Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding

 

How did he get to be so smart? We can be sure of his good motives, if what Solomon told God in his first days as king of Israel are reflective of his true character: He wanted ‘an understanding heart’ (2 Kings 3: 9) so that he could rule God’s people well. It would be great if we could trust today’s high officials in government with the same altruistic motives! God was ‘pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom’ (v. 10), and so that’s how Bathsheba’s son attained the discerning power to govern. Becoming smart is an ethic that evidently pleases the Lord, if the objective is to communicate that knowledge outside of oneself and guide a larger community into better ways. One of the more well-known episodes of this inspired wisdom ensued soon after Solomon received the divine gift, and when armed with shrewd insight he settled a dispute between two women claiming motherhood of a newborn baby (1 Kings 3:16-28; see the 16^th Century masterpiece artwork, The Judgement of Solomon, by Flemish painter Frans Floris I).

 

What is the truth, and how can genuine justice and civil order be attained? (See 1 August 2024 blog entry for a specific discussion of truth.) Those are laudable goals for attaining knowledge, of gaining wisdom and understanding – to reveal what is true and best for a community, even a nation. Otherwise, God’s word tells us that pure knowledge can ‘puff up’ someone (1 Corinthians 8:1), and that it must be in concert with other spirit-given attributes, especially love that outranks it (1 Cor. 13:2). Nevertheless, we are to seek it out, according to New Testament and Old Testament writers – like Peter (2 Peter 1:5-6), and of course Solomon (Proverbs). ‘Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…’ (Prov. 1:7; 2:5-6; 9:10), so take what Solomon says to heart: All knowledge/understanding/wisdom proceeds from a firm link to the Creator. Do a word search for yourself and see how much Solomon says about those three words that are oftentimes addressed jointly – ‘knowledge’ 38 times (in the NIV), ‘wisdom’ 55 times, and ‘understanding’ 25 times, all in Proverbs. Some 1,000 years later, writers of the New Testament likewise communicated that knowledge of God was a key objective for the person wanting to have a relationship with the Creator. If someone wants to claim knowledge in this life -- to be an expert in anything -- it should begin with God. If you and I, and our government officials, seek knowledge about civil affairs – because that is necessary to govern a diverse people and discern issues not directly related to spiritual life, as Solomon’s first wisdom test showed – then a commitment to doing that well is important. The civil servant serves in secular life, as do ministers and lay leaders – indeed all devoted Christ-followers -- in church life. Besides Solomon, Daniel and his three friends received ‘knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning’, even while in a foreign land, to help the Babylonian king rule the people (Daniel 1:17-20).

 

As 21^st Century socio-political life proceeds in America, there seems to be a troubling trend in this pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding that God tells faithful people to acquire. Distrust of knowledgeable people, those who are called ‘experts’, is becoming more common, as discussed in The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters, by Tom Nichols. It’s not just ‘healthy skepticism….but resent(ment)…a ‘hiss(ing) at “eggheads”’ (p. xiii). Disdain for civil authorities trying to advise citizens who have their own methods for information acquisition has become all-too common, especially if it puts people at potential risk (as with vaccine deniers). Still others are actually choosing not to be informed – an apathetic attitude that Nichols cites as noteworthy, because the very foundation of this old republic, as it was conceived by the founding fathers, depended on an informed electorate that would engage responsibly with decision-makers in government (p.226). Nichols has lots more to say, including in the areas of higher education and mass media (where political tribalism has become most evident), and under what conditions experts’ judgements in these types of professions should be questioned. 

 

Nichols concludes with a description of a character with which Christians should be familiar, at least those that appreciate the British writer C.S. Lewis. In a Lewis book (The Screwtape Letters When Screwtape Proposes a Toast), he tells of a character called Screwtape, who derides democracy and promotes a method to cause its dysfunction and ultimate downfall. And that is this: that democracy can be turned against itself, as each person is led to believe that he is ‘as good as you (the next person)’, although even a cursory examination of this assertion proves it is fundamentally flawed. For example, none of us, except the specially trained and educated, should believe that we are as capable as a medical doctor, airline pilot, police officer, civil engineer, tax accountant, trial attorney, computer technician, etc., etc. (pp. 232-33). Modern society depends on specialists in countless occupations – those who are trained to acquire, assess, and apply various types of information, to be knowledgeable -- to make life manageable. Chaos ensues, otherwise. Read the Apostle Paul’s discussion of division of labor in a spiritual community (1 Corinthians 12:12-30) – is everyone an eye, or a hand, etc.? – and ask yourself ‘should not a civil society be learning something useful from a Christian community’? Are members of the larger society in fact exercising their own disregard for the expert on life – God -- and for His ambassadors? What happens when the Christians start acting like they too don’t need others’ knowledge, wisdom, and understanding? Note all the qualities that James says comes with wisdom (James 3:13-18), and see if you can count humility (v.13) and submissiveness (v.17) among those in yourself. Try to be an informed citizen, but watch out that you’re not embracing and communicating arrogance and stubbornness alongside this pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.          

 

The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters, by Tom Nichols, Oxford University Press, 2017

 

See here for information on the masterpiece artwork re: Solomon’s wisdom: File:Frans Floris (I) - Het oordeel van Salomo, de twee moeders komen voor Salomo en ruziën met elkaar (1 Koningen 3-16-22) - 663 - Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.jpg - Wikimedia Commons…The author (artist) died in 1570, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929.