The first chapter of one of the Bible’s foremost books on wisdom, Ecclesiastes, ends with this line, “For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
Wisdom leads to grief, knowledge increases sorrow — not exactly a rousing testimonial.
If you could hang on for a few minutes longer, I will explain this to you and also share a recent Bible reading exercise I’ve been trying out this week. I wouldn’t interrupt your day if I didn’t feel it was important.
Wisdom and knowledge as grief and sorrow?
To possess wisdom is to see a thing for what is truly is, and then to know what to do as a result. In this way, to obtain wisdom is also to hold responsibility.
“Therefore, knowing…we persuade.” (2 Cor. 5:11)
“You knew…so you ought to have.” (Matthew 25:26-27)
Once we possess wisdom, we cannot live the same as we did before, nor certainly can we look and act the same as those who remain ignorant. And it’s in this constant contrast, that we find grief and sorrow. It is to hunger, while others feast, to thirst, while others drink deeply without a care in the world, and to mourn, while others laugh. It is to warn, when others excuse, to stay silent, when others accuse, and to speak, when others turn their head preferring to not get involved — every man for themselves after all.
There is general wisdom to be found here, but I also wish to make it more pointed, calling your attention to a specific deception (the opposite of wisdom) at work today.
Pragmatism
We live in an age of pragmatism — if it works, it’s good.
And thus we evaluate the worth of everything according to this metric, starting first with, “Did it work?” And then working backwards to ask these successful ones, “Tell us what you did, for we already know it’s good.”
The way we define success may be different, and it certainly has changed from generation to generation, but for the most part, today we are drawn to:
the ultra-efficient (look how much they get done in a day)
the charismatic (look how many people are willing to listen to them)
the builder (look at size and scope of their creations, they seem to cover the whole earth)
Yet even in an age dominated by it, pragmitism can still be what we call a subtle influence. When we are immersed in a culture, we do not realize the effects so clearly, it all just feels so normal. This is why we need the grief of wisdom and the sorrow of knowledge.
This week, I want you to ask God for wisdom, “who gives [wisdom] to all liberally and without reproach.” (James 1:5) Ask Him to see where pragmatism’s influence has crept into your life. And then, once He shows you, repent, and turn away from pragmatism and run toward, “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Deut. 8:3, Matt. 4:4)
Christianity is an anti-pragmatic message. We are not told to call something good because it works, but rather to do as God commands, regardless of how we perceive the success of it. Let us once again live every day by the bread of His word — which leads to my next topic.
A Bible reading exercise
I was encouraged last week to try out a new Bible reading exercise that has been a practice of John Piper’s for years and years. He struggled with reading from an early age — both the comprehension and the memorization. And it all came to a head one day when, as a young pastor, he was called in to the hospital room of a sick member of their church and the family asked him to share some words of comfort. His mind went blank, as he couldn’t think of the words, and while he managed to offer some generic encouragement, he found himself kneeling on the floor of his home later than evening — humiliated and defeated, saying to God, “I’m sorry. That will never happen again.” That night he memorized Psalm 46 and he’s never stopped using it.
All that to say, our words will fail us, His words will not. And there really is no shortcut for feeding on the Word every single day and being prepared, at any given moment, to speak those words to others. I wonder if we read like that — with such utter urgency and dependence and expectancy?
Back to Piper’s example, from that day forward he formed a practice of writing down one verse a day from his four chapters of reading, and sticking that as a note in his pocket, carrying it with him wherever he goes, ready to pull it out at any moment.
So I decided to try it and thought it would be worth sharing as well, for perhaps you will be as inspired as I was to do something similar.
See below for my past week’s worth of reading and single verse notes from each day.
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Matthew 27:64 “And the last deception will be worse than the first.”
I am reminded of the unclean spirit who goes out of a man, finds no rest, and so returns from where he came to discover his home empty, swept, and put in order. Taking seven other spirits with him to dwell there, it is said of this man, “the last state is worse than the first.” (Matt. 12:45) Let us be careful then, to never be those who call truth, deception, and deception, truth — for we may find that in that worse state we will eternally remain.
Matthew 26:75 “And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
Peter’s weeping, although bitter, compares nothing to the weeping that will be done by those outside the heavenly city, God’s new Jerusalem, for all of eternity. (Matt. 8:12, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30, Luke 13:28 — I reference all of these so you know the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is no rare description, but rather a common teaching of Jesus. And even more terrifying, these eternal weeping ones do not go outside the city under their own strength, as Peter was able to do, but rather are cast out, appointed, assigned, thrust out, and sent away.) Therefore, it is better to weep now, even bitterly, if it leads you to repentence and the love of Christ, as it did for Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes Lord, you know that I love You.” (John 21:16)
Matthew 26:64 “In the future, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
“In the future,” says Jesus, and yet the prophet Daniel foresaw it, “His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14) This kingdom was not established by force, swords, or persuasive speech. Instead, it was ushered in by obedience to the Father’s will, offering prayers with loud cries and tears, in reverence, that what was written might be fulfilled. Now, this silent, suffering One, has been given a kingdom and an everlasting dominion (sovereignty and control) and glory. And now (not in the future), will we, in like manner, turn and obey Him as He obeyed His Father?
Matthew 25:10 “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went it with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.”
The door, the opportunity for reconciliation, the hope of eternal life, will not always remain open. It will close and, even prior to this, entry through the door requires an invitation, “Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him!” (Matt. 25:6) Therefore, be wise, ready, alert — respond immediately to the call when it is heard. Why delay? For you don’t know the hour when the door will close and the time for hope will cease.
Matthew 24:12 “Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.”
Whenever there is a gap between work and reward or sin and punishment — the hands of evildoers are strengthened. “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” (Eccl. 8:11) How do you fare during the delay? Do you let patience have its perfect work — thereby enduring to the end to be saved? Or do you let your love grow cold?
Matthew 23:25-26 “You clean the outside…but inside they are full of greed, violence, self-indulgence…First, clean the inside…so that the outside may also be clean.”
Cleaning the outside seems like the obvious, responsible next step for anyone looking to reform their life and improve their habits. Yet, it is a cleansing of the inside first that will lead to a clean outside. First, deal with the stain of sin in your heart. Then, the cleanliness of your life and habits will certainly follow.
Matthew 22:40 “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophet.”
“To hang up, suspend, used of one hanging on a cross.” (outline of Biblical usage) Everything is hung up, suspended by Christ — the Law and Prophets pointed to Him, and all continues to depend on Him. “So by the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
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