Today’s Scripture Reading (April 2,
2013): Proverbs 9
In North
America it seems that as we grow older we become more set in our ways. We
accept that as the normal progression of life. But recently I was surprised to
find out that that may not be the predominate world response to aging. In many
cultures, the act of growing old brings with it an increase in flexibility.
This flexibility is also one of the reasons for long life in certain cultures.
The reason behind the flexibility is that as we age we have the privilege to
see so much happen in our lives. And through these experiences – through all of
our successes and failures – we begin to see all of the possibilities of this
world. I remember a conversation I had with my grandfather a few years before
he died in which he bemoaned his own lack of flexibility in his youth. He saw
God as continually teaching him and drawing him into something new – something
that he had never considered before. Age had softened his positions on a number
of subjects as he watched God work throughout the length of his life.
So Proverbs
has this thought – if we instruct the wise, they will become wiser. The idea of
instruct is actually a neutral concept. In the Hebrew text this passage simple
begins with the words “give to a wise man.” It does not necessarily mean a
positive instruction. The idea is that the wise will profit through all of the
experiences of life – whether or not what they receive is given with a positive
intent. The wise will learn from their successes and their failure, they will
learn through encouragement and chastisement. Whatever it is that is given to
them will make them wiser.
On the other
hand, those that are foolish run away from failure and chastisement, and the
success and encouragement that they receive does nothing more than feed their
own egos. Nothing is learned and they remain much the same as they were before
whatever it was that they had obtained was given to them.
A number of
years ago a mentor of mine made the comment that he had learned to say “I know”
rather than “I believe” because “I know” was so much stronger. The comment has
stuck with me, and whenever I speak it is this instruction that I remember. But,
as I have grown a little older, I am convinced that the strongest words
available to us are not “I know” – but rather “I don’t know.” The words “I
don’t know” keep us open for our wisdom to increase, and for the movement of
God in our lives. “I know” are the words of the fool who believes he has
already received everything he can from life – and “I don’t know” are the words
of the wise as they continually allow God to teach them about this life that
they are journeying through.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:
Proverbs 10
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