In reading on the topic of wisdom, as the concept is treated in scripture, it is interesting to note that it is a rather mixed bag. So, a principle has to be understood from the start. When you read of wisdom in scripture, is the reference to divine wisdom? That is, wisdom that comes from God? Or does it refer to those things that are regarded as wise which come from men? It seems like this is the line of demarcation in determining whether wisdom is “good” or “bad.” Consider the following:
First, being wise doesn’t do you any good if there is no God. This is established by the wise man of Ecclesiastes in chapter 2:12-16. Yes, the wisdom is better than foolishness while you live on the earth. “The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness” (14). But wisdom doesn’t spare you from death. “So I said in my heart, ‘As it happens to the fool, it also happens to me, and why was I then more wise?’ Then I said in my heart, ‘This also is vanity’” (15). Both the wise and the foolish die. And, eventually the wisdom of the wise man fades into the past, and is no longer remembered, “all that now is will forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!” (16).
This may seem a rather harsh representation of life, but it is true regarding what occurs “under the sun.” This is how the wise man felt about it as well. “Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind” (2:17). It must be understood that wisdom is vain if God is not in the picture. If all we are concerned about is this life, with no regard to what comes after, the wise man is no better than the fool. The wise man may become preeminent in his generation, but he then dies, just like the fool. And, the illumination he offers men is soon forgotten.
Second, there is a difference between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of men. James declares this plainly. He emphasizes the need to act with wisdom, “Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13). However, some wisdom brings “bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts” (3:14). James refers to this wisdom in the following way: “This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic” (3:15). In contrast, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (3:17).
Simply put, the so called “wisdom of men” often contradicts Christian principles. The very existence of human philosophy is evidence of this truth. The platitudes of men may sound good on the surface, (this is sophistry), but there is true benefit only when discerning men apply the principles of God. The philosophical Athenians “spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:21). The fact that something is “new” has no bearing on whether it is true or beneficial.
Third, the application of knowledge can be done wisely only when coupled with a loving disposition. Paul wrote, “Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Too often wisdom is equated with knowledge. They are not the same. In Paul’s scenario a man who had better knowledge of the truths of God is interacting with one who is ignorant on an issue of truth. Since he knows more, this knowledge can lead to arrogance. However, if he loves his brother, he does not seek to parade his superior knowledge. Rather, he submits to the need of the weak brother, to edify and encourage him. As Paul wrote, “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (8:13).
Finally, true wisdom, that wisdom that comes down from God, is universally lauded in scripture. Such wisdom is personified in the book of Proverbs: “My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1-5). If you listen to wisdom, she will not lead you astray. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints” (2:6-8).
Conclusion. Time and again in life we are called to listen to the wise men among us. Then, the message they share directly contradicts the teaching of scripture. When this happens, their claims of wisdom are false, and their proclamations are counterfeit. True wisdom comes from above.
This is why the Bereans were described as fair-minded. They gave men a hearing, but “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). We are to open our hearts in the search for truth and wisdom, but we must not be credulous, accepting just any “new thing” that a stranger might bring. To do so is to be “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men” (Ephesians 4:14). That is foolishness. “For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6).
