wisdom
• noun 1 the quality of being wise. 2 the body of knowledge and experience that develops within a specified society or period.
This is definitely one of its more unhelpful definitions…particularly number one. Number two has more of the ingredients of wisdom but it fails to do anything with those ingredients. Wisdom is most certainly a systhesis of knowledge anbd experience toward a certain way of life but like many things wisdom has lost its anchor and has become a "relative" term. Wisdom today has no goal. It could be the synthesis of any knowledge and experience into a certain way of life and expression of that way.
In the Genesis story of Adam and Eve the eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (I know that is an unweildy sentance) was motivated partly by a desire for wisdom (see Genesis 3:6). This was a mistake which reflects a common error of humanity – the assumption that knowledge equals wisdom. The tree had nothing to do with wisdom and yet the temptation (at least in part) was to gain in wisdom. The reality is that wisdom is acheived through experiential application of knowledge and even this does not go nearly so far as to explain it.
In the Bible (and in Greek philosophy) wisdom is seen as an attribute of God so valued that it is anthropomorphised and given a persona. Sophia is wisdom and she has a voice and is loved of and comes from God. In Exodus 23:3 God is the one who gives wisdom. This is also the case in Deuteronomy 34:9 where "the spirit of wisdom" is given to Joshua. Of course the most famous use of wisdom in scripture is that of Samuel who asks for wisdom from God and is granted his request. The granting of wisdom to Solomon led to peace and justice in the land such as had never been seen before (perhaps the absence of peace and justice in the world today suggests something of the quality of wisdom in the world as well).
The book of Job is rife with a search for wisdom. Job’s friends pretend to have it but Job calls them on their lack. It is in the book of Job we find the verse "the fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." The Psalms and Proverbs take up this theme and report as well that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The Proverbs say nothing but good things about wisdom and tell us that creation was made by the wisdom of God.
Wisdom is anchored in God. Wisdom is thoughtful of what God seeks and follows the same paths. Wisdom is prudent and careful to speak and act, not wreckless, not thoughtless. Wisdom and understanding are married to one-another…with wisdom comes understanding…the clarity of a vision that comes from God.
However we are taught by Ecclesiastes 1:18 that "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." In this we are being given a caution – that to attain to the mind of God is to attain to something of the burden of God too. Wisdom gives us understnading but it does not give us the strength to solve the problems we see around us..it is at this crossroads that wisdom then says that these burdens are best carried by God and we are best made to trust and as the writer of Ecclesiastes concludes "fear God".
Of Christ it is said "And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him." and in Acts seven were chosen to administrate within the church based upon being filled with the Spirit and wisdom…not one or the other but both. Finally in 1 Corinthians 1:18 we find that Christ is "the wisdom and power of God". In many ways Christ is the wisdom of God made accessible to humanity. But once again the stress must be made that simply knowling Christ is not the same as wisdom but acting in accordance to this knowledge.
In Christ wisdom becomes our "righteousness, holiness and redemption"; no other wisdom leads to these things. They are mere shadows of the wisdom that is anchored in God who is Christ.
So how do we recognize wisdom that we too might attain to it? The question is best answered by James when he asks "Who is wise and understanding among you?" and then answers – "Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."
Wisdom is seen not in words (that is the realm of knowledge) but rather in deed. Wisdom is the word of God at work in the one who seeks said word and then through God’s Spirit enacts that word in the world until it become The Word. James 3:17 tells us "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."
If we would be wise we would first and regularly ask for it from God and in so doing draw near and allow the Spirit to transform us that we might recognize the wisdom that is in Christ who would live through us and ou wisdom would be seen as pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit (see fruit of the Spirit), impartial and sincere.
Harnessing Chaos 