The First Sign of Wisdom

The ancient Greek moral philosopher, Socrates, argued that the first sign of wisdom is when one comes “to know that one does not know.” He meant that one begins to become wise when one comes to the humble recognition that one does not know “everything”, and that one needs to be open to the wisdom of others, those who have more experience, especially in matters of consequential moral importance. He argued that the key to wisdom is the virtue of humility. Scripture says this: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,” (Ps 9:10).

This verse means that a profound reverence for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This reverence comes from the understanding that God is the source of all that is good and true. Reverence is a natural response to the experience of awe. In this case, it is the interior recognition that the ego, the self, is not the be-all and end-all of reality. It results from a profound, interior awareness that God is God and I am not. This kind of awareness, or wisdom, can only arise out of the virtue of humility.

In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon says, “Fearing the LORD is the beginning of discernment, but fools have despised wisdom and moral instruction,” (Prov. 1:7). It is the proud, the haughty, the foolish who despise God’s wisdom and moral instruction, or anybody else’s. They perceive such instruction as a limit on their will to do as they wish, or please. They perceive themselves to be the sole masters of their own lives and destinies. They argue that they need no other source to appeal to, no other authority to seek out than their own ‘conscience’. In this, they are very much like Satan in John Milton’s epic poem, “Paradise Lost,” who, when he rises from the fiery lake after he has been cast out of Paradise and into hell for his rebellion against God, boasts to his fallen cohorts, “I’d rather reign in hell than serve in heaven.” And the irony is that hell is exactly what they get. They make a hell on earth for themselves and everybody else.

Psalm 9 goes on to say, “Understand, you stupid people! You fools, when will you be wise? Does the one who shaped the ear not hear? Does the one who formed the eye not see? Does the one who guides nations not rebuke? Does the one who teaches man not have knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of men; that they are no more than a fleeting breath” (vs. 8-11)? For those who are humble, experience leads them to knowledge and knowledge leads them to understanding and understanding leads them to wisdom.

Why, then, do we need wisdom? Because, as adults, we are constantly confronted with the difficult demands of having to make decisions, large and small, that have consequences, intended or unintended, that we must take responsibility for in our daily lives. The most difficult of those decisions are those that have moral consequences and responsibilities. These demand a discerning knowledge of what is, in the difficult realm of reality, morally right and wrong, good and evil, true and false. For it is these decisions that have the greatest potential consequences for ourselves and others, that will directly and immediately affect our own lives and those of our neighbors. Such responsibilities often require us to make great sacrifices for the good of others, even at the expense of our own comfort or happiness. Such decisions and responsibilities demand real wisdom in order to gain morally responsible results.

Those who fear the LORD are wise for they have humbly come to experience a deep and profound reverence for God and His wisdom in their lives. They know that He knows their hearts, and the thoughts of their minds, that he is both merciful and just. They know that He is their ally against the temptations to pride and foolishness within themselves, as well as against the decisions and actions of the foolish. They know that: “The LORD is my secure height, my God, my rock of refuge” (v.22). It is the wise who come to know the love of God. The fool depends on himself, and when failures come to him, he blames others, and knows only bitterness, resentment, jealousy, accusation, and anger. But the wisdom that comes from fear of the LORD, the humble reverence for God, is the true source of our comfort, our courage and our happiness.

Lord, fill our hearts with your limitless love so that we may share it with all those we encounter this day wisely, humbly, and courageously. In Your Name, we pray. Amen.