- For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. -
This verse may strike many of us as odd. Why? Because it does not sit comfortably with our priors.
Proverbs 4:7 sounds much nicer. “Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding.” That sounds more sage like.
I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t Solomon write both of these books? How does he give such conflicting sentiments on a key, integral piece of our soul such as wisdom?
You guys ask hard questions, you know that?
Okay let’s start with the verse in Proverbs. Wisdom is one of the main things you should be striving for as a Christian. To know and understand the will of God and to apply it to your life is a critical piece to being and making disciples.
Although it’s not a guarantee, it also allows you to make decisions that lead to fruitfulness, manage your resources well, and lead a long life.
All of that seems great to me.
So how does something so wonderful lead to vexation and sorrow?
Let’s start with the knowledge piece first, which yes is different than wisdom. Knowledge is a collection of facts. We know stoves are hot, that procrastination is dangerous, and that math is a thing.
All of these inform decisions made by wisdom.
Now, knowledge leads to sorrow. How do we know? Which tree did Adam and Eve eat in the garden?
That’s right. The tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. What happens when you eat it? You die.
Listen, I just kicked the doors open to a massive topic. If I ever talk about Genesis, I’ll chat more on it. For today, I want you to understand these two concepts.
Knowing Good let’s you know how the world should be. Knowing Evil let’s you know all the suffering in the world.
A portion of knowledge is the ability to calculate your pain.
Now, why does wisdom cause vexation? Now that you know the world and you know the heart of God, you must act in a way that brings him honor and glory.
Has that ever been too much for you? Has it ever felt unfair? Have you ever felt that moment where you’d just rather crawl into a hole and live there rather than do what you know is good?
Have you ever looked at others and been exasperated by their shortcomings? Have you ever felt desperation at our inability to ever get it right?
You can blame wisdom for all that.
Solomon’s argument is simple. The more you know and the more you understand how the world ought to be, you’ll see the suffering and disparities clearly.
Imagine wisdom is that black, felt board they use at jewelry stores. Really makes the diamond pop.
Now, what’s the takeaway? C’mon Hunter, tell us the uplifting part!
Listen guys. Solomon is going to make this explicit later, but here’s the answer.
Wisdom is essential because it teaches you happiness is not your purpose, your end, your teleology.
Now the truly uplifting part? Jesus is coming and he’s going to put everything right. But we’re not there yet, and frankly you’ve got a job to do right now.
Part of that is knowing the immense suffering in the world around you.
Part of that is understanding how to fight against that suffering.
Just like Jesus, you can’t set it right without it hurting you.
TL;DR: This Thursday is going to be the first subscriber only post. Below is an explanation why I’m doing this and the content of the post.
Housekeeping: Hey folks, this Thursday is going to be my very first subscriber only post. I wanted to take a few minutes to explain why I’m putting something behind a pay wall.
I’m sure some of you are wondering, “Why is this guy making me pay for a Bible study?” I know because I’ve wondered the same thing.
In short, this takes time. I know it’s two posts a week, but I think it’s safe to assume each post takes around 2 hours of my time, not including the year and half study I did.
Where do I find the time? Well, I wake up at 4 am every morning. I only get about 8 hours a week to write so that’s about half of that time a week.
In short, it’s a sacrifice of critical, limited time.
My subscribers agree, and I want to reward them for their generosity.
So, what’s coming in this post? As noted in the about section, it’s going to be a summary of what we’ve learned in the first chapter.
I’m going to show the threads, tie the knots, and give a complete picture of what I think we learn from chapter 1. My goal is not to “hide” knowledge in these posts. No FOMO, alright?
I think this meets two important goals: 1) providing something to those who support this project and 2) make sure were not leaving anyone behind.
Look, I also know budgets are a real thing. If you can’t afford a subscription and find the blog meaningful, reach out to me directly. I know a guy.
I’ve also locked comments to subscribers only. This is done primarily, so I don’t get “drive by” commenters. This isn’t my full-time job, and I don’t have time to police offensive language and the like.
If you for any reason disagree with the above, or just want to chat, you can reach out to me on all the socials. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Thanks everyone.
“Imagine wisdom is that black, felt board they use at jewelry stores. Really makes the diamond pop.“
now that’s fantastic!!