About True Wisdom
“The thing that the king is asking is too difficult, and no one can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”
Astrologers, horoscopes, tarot cards, and crystal balls are valued by many people in our society. Nebuchadnezzar also valued his wise men. In today’s reading, however, he asked them to do the impossible. They were to tell him not only the interpretation of a troublesome dream. He expected them to describe the dream itself.
Wisdom is accumulated knowledge and understanding. It is the ability to discover inner qualities. Sometimes wisdom is a synonym for common sense. God is the source of true wisdom.
The heathen world of Babylon was bankrupt spiritually. Those today who look for answers in the wrong places will also come away empty. Fortune tellers, materialism, and technology are not the places to find true wisdom. All of them are tainted by human sin. Only God, “whose dwelling is not with mortals,” can provide the insights and guidance which are required for productive lives.
God knows our past and our present. God holds our future. God is still in control. “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20 NRSV)
For Reflection: What do I see as the source of my wisdom?
A Prayer Seed:
Chance and change are busy ever; Man decays, and ages move;
But His mercy waneth never; God is Wisdom, God is Love.
John Bowring (1792-1872)
