The Wealth of Wisdom
“Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.” Ecclesiastes 4:13
We all know people who are what we call “know-it-alls”. You know the person I am talking about: no matter the subject, he or she will let you know that he or she as a wealth of knowledge on that subject. There have been times when discussing a certain subject, one party will go on and on until the other party forgets what they were talking about or tunes out the talker. There is such a thing as too much information. I am the kind of person who gives just enough detail to make whatever it is that I am talking about make sense, and then get to the point. I am aware that most people don’t really care about all the details unless, of course, it is some juicy gossip. Then they want to know everything. It is true that there are many folks who read and study a lot and thus have a vast knowledge about many things, but no one knows everything about everything, except God, of course.
In the realm of earthly humanity, knowledge is not wisdom. One can have a great intellect but does not know how to use that knowledge wisely. On the other hand, a person of average intellect or even less than average can be a very wise person. When one comes to the point that he or she thinks they don’t need to learn anymore or refuses advice or admonishment from others, they cease to grow. There are some folks that will not listen and learn because of pride. The really smart people are the ones who listen more and speak less. Believers should never compromise their convictions, but we should be willing to hear another’s point of view which will give us insight into where they are coming from in order to know how to approach them with Biblical truth.
The wisest person is the one who diligently studies God’s word because in it are vast treasures of truth, righteousness, and insights into the mind of God. When we make a real effort to get to know the Lord, He will reveal Himself to us in the pages of His word. He is the giver of true wisdom. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:13-15 that a man who discovers godly wisdom and understanding is happy. To have this wisdom is better than having silver, gold, and rubies. Nothing that one can desire is to be compared to the wealth of godly wisdom.