Are You – Wise Or Simple?
“Wisdom has built her house,” says the Proverbs of Solomon, (9:1), and it is in this house that the builder will live. In fact, this house is one’s life. How one builds, determines the quality of life he will enjoy. Most of us believe we are being wise in the decisions we make and in the way we are living out our lives. Even though our lives may not be what we would want them to be, to say we are simple, or foolish, would be an affront. Because we tend to be easy on ourselves and hard on others and because we judge ourselves by comparing ourselves with other, it is best we see how the Bible defines wisdom and foolishness.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, (9:10). It is seeing and responding to life situations from God’s point of view. It is the knowledge and application of truth. Knowledge by itself puffs up, but wisdom is making truth a life style. James describes wisdom as being first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere, (James 3:17). Wisdom is seeing God in every situation and learning continually from Him.
The simple, on the other hand, are not ignorant of truth, they just fail to live according to the truth. They argue instead of learn, they talk when they should be listening and they feel they have arrived, when they are still on the way. Both the simple and the wise are known by the friends they keep. The fool gathers around himself only those who agree with him. A fool believes that the majority is always right. Bertrand Russell once said, “If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.” The wise stand on the truth, even if it means standing alone.
In Proverbs 14:16, it says: “One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.” That reminds me of an old Elvis Presley song, “Fools Rush In”. They rush into bad business deals, buy on impulse, marry on a fling of emotion, divorce after the first argument and the list goes on. The simple never learn from their mistakes. They rush in to where they have been before. There is a Spanish proverb that says, “What a fool does in the end, the wise do at the beginning.” There is wisdom in seeking counsel before decisions are made. In fact the Proverbs say that wisdom is found in a multitude of counselors, (11:14). How many of you have wasted so much time and gotten so lost, because you refused to stop and ask for directions. A Chinese proverb states that, “he who asks, is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.”
Solomon compares the wise and simple to two women. Wisdom is a woman who leads her followers to God and life. Her ways are of more value than gold. The foolish woman, on the other hand, leads her followers to death. One builds her life on obedience to God and the other destroys her life through selfish desires and a reckless life style.
Evaluate yourself. How wise or foolish are you?
Scriptures to meditate on:
Proverbs 8:5, 33: 9:9-10; 11:14; 12:15; 13:20; 14:16; 26:11; 28:26; 29:1