7 Pillars of Wisdom
You may have heard of the
seven pillars of wisdom. They are seven ways we can become wiser in the
way we deal with things in our lives.
What is the origin of the
seven pillars of wisdom? The origin is in the Bible at Proverbs chapter
9, verse 1.
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.
Here we see a woman called
wisdom building a house and for that house she has cut out seven stone
pillars. Pillars ofcourse have been used from the earliest times to
support the roofs of large rooms and they had through time been made of
wood, stone or mud-brick. A lot of architects back then had a particular
favourite design when designing a more expensive house and that was to
build the house around a courtyard. The structure would be supported by
three pillars on each side of the courtyard and one in the centre on the
third side facing the open space which was the entrance. So perhaps the
woman called wisdom had built her house with the pillars laid out like
that.
Now if we were able to go
back in time to when this proverb was written and ask if we could talk
to this woman called Wisdom, I think we would discover that we are going
to have a bit of hard time finding her. The reason we will not find her is
because she does not exist. What is happening in this proverb is that the
characteristic of wisdom has been personified. Wisdom has been
symbolised as a woman who has built a permanent house for herself.
We should note that this
is not a tent she has built which can be moved at a couple of days
notice, this is a permanent solid house with seven pillars in place to
support it’s stone roof. In other words, this is telling us of the
importance and the permanency of wisdom. Wisdom is permanent and must be
housed for the long term.
But we will also note that
there are seven pillars. In the Hebrew, seven is Shevah. Which comes
from the root word savah, which means to be full or satisfied. And
because it means full and satisfied, it is, therefore, the number of
spiritual perfection, and you can clearly see that is the case in
various places in the Bible.
So, in summary, what we
have is wisdom having a permanent place to live, where the house will be
supported by the perfect number of pillars.
If we look at verse one of
chapter nine it tells us that the seven pillars had already been hewn or
cut from the rock. So we must go back in time to see where they came
from, we must find out what their source is. We can find the answer in
the previous chapter. In chapter 8 Wisdom is again personified but this
time as a lodger staying in a house. It tells us in verses 12 to 14 that
wisdom dwells with or has seven attributes.
I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and
discretion. To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride
and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and
sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power.
Let’s now look at each
pillar of wisdom:
1 Prudence
From these verses we can
see that the first pillar of wisdom is prudence. In these verses, wisdom
is being portrayed as a lodger who lives in the same house as a woman
called Prudence. The meaning here for us is that men and women who are
wise are prudent also - wiseness and prudence dwell together. They are wise in handling
practical matters and they exercise good judgment or common sense.
And probably the best way
that they can show good judgment is in their own behaviour. For when
they think about their own behaviour they have the ability to judge in
advance the probable results of their own actions. They know what will
happen if they behave in a particular way. For example, they know that
if they do a particular thing it may lead to others sinning. So as a
result they will show restraint.
So people with prudence
have self-restraint and sound judgment as part of their character.
The true wise and prudent
are those described in Hosea chapter 14 and verse nine.
Who
is wise? He will realise these things. Who is discerning? He will
understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in
them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
So those who know the
righteousness of God will be called truly wise and prudent. Prudence
means shrewdness and sound judgment. It is the ability to keep oneself
from being misled.
An example of this are the
disciples of Christ. The disciples were instructed by Christ to be “wise
as serpents and harmless as doves” and this gives us the idea of the
meaning of prudence.
To explain further what it
means to be as wise as serpents, it says elsewhere in Proverbs, we
cannot afford to be naive. As we go through life we gain knowledge and
we do this so that we can avoid the pitfalls in the path of life. And
this is the main reason why we need prudence, so that we can discriminate
between truth and error. We need to be as wise as serpents and harmless
as doves. We cannot afford to be naive.
So prudence is the first
pillar of wisdom.
2 Knowledge and discretion
Let us return to Proverbs
chapter 8 to see what the second pillar is. We can see the second pillar
in the second part of verse 12.
I,
wisdom dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
So, wisdom finds knowledge
and discretion. Now the Hebrew word for discretion is mezimmah (mez-im-maw).
This word mezimmah means the power of forming plans. In other words, it
is using wiseness to devise, imagine, plot or think up something.
Sometimes this word is used to talk about people with evil purposes.
That is men who use their wiseness to plot or devise a wicked plan. And
we call this wicked type of plotting, “machination”. But this same
Hebrew word of mezimmah (mez-im-maw) can also be used to talking about
someone planning something good. When someone plans something good we
use the word “sagacious”. Sagacious means possessing or showing sound
judgment and keen perception. Someone who can reason and plan the best
direction to head in.
Throughout the book of
Proverbs it shows that the godly man is a man who takes an interest in
all those things going on about him, he takes the trouble to know his
way about, he plans his course of actions realistically. Put simply it
is someone who looks ahead and then plans his action. As an example of
this have a look at Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 3.
A
prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and
suffer for it.
What this verse is telling
us is that there is a great deal of difference between faith and blind
optimism. In fact, those with blind optimism are seen as fools. God does
not want us to put ourselves in dangerous situations and then expect Him
to rescue us. An example of this might be driving our cars at high
speeds well over the speed limit. That is exactly what this proverb is
about. Part of wisdom involves knowing how to avoid danger.
This is further confirmed
in Proverbs chapter 14 and verses 15 and 16.
A
simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his
steps. A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded
and reckless.
Again a similar message. A
wise man plans for the future and knows how to avoid danger and evil.
And there are many examples of men being sagacious or showing wiseness
in their planning for the future.
Noah, moved with fear,
prepared an ark for the saving of his family.
David was directed by
wisdom to hide himself from Saul.
The disciples were
taught to flee from the impending evil of the Roman army
(Matt.10:23, 24:15-18)
Paul repeatedly hid
himself from threatened destruction (Acts 9:23-25, 17:14, 23:17).
Even Jesus himself
acted on this rule (Luke 4:29,30).
So the second pillar of
wiseness is having knowledge of Sagacious things. Knowing what is going
on about you so that you can wisely plan for the future and avoid any
potential dangers or evils.
3 Fear of God
Returning to Proverbs
chapter 8 and verse 13 we can see the third pillar of wiseness.
To
fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior
and perverse speech.
True wisdom is firmly
grounded in a fear of God and is free of the faults of worldly wisdom.
Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 7 says this:
The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom
and discipline.
What does fear mean ? It
means reverence - but it means more than that. The apostle Paul said in
Hebrews that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God”. It means a right attitude to God and the practical expression of
this attitude in a person’s day to day life. We must be committed to
God’s purpose. This means serving, worshipping, obeying and loving him.
It also means turning from
evil and hating evil. And that last point is made very clear in the
verse we read before in Proverbs chapter 8 where it says “The fear of
the Lord is to hate evil”. And it says elsewhere in the scriptures that
as a reward to those who fear God, that:
no
good thing will the Lord withhold from them that fear him (Psalm 84:11)
So this is the third
pillar of wisdom, to fear the Lord.
4 Counsel
Returning to Proverbs
chapter 8 and verse 14 we can see the fourth pillar of wisdom.
Counsel and
sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power.
So counsel is the fourth
pillar. Counsel means to give good advice, to give wise guidance. It
also means to listen to counsel. To depend on one’s own judgment, even
in private matters, is the height of foolishness. Even the wisest and
godliest have made errors in discerning things. We must seek counsel
instead. And we can do this by weighing up a matter in the presence of
God through prayer and also through inviting counsel from other
experienced believers.
David and Solomon were
both specially endowed with wisdom. Yet despite having their own wisdom
they still seeked the advice of wise counselors when it came to
governing the kingdom. In David’s case, Ahithophel and Hushai were his
counselors. For Solomon, 1 Kings chapter 12 speaks of the “old men that
stood before Solomon”.
So we should have no fear
going to others for advice and counsel. Ofcourse the Bible is also for
guidance and edification. Recorded in these scriptures there is an
abundance of counselors who testify as to how a man or woman should walk
before his or her God.
Perhaps the best advice on
counsel is found in Proverbs chapter 19 and verses 20
Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be
wise.
Another version of the
Bible puts it perhaps a bit more clearly when it say::
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest
of your days”.
Counseling, then is a
another pillar of wisdom, and involves giving good advice to others. But
it is also wise to listen to counsel and learn, so that you also may be
wise.
5 Sound Wisdom
The fifth pillar of wisdom
is found in verse 14 of Proverbs chapter 8 which we read before and it
is sound wisdom.
Sound wisdom goes back to
the Hebrew word of tushiyah (too-shee-yaw) which means in a general
sense, wise behaviour. In other words, it is talking about practical
wisdom. How we put wisdom into use in our day to day behaviour. It is
very practical.
Consider
Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 3. We’ll read from verse 1 for context.
The
proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom
and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a
disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and
fair;
An alternate version of
this verse 3 it says:
To
receive instruction in wise behaviour, righteousness, justice and
equity.
So this type of wisdom is
talking about the way we use wisdom in our day to day behaviour.
Some people may ask how
can we be wise in our day to day behaviour? What must we do to be wise
in our daily behaviour? Well, wise behaviour is more clearly defined in
the words which are contained in the last part of verse 3:
“Righteousness, justice and equity”. These are the ways that we can be
wise in our daily behaviour. These are the great prophetic themes. The
emphasis here is on action rather than on casual armchair religion:
Righteousness
means in the Hebrew to be right or straight. It is to act or live in
an upright manner.
Justice
is the ability to come to a proper understanding of things through
observation.
Equity
means a way of thought and conduct that is honest. It means fairness
and impartiality.
So sound wisdom means
behaving each day with these three great themes being the basis of your
behaviour. It goes hand in hand with the fourth pillar of wisdom,
counsel. For people will only seek counsel where they know they can find
sound wisdom. In other words, if a man or woman shows righteousness,
justice and equity in their life, then others will come to them in
confidence to seek wise counsel.
6 Understanding
The sixth pillar of wisdom
listed in Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 14 is understanding. To
understand we must do three things:
a.
To understand we need to firstly know the source of all wisdom. We must
understand that all wisdom comes from only one source and that ofcourse
is our Heavenly