It’s not enough just to know about right and wrong; we need to know how to choose right and not wrong. Training in wisdom consists in hearing proper instruction and in following and obeying what we have learned so that we don’t end up walking in the wrong direction. The first act of wisdom, then, is “to listen,” which suggests that wisdom comes from an external source (in this case, the parents). We cannot discover wisdom by ourselves. The self-made individual is an impossible concept in the domain of biblical wisdom. Wisdom is, first of all, something that we receive, not something we shape with our own skills or that we unearth through our own brilliance and reasoning. The capacity of “paying attention” (Hebrew, “to put one’s heart”) implies the involvement of the heart. The search for wisdom, then, is not merely a cold, objective enterprise. The heart, which is the core of the individual and (in Hebrew thought) the seat of emotions, participates in the search for wisdom. 1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding......10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. Proverbs 4:1,10
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 12:10:58 +0000
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