Wisdom According to the Bible

Wisdom According to the Bible

What does it mean to have wisdom? Some may say to be wise is to have enough knowledge and good judgment to make well thought out life decisions. Wisdom is a common term mentioned throughout out the New Testament Epistles and the entire Bible. The Bible has a lot to say about wisdom and knowledge. It talks about ways to be wise and ways to be foolish. Through out the Bible there seems to be different types of wisdom and it is described in different ways. Analyzing all types of wisdom and knowledge will help us decide what the Bible means to be wise.

First let us look at what the Old Testament has to say about wisdom. The book of Job says that wisdom can not be found on land or in the sea. It can not be bought with silver or gold and it's value is worth more than any precious stone. Job says the fear of the Lord is the beginning wisdom and to depart and refrain from evil is to understand wisdom. He also mentions that great men are not always wise and neither are the old in age. Psalms tells kings to be wise by listening to instruction and fair with judgments. He tells us wise men will obey God's commandments.

Proverbs also tells us very much about wisdom. It says that a wise man will hear and be educated. Fearing the Lord is knowledge and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel. A man that has found wisdom and understanding is one that is happy. It tells us that the law of the wise is like a fountain of life. Meaning that wise lawmakers celebrate life and are merciful and fair. Lastly, the wise will delight in rejoicing in God and all his creation.

What does the Old Testament say about those who are not wise? One who is not wise is foolish. Both Job and Psalms says tha...

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...ically talk very much about the foolish man but there are some general themes about the ways of the foolish. Foolish men continually try to gain earthly wealth. They delight in partying and drunkenness. Fools follow other fools. Some of the foolish are prostitutes, idol worshipers, hypocrites, the sexually immoral, and the merciless, and the greedy.

So what can we learn from all this? The best way to describe wisdom is not by a textbook definition, but by an explanation or example. No man can be a wise a God, but trying to be God-like should be our never-ending goal. In regular terms it is safe to say that to be wise is to always be seeking more knowledge. According to the Bible is means to be instructed, to fear the Lord, to obey God's commandments, to increase learning, to know the law of the wise, and to be humble, amongst many other of God's teachings.