Knowledge and wisdom
Category:Church sign of the week,NewsKnowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I love silly bits of trivia like this. I collect them, write them down, read them and laugh time and time again. I’m easily pleased.
This one makes me think though – knowledge and wisdom are two very different things and I think that I’d rather have wisdom than knowledge.
For example – there are people who know the rules of competition ball room dancing and take part enthusiastically, then there are those who know the rules of competition ball room dancing and are wise enough not too!
The Bible is full of little pearls of wisdom –
Ecclesiastes tells us – A living dog is better than a dead lion.
Proverbs reminds us – Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?
And – If you find honey, eat just enough-too much of it, and you will vomit.
There are loads more – what gets me is that there are so many Christians that don’t get the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
The Bible makes it very clear, time and time again, that wisdom is a very precious thing. If you read this blog regularly then you know I’m not one for quoting endless Bible verses but here’s just one to show my point – Proverbs 16:16 “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!”
I know how to build a bookcase, with doors that open automatically and a working light. I read the instructions online. I’ve got a list of everything I need from the wood to the motors. I have absolutely no intention of building it. It would be terrible, I couldn’t do it! Even with all the tools and time a plenty I would mess it up. I’m wise enough to know that.
So why do so many Christians, who really know their Bible, not have the wisdom to see what it says. Not long ago I heard a ‘famous’ (we’ll use that term lightly, he’s someone the media goes to to get a scandalous quote) Christian say that the Bible says that God hates Australia because of all the Asians living here. So, if I understand that statement correctly, God hates Australia and Asians and told us this, in the Scriptures, way before Asia or Australia were discovered. So for millennia there was a passage in the Bible that mentioned Asia and Australia and nobody knew what it was talking about. That’s also about half the people living in the world God created and he hates them, it’s also most of the pubs and eating establishments in London! He’s quite selective this God of his. I don’t want to follow him – to me that’s the wisest course.
And then I read what the God I follow says is wisdom – James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere.
Not a mention of hatred of Australians or anyone else.
So knowledge of the Bible is one thing
And the wisdom to understand it is something else.
I pray for both.
