So, what is wisdom?

Many people have offered definitions of wisdom. It seems to me that no one definition can capture it all. As is often the case, starting with what it’s not is probably helpful.

Wisdom is not merely intelligence. It’s more than just the accumulation of facts and trivia. Intelligent people can be exceedingly unwise. And simple-minded people can be wise beyond measure. It can’t be tested in an exam. Wisdom is assessed only in the arena of day-to-day life.

Wisdom is not inaccessible and mysterious. While it’s true that the Bible talks a lot about seeking wisdom, it does not present it as something that requires some sort of gruelling pilgrimage to locate. We don’t have to journey up a mountain and meet with a strange old man to have him bestow a cryptic clue on us. Some of the proverbs in the Bible are curious, but on the whole, they are all very accessible and comprehensible.

This, however, doesn’t mean that wisdom is easy. It’s not. It’s something that requires work and discipline. It requires a strength of character that is willing to admit weakness. Much of the wisdom of proverbs is about resisting what comes so naturally to us: sin, evil, self-serving pleasure at the expense of others, pride.

So, wisdom is not merely intelligence. It is not mysterious. But neither is it easy.

Wisdom, put simply, is living a lined-up life. It is about having a mind that is tuned in to God’s ways, and that is shaped to act in line with his purposes as our creator. Sometimes, wisdom is seen in knowing how things work together: in nature, in relationships, in time. Sometimes it is seen in knowing the harm done when things don’t work together. Wisdom involves both doing and not doing.

Put another way: wisdom is all about making good choices. And that goodness can only be derived from and measured against the God who alone is good and from whom all life comes. Wisdom comes to us as God’s insights are applied to our minds so we can live as God’s people, for God’s people.

It is a precious treasure indeed.