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Wisdom, He is the personified wisdom in Proverbs 8, calling out to the simple and the fools as they go on their way. In the Bible, there are 3 options, you are either growing wise, becoming a fool, or very early on, you are probably simple. We will talk about those other two options starting next week. The Simple one and the Fool. We will talk about the state of being simple next week, then start talking about folly the week after. This week, we will be doing a series of memesplanations on humility, what it is, and how it benefits us to be humble. On the main channel tomorrow, we will be talking about BlendOS, Elementary OS, and Escuelas Linux. Please smash that Rumble button, Share this if it touched you, and Subscribe to the channel. Be Blessed, and choose Wisdom this week. Thanks for watching!

Humility. Yes, I’m harping on it. If Jesus humbled and emptied himself on our behalf, then why won’t we follow suite? Why do we cling to our pride? Hear this as coming, not from me, but from a respected mentor or pastor. Release yourself from the burden of your pride today. Ask the Lord to help you see yourself accurately, to esteem yourself as He esteems you, rather than forcing YOUR way. Making sure that you get YOURS, and seeing that as the lion’s share of whatever is in question. I could go on, but we will be talking about this most of the week, so I’ll go easy today.

Here is another definition of humility, and it plays into that kenotic (self-emptying) thought from yesterday. Humility is the ability to not defend yourself when you are able to do so. Not firing off that devastating quip to put the rude person in their place, whether that looks like blessing them or simply walking away, and allowing God to work on them, rather than creating a scene and causing more ill will and bad blood to exist between you and the other person. This goes into what meekness is, strength, under control and service to love, rather than strength just existing and crushing whomever it wants to.

Chrysostom with more truth about humility. If we really think about it, love is humble. Love is the keystone to all things positive in the Spirit. If that is true, then that would put humility right where Chrysostom puts it in this quote. One cannot be meek without humility, one cannot be gentle without humility, it is difficult to be kind without being humble, etc. One cannot be wise without humility, that is called being a know it all or a smart ass. As Paul said, Knowledge puffs up, but wisdom builds up.

Another from Chrysostom today, go low. Focus on the greatness of God, not on how epic you think you are. Know what you can do, but neither identify with it, nor make much of it. That is pride. Consider yourself useless means just that. Let go of self-reference, let others grow and glow. Encourage and support them, rather than stealing their thunder. Allow God to promote you. Allow others to notice your good work without you trumpeting it from the rooftops.

John Climacus was also known as John Scholasticus, he was a Syriac monk from the 6th and 7th centuries, just to give a little context for the quote. Yes, we are continuing to talk about humility. Humility allows us to do amazing things and not be about those accomplishments. Humility allows us to kneel appropriately and stand when necessary in our daily fight with the Enemy. It allows us to come into the Kingdom, as we cannot come unto the Lord to be saved other than as children, who are humble. These are a few benefits to humility, and there are many others.

One last day on humility, though I could harp on this for longer. Macarius of Optina taught Ambrose of Optina, both of whom were Russian monks in the 19th century. The enemy is sneaky, ain’t he? He tries to trap us in pride, in some other insidious sin pattern, those are his “fine nets”. If we are consistently humble, Macarius says that we can escape them. Why is that? Humility allows us to see more clearly and to see ways around those fine traps and tricks from the enemy, so that we can walk uprightly.

