Wisdom is THE thing to be desired according to the entire book of Proverbs. I am reading the book thru once a month and trying to memorize it (it is harder when you are old). I am picking up a few observations about it:
1) It (wisdom) is not going to be a product of your own observation and cognition. You can't just look at life, the book, or some moral principles and expect to have it. You can't gin it up by applying logical rules. It is a NON intellectual thing, although it is the ruling principle of your intellect when you have it.
2) It is based in a moment by moment awareness of, respect for, pursuit of, and submission to, an Eternal God. This non-rational (I did not say IRrational!) mindset is the foundation stone of all rational, intellectual, and academic thought. If that does not sound jarring and a bit confusing, you are not hearing what I (and the book) am/are claiming.
3) Wisdom is the ability to see life "as it really is." That is, it is a formal and informal intellectual and moral construct of the world and its residents, which gives you the ability to recognize patterns, principles, and "laws" of behavior by people and things. This construct gives you the ability to plan and make decisions so that your life is integrated, well ordered, peaceful, prosperous, and successful (this is a GENERAL principle... it does not make God and life into a vending machine where you put your money in and get your product out).
4) Life flows from thought. Men live live "in their heads" and that translates out into life choices. Modern man in the west tends to cut logic, intellectual abilities, and academic prowess off altogether from morality and ethics. Proverbs erases that distinction and makes the startling claim that knowledge of life from a polluted source will fruit out into stupidity, ruin and destruction.
5) The pursuit of wisdom is "romantic." That is, it is emotional, passionate, desire driven, and is even personified several places... almost like a lover. It is like he is saying "your knowledge field encompasses all of your being, not just your logical and academic precision." This is SO opposite our western, rationalistic and cerebral approach to knowledge that it takes a bit to back up and rethink what he is saying. I find it repulsive and alluring at the same time.
6) Wisdom is presented as several of its subsets or constituent parts: it is referred to as "knowledge" "insight" "prudence" "diligence" and other characteristics which make up the wise life. Those elements are explained and illustrated.
7) Wisdom is contrasted with the world view of the "fool." The root of the fool is that he disregards God and tries to build a world view starting and ending with his own abilities. He pushes the awareness of God away. It (foolishness) also is made up of various subsets: mocking, brawling, rash, arrogant, lazy (some hilarious examples here), given to sexual lust, given to pleasure, living only for the moment..... there is a long list.
I am building a notebook with the character qualities of both world views.
a few observations:
a) the book is designed to teach ESPECIALLY YOUNG BOYS how to think about life. The first 8 or so chapters hammers on this over and over. I am trying to think of a non preachy way to help my 10 year old grandson look at this book. If I had looked at, and adopted these principles early in life, it would have been much less of a dumpster fire than it has been.
b) I tend to isolate life/God/the gospel into arid "spiritual" activities, and to more or less shut off any thoughts of God when I am, for example, like yesterday picking up a load of compost with my son in law, or getting a trailer ready to sell, or getting ready to power wash some totes to store some prep items..... or even having to go to the toilet no less than 20 times (colon cancer stuff). God just seems irrelevant, abstract, and removed from MOST of my life. Proverbs is a fantastic tool to readjust how I view the "stuff" which occupies most of my waking hours. I am in great need of this perspective.
c) God's mind is big. "Vast" would be a better word. Really smart. I wind up humbled (a good place for me). I also wind up realizing that the purpose of my life is simple. There was an old "catechism" (a series of religious questions and answers) that started out "what is the chief end" (main purpose)"of man?" The answer is "the chief end of man is to glorify God AND ENJOY HIM FOREVER" Proverbs is a snapshot of what a life lived in the conscious presence of God looks like... and guess what, guys? it is HAPPY! It is content. It is full of joy and peaceful and confident. It is not guilt driven, slogging thru life so that "we can be happy in heaven" -- full of frantic and erratic efforts to tamp down greed, lust, pride, and arrogance.... and alternatively just giving in or feeling defeated. Reading proverbs gives me a mental vision of a life filled with a fountain of goodness that flows down and just wants me to be happy, and is concerned enough about it to make me MISERABLE if I am choosing the way of ultimate misery. He is less concerned with my temporary satisfaction than my joy in the long run.... I can't quite get into words what I am trying to say, so I will just quit.
Proverbs. One a day every 31 days. Once a month. Working for me.
1) It (wisdom) is not going to be a product of your own observation and cognition. You can't just look at life, the book, or some moral principles and expect to have it. You can't gin it up by applying logical rules. It is a NON intellectual thing, although it is the ruling principle of your intellect when you have it.
2) It is based in a moment by moment awareness of, respect for, pursuit of, and submission to, an Eternal God. This non-rational (I did not say IRrational!) mindset is the foundation stone of all rational, intellectual, and academic thought. If that does not sound jarring and a bit confusing, you are not hearing what I (and the book) am/are claiming.
3) Wisdom is the ability to see life "as it really is." That is, it is a formal and informal intellectual and moral construct of the world and its residents, which gives you the ability to recognize patterns, principles, and "laws" of behavior by people and things. This construct gives you the ability to plan and make decisions so that your life is integrated, well ordered, peaceful, prosperous, and successful (this is a GENERAL principle... it does not make God and life into a vending machine where you put your money in and get your product out).
4) Life flows from thought. Men live live "in their heads" and that translates out into life choices. Modern man in the west tends to cut logic, intellectual abilities, and academic prowess off altogether from morality and ethics. Proverbs erases that distinction and makes the startling claim that knowledge of life from a polluted source will fruit out into stupidity, ruin and destruction.
5) The pursuit of wisdom is "romantic." That is, it is emotional, passionate, desire driven, and is even personified several places... almost like a lover. It is like he is saying "your knowledge field encompasses all of your being, not just your logical and academic precision." This is SO opposite our western, rationalistic and cerebral approach to knowledge that it takes a bit to back up and rethink what he is saying. I find it repulsive and alluring at the same time.
6) Wisdom is presented as several of its subsets or constituent parts: it is referred to as "knowledge" "insight" "prudence" "diligence" and other characteristics which make up the wise life. Those elements are explained and illustrated.
7) Wisdom is contrasted with the world view of the "fool." The root of the fool is that he disregards God and tries to build a world view starting and ending with his own abilities. He pushes the awareness of God away. It (foolishness) also is made up of various subsets: mocking, brawling, rash, arrogant, lazy (some hilarious examples here), given to sexual lust, given to pleasure, living only for the moment..... there is a long list.
I am building a notebook with the character qualities of both world views.
a few observations:
a) the book is designed to teach ESPECIALLY YOUNG BOYS how to think about life. The first 8 or so chapters hammers on this over and over. I am trying to think of a non preachy way to help my 10 year old grandson look at this book. If I had looked at, and adopted these principles early in life, it would have been much less of a dumpster fire than it has been.
b) I tend to isolate life/God/the gospel into arid "spiritual" activities, and to more or less shut off any thoughts of God when I am, for example, like yesterday picking up a load of compost with my son in law, or getting a trailer ready to sell, or getting ready to power wash some totes to store some prep items..... or even having to go to the toilet no less than 20 times (colon cancer stuff). God just seems irrelevant, abstract, and removed from MOST of my life. Proverbs is a fantastic tool to readjust how I view the "stuff" which occupies most of my waking hours. I am in great need of this perspective.
c) God's mind is big. "Vast" would be a better word. Really smart. I wind up humbled (a good place for me). I also wind up realizing that the purpose of my life is simple. There was an old "catechism" (a series of religious questions and answers) that started out "what is the chief end" (main purpose)"of man?" The answer is "the chief end of man is to glorify God AND ENJOY HIM FOREVER" Proverbs is a snapshot of what a life lived in the conscious presence of God looks like... and guess what, guys? it is HAPPY! It is content. It is full of joy and peaceful and confident. It is not guilt driven, slogging thru life so that "we can be happy in heaven" -- full of frantic and erratic efforts to tamp down greed, lust, pride, and arrogance.... and alternatively just giving in or feeling defeated. Reading proverbs gives me a mental vision of a life filled with a fountain of goodness that flows down and just wants me to be happy, and is concerned enough about it to make me MISERABLE if I am choosing the way of ultimate misery. He is less concerned with my temporary satisfaction than my joy in the long run.... I can't quite get into words what I am trying to say, so I will just quit.
Proverbs. One a day every 31 days. Once a month. Working for me.