Father, Let us be positively simple, that is, open to You, as we go through this word study. Help us to not be open to anything else as we study this concept today. Give us heaven-sense, not common sense now. We look to You, we fix our eyes on You, now. Give us understanding and humility to genuinely seek You and heed You, rather than just doing whatever we may “feel”. In Jesus’s name, Amen So, what word is used in Hebrew (since we are primarily looking at the Old Testament wisdom literature in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes) that we usually see as “simple” in most of our English translations? The word in question is pethi, and it has a range of meanings from “open” to “open-minded” to “lacking understanding”. So is the default state of human beings described, depending on the context around the word. When I told my wife that I would be talking about the word “simple”, she assumed that I meant “the opposite of complex”, along the lines of Ockham’s Razor, or the principle of parsimony, the removal of unnecessary things or thoughts from one’s life. That is not what this devotion is about. This is not Proverbs meets Marie Kondo. This devotion is about the word “pethi”. Pethi is based on the verbal root, Patah, which means “to open”. As I said earlier, the connotation is “open” for pethi. Is it a good, neutral, or bad kind of openness in view? Well that depends on the context. That is like the difference between simply lacking knowledge through no fault of your own, versus being willfully ignorant, going out of your way to avoid information or knowledge of a certain kind. One can be simple in a good sense, that being that you are open to being instructed, open to mentoring. Think about Star Wars: A New Hope, where Obi Wan is just starting to teach Luke about the Force, and he encourages him to clear his mind and be open to all that was around him, rather than being tied to his 5 senses. Luke was searching for something larger, but could have been shaped in a number of different ways, because he was simple, or just plain “open”. He took up with Obi Wan because he seemed wise. In that, he was more on the positive end, but ultimately neutral. One can also be simple in a neutral sense, that you lack knowledge, but are open to it in general. On the other hand, one can be simple in a very negative sense, where you purposely avoid gaining wisdom. That last one is the second step on the path to becoming a fool. In Star Wars, these are the ones who take in with the Dark Side, who are, at least at first, taught to be controlled by their emotions (fear, anger, hate, lust, envy, etc), because those can be powerful things that make you think that you are free, however, it leads nowhere in the end. Taking the wise path will get you to power, but you will be free to wield it, rather than being wielded by it. Taking the path toward wisdom is harder, but will lead you where you really want to be, in the end. We all start out neutrally simple, or just “open” (see Proverbs 1:22, 32). Our environment and our own choices can slant us in one direction or the other, whether towards wisdom, through being open to mentoring (Proverbs 9:4), or towards folly (Proverbs 14:15), by being set against “prudent”. As I said earlier, it can be used in 3 different ways. I guess it is kind of complex to be simple in the Bible, isn’t it? Don’t be perplexed by the term pethi, though. All you have to do in areas of your life where you are simple is to choose to start down the path toward wisdom. Is that an easy path? No. Can it suck? Absolutely, in the short term, but the ultimate end is far better than for those who choose the path of folly. Next week, the plan is to talk about the different words for “fool” in Proverbs, then tie them to familiar figures and examples of those who would fit in each category. We will also see what aspects of foolishness each of us may have, and we all do, for there are none who are perfectly wise, in this world. Everybody has weak spots and blind spots, and that is why we need one another in loving community. For “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). As an aside, if you aren’t already watching my memesplanation shorts, I am now crafting them to fit in with my Sunday devotions, to tug at some of the themes I present in the devotions, so you should watch them and be blessed.

A little out from left field, but here is a quote from Ben Franklin, who was clearly steeped in the Bible. What is Folly? To consider oneself wise (but not be). As I said when I was talking about humility last week, humility is a key to wisdom. One form of a fool is to be “high on your own fumes”, so much so that you cannot hear any criticism or direction from anyone. That is the heart of this quote. So first, you get cocky, hold yourself a certain way, then give voice to it, then you turn around and ignore or actively avoid any counsel that might contradict your own feelings or thoughts. This sounds like what both the hard Left and the hard Right do, all the time. They put themselves forward as the saviors of the nation, if not world, then shout down the other side when they say something that doesn’t agree with their convictions.

One might think that I am remiss in ignoring Valentine’s Day today, but I don’t think so. There, Happy Valentine’s Day. We talked about being simple on Sunday and how it naturally tends toward folly, but can be short circuited into wisdom if the simple person finds a good teacher or mentor. One can learn prudence, then grow into wisdom and knowledge, or one can stay simple and become a fool, never understanding why bad things keep happening in their lives. Which would you rather? Having understanding and humility to make better decisions based on patterns you recognize? Or would you rather just stumble through life, from situation to situation, like an animal who lacks even common sense? #memesplanations #Bible #proverbs #folly #understanding #TechFreedom #Truth

Folly can be fun, in fact, it often is more fun in the moment than the wise or prudent way. However, the difference between wisdom and folly is that wisdom will direct you to longer term prosperity, not simply short term fun or enjoyment. Folly says, “Well, it’s fun, now. It feels good, man, forget about tomorrow, just live in the moment, man, and seize the day.” Wisdom says, “it may feel good now, but it will wreck you tomorrow and set you up for pain in the future. Don’t do it.” What is the wise choice for you today? #memesplanations #wisdom #folly #Proverbs #Bible #Truth #TechFreedom

I don’t need to say much, as this meme pretty much says it all. Which will you be today? A proud fool, or a humble & wise person? Will you choose to be teachable today? Will you listen or talk more? Will you rage uncontrollably or be even-keeled? Where will you base your confidence, on yourself and what you can do, or on God and what He can do for and through you? The first option is more immediately fun and enticing, but leads to ruin, sooner or later. The second will, if you consistently posture yourself humbly, make a longer term success story out of your life. So, what’s it gonna be? #memesplanation #pride #humility #folly #wisdom #Truth #Bible #TechFreedom

This is how the world is. The bigger the fool, the higher the pedestal. The braggart who does accomplish things, blows hard about them, and gets attention for doing so. See: Donald J. Trump. Some of the things he has done have been foolish, others not so much, but he jumps up and down, screaming about how wonderful he is, either way. That is folly. That gets a place of honor here on earth, but the wealthy person who does not brag gets very little attention, so he sits in the low place. Who are you? Are you the blowhard or the humble one who gets no special treatment? This verse is descriptive, not prescriptive. It is not telling us to puff out our chests and brag about our accomplishments or talents, but it does tell us how things tend to work, here on earth. #memesplanation #ecclesiastes #bragging #honor #humble #Truth #wisdom #folly #TechFreedom

The Teacher tells us that after he tried it all and found it all empty, he learned that wisdom is better than folly. Wisdom will ultimately destroy folly, as light drives out darkness. Folly is the absence or corruption or negation of wisdom, just as darkness is in a similar relationship to light. Do you prefer to be known, or unknown? Hidden (in a clandestine way), or out in the open (but safe)? Would you rather be in the dark, bumping into things, or in a well lit place where you can see all of the obstacles or pitfalls in your way? I don’t know about you, but I am in a place in my life where I am tired of bumping into things. I need more light, more wisdom, and less pride. #memesplanation #wisdom #folly #ecclesiastes #better #light #darkness #Truth #Bible #TechFreedom

Father, as we look at the Fools in Your Word, I ask that you would help us to be humble enough to recognize these elements in our own lives. Come, Holy Spirit, breathe on this word study and help each one of us to get what we need out of it today. Help us to be teachable, and moldable in the Right ways. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. So what does it mean to be a fool in the Bible? The basic idea is that you set yourself in opposition to God. That is the heart of folly, also known as pride. We each have parts of ourselves which are foolish, and different aspects of folly that we prefer. The journey through sanctification and to theosis is marked by growing humility, so that the Holy Spirit, also known as Wisdom, in Proverbs, can excise those parts of us that are not Christ-like. Those were big words, really they are two ways to say the same thing. They both point to the same truth, which is that at the end of a Christian’s life, he or she should be so much like Jesus that God can’t stay away from him or her. That is the endgame for wisdom. However, that is not the point of this particular devotion. Today’s purpose is to talk about the opposite, the Fool. In the Hebrew Bible, we see 5 or 6 words that all get translated as “fool” in English. English is weird that way. Here are the fools: Pethi: We met this one last week, he is the simple fool, just open to whatever comes. He can be directed either towards wisdom or to the way of the Fool. he does not necessarily lack intelligence, just discernment. This person will fall in line with whatever is around them. If they are in an environment rich with wise mentors, they are more likely to be shaped in that way. If they are left to their own devices, they are likely to harden into some form of fool. This is the default nature of humanity. (a child or a young person) Eviyl: This is the proud rebel. He knows what is best for him, or thinks he does, and will act on it. Come what may, he will do his own thing, live from his own truth. Eviyl actually means stupid fool, but not mentally deficient, but morally and spiritually. (Think of Frank Sinatra, here... I did it my way... My way or the highway) Luwts: This is the scoffer or mocker. He is not just morally inept and willfiul in his pride, but will mock anyone who dares say anything contrary to his opinions or feelings. This is the person who rags on someone for doing something that didn’t end well, only to emulate that person in the end. This is the guy or gal who is so set in their understanding that they react almost violently to anyone who says something negative about it. (These are the SJWs or even religious leaders, self-righteous, cocky, self-assured, and ready to smack you silly for saying anything they do not approve of) Keciyl: This is like the next step for the eviyl fool, where the eviyl is simply rebellious, the keciyl is more hardened in their pride. There is no humility, no teachability in them. These fools are on their way to becoming a nabal. Pray for them. Keep trying to reach them, but do not shelter them from the fallout of their choices, as that will only enable them to stay as they are. They need hard rock bottom. Atsel: This is the lazy fool, the sluggard who, like George Costanza or the stereotypical stoner, might work hard to not work at all at what they are supposed to be doing. They have laziness down to an art form. They have their own idea of what life should be like, and it should be easy for them. They will not keep at anything, other than in the interest of maintaining their own lazy lifestyle. They are proud, will boast, but then not follow through because they are chronically incapable of doing so. They may scoff at you for challenging their choices, but their words will almost always be devoid of real meaning. They can be reached, but it takes allot. Nabal: Named after Abigail’s husband, who refused to host David or even help him against Saul. These are the furthest gone of the fools. They are completely high on their own fumes. They cannot hear anything negative about themselves or their lives from anyone. They know what is best, and that is that, period. This type of fool is the endgame, it is almost impossible to bring a nabal fool back to the light, but do not write them off. Keep trying, as the Holy Spirit leads. So, now that we have this information, which pieces of these categories of people do we see in ourselves? Where do we need to repent? Where does the Holy Spirit need greater permission from us to do His work? Let’s invite Him to do what He wants today. Holy Spirit, I confess my pride. I know that I can be cocky. I know that I can dig in my heels to get my way. I repent of these traits. I want to give up my pride, but I don’t know how. Help me grow wise. Thank you, Lord.

St. Augustine laying out the difference between wisdom and knowledge, or at least A difference between wisdom and knowledge. You can have knowledge until you are about to burst, without wisdom. That is simply hoarded information, though. I have to split hairs with the great bishop from Hippo in North Africa. I don’t necessarily agree with his comment about understanding. That’s how I’m defining “apprehend”, here. Anyone who studies any given thing enough can “apprehend” them, at least on some level, without wisdom or reference to God. I think I understand what he is getting at otherwise, though. He wants to reserve wisdom for spiritual things, while knowledge gets relegated to material things. That is a little too clean, as one needs wisdom in an earthly realm in order to live well here and now. Wisdom allows us to see patterns, whether in the natural or the supernatural.

This quote is from Chabad, which is a Jewish organization. Interesting take, here. Wisdom is the power to see the truth as it is. This is a very different angle. If we try to shove what we see and experience into some mold we have, it is unlikely to fit, therefore makes things foolish. Things get distorted, and we make bad decisions based on our mold for the situation. If we are wise, we allow things to be as they are, then set up our strategy to get through whatever it is based on that, rather than our preconceptions.

To build on yesterday’s idea, if we truly see things as they are, we will experience more sorrow, because that does not allow for rose-tinted glasses or cognitive dissonance. When we see things accurately, we will gain more good knowledge, and will go through more grief. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it? Not a good sales ploy, “Become wise, your life will be more sad” doesn’t exactly sound good, does it? However, if we are wise, we can build our lives, in accordance with Heaven, in such a way that we personally experience less sorrow and grief because of messes we made.

According to Dr. Stanley, earthly wisdom is basically common sense. It is what comes naturally for us as humans, it makes sense in the twisted logic of this life. You can do well with common sense and a bit of experiece, but if you want even better results, you need Godly wisdom, which can only come through purposeful connection and alignment with Heaven. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Wisdom, he will give you the wisdom you need, if you ask, then follow through on the insights you receive. Don’t ask for wisdom, then ignore it when you get it. The Holy Spirit will get offended, look at Proverbs 8. Don’t be that person.

The lame excuse for a definition in the current Webster’s dictionary is pitiful, even utilizing what is more or less a tautology. In a sense, it is a right definition, but come on, that is pitiful. Compare it to the older definition, that feels much more full. It refers to justice, propriety, discernment, and discretion; things which are purposely and sorely lacking in today’s world. Things which are actively campaigned against by the powers that be. Wow. Not that the 19th century was a perfect time, by any stretch, but at least words meant something back then. Wisdom, worth it, or not? What do you guys think?

Father, As we wrap this series up, come and be with us. Open our hearts and minds to you, that we may receive all that you have for us this morning. Help us to be humble and submit to your voice as we finish this brief look at what you tell us about wisdom in your word. Holy Spirit, you are welcome to do whatever you like in me today. I submit to you. Bring wisdom and insight. Help me to be and stay in step with you, rather than trying to do my own thing. In Jesus’ name, Amen So for the last month, we have been talking about wisdom, and I feel that it is time to let that marinate in us, so we will move on to a different study next week. This has been a very high level survey, and is as far from being exhaustive as East is from West. I wanted to introduce us to or remind us of these concepts, not teach something which I am not qualified to teach on. I certainly have prideful moments, sometimes they are more than moments, though. I used to be a generalized atsel fool, with shades of the keciyl for good measure, as it were. I was cocky, lazy, and while I might occasionally seek advice from elders and whatnot, I rarely put it into action. I knew what was right for me, and probably for others, too. It was often cloaked in false humility, so that I would fit in with the good little churchians I hung out with. What did it look like? I would work hard at what I cared about, but more or less ignore that which I didn’t or found that I was less proficient at doing. I would do reasonably well in school, and my parents used that as a club to browbeat my younger siblings from time to time. I also had a gift of wisdom, so people would approach me with questions which I had no business having any clue how to answer. I would give them good answers, so I eventually got cocky. I figured that I would become a therapist, so I studied psychology and applied for a few different MFT programs. I did not get into any of them. You may be wondering where the false humility came into the picture... Wonder no more. I knew all the religious language and ritual actions to make it appear as though I was teachable, but while I would take in the information, I rarely applied it. I would confront those who did not believe as I thought right, in very entitled and bratty ways. But then when I would get called onto the carpet for one thing or another, I would make a great show of being contrite, and it would usually get whichever authority off of my back and net me a lighter punishment. So I learned to feign repentance and keep the rules most of the time, being obedient when it was necessary, helping behind the scenes, when I wanted to be front and center. Oh, I would trip hard if someone actually put me where I thought I should be, freeze, stutter, etc. I would demure if anyone complimented me, deflecting most of their praise, but really soaking in it. But I was really lazy. I was prideful, never really trying as hard as I could because I knew I was smart, but didn’t really want to test how smart. I didn’t want to find my real limits, so I would coast through most things. I was afraid that if I found them, I wouldn’t be as smart or valuable to others. I still have elements of those things, but adulthood has beaten much of that out of me, and I have had very good mentors over the years. Is my life perfect? No, not even close. Am I wise? Don’t ask me hard questions. Ok, I’m joking. I have places where I feel strong, and places which I know are blind spots for me. I do not claim to be wise. I am working toward that, one step, one day at a time. I make some really bad choices, as anyone who knows me will attest to. Sometimes, entire seasons are subsumed with folly, and others are better. As I said last week, I want wisdom, but struggle to walk that path. I see the path of wisdom as almost synonymous with sanctification or even deification. Choosing the path of wisdom could be equated with allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you in all things, as He is the Spirit of Wisdom. Let me recap the last 4 weeks, though: Our first week, I talked about what humility is, then I talked about what wisdom is and how it relates to humility. Then I talked about the nature of being simple in the Bible, and how it could either be negative, neutral, or positive. Finally, I covered the types of fools we see in the Old Testament wisdom literature. Today, I gave an example from my own life about how I have been both foolish and wise.

No one else knows what is going on in your head. Don’t expect them to know what is going on in there, unless you tell them. Even actions do not interpret themselves. It all needs explanation, perhaps there is something you missed in your analysis that they’ll pick up on, if you let them into your thought process. Relax. Let someone in. I’m reminded of that classic from The Beatles, “Hey, Jude”. You cannot function as an island. That is unsustainable. You need to let someone in, before you explode. #memesplanations #quotes #wisdom #explain #notexplode #insideinformation #spiritualityntech #TechFreedom #Truth

This is a reference to Proverbs 8, hear the Lord saying this today. “Seek me early, and you will find me.” He is the Author of all knowledge and wisdom, so when we seek Him, we seek wisdom. Choose to prioritize seeking His face, then doing what He says to do. Stop trying to run your own life. I’m talking to myself here, too. Seek Him. Seek wisdom. Make that your #1 thing. #memesplantions #Truth #Proverbs #wisdom #seekGod #Bible #God #spiritualityntech #TechFreedom

This is why I started the series on Wisdom with definitions, so that we could know what I was talking about, as close to unequivocally as possible. Socrates is typically a bit outside of my wheelhouse here, but we need to know what we are talking about when we speak, particularly in the present day, when the powers that be seem intent on changing all the definitions so that they can say one thing and mean the opposite, but we miss it. #memesplanations #quotes #definitions #wisdom #socrates #spiritualityntech #TechFreedom #Truth

This is an alternate concept of wisdom, one that has no reference to the Creator. It will have its shortcomings, but in principle, this works. Knowledge has to do with the head, wisdom is heart-based. True wisdom finds its source, though, in God, rather than your feelings. This kind of wisdom could fit with chokma, but stops short of that, because in most uses, chokma is this, plus connection with God. Without the latter, it is merely lessons learned from experience, which are powerful things, but miss the fullness. To echo yesterday’s thought, seek Him, ask for wisdom, and He will give it freely. #memesplanation #wisdom #earthly #knowhow #seekGod #Truth #spiritualityntech #TechFreedom

Be humble, don’t go rogue. Seek out wise people, elders, and ask for advice, then follow it. Allow yourself to be taught. Treasure the experiences shared by your elders. Does that mean do things exactly as they did? No. The point of asking them is so that when you run into a similar situation, you don’t HAVE to repeat their mistakes. At the end of all of that, you will have some wisdom. Don’t think that you can just skate by, if you want things to be different from previous attempts. Find a successful teacher. #memesplanations #wisdom #Bible #advice #mentors #elders #humble #humility #Truth #spiritualityntech #TechFreedom

As we march forth on this March fourth, keep this in mind and choose humility. Do you want knowledge, understanding, and wisdom? Are you tired of living out the definition of insanity? Maybe it is time to stop, reevaluate your attitudes and actions, and submit to a mentor or two. Make sure that they are godly and were successful in areas where you want to grow. That will set you up for the best outcome. #memesplanation #wisdom #humility #proverbs #Bible #knowledge #understanding #Truth #spritiualityntech #TechFreedom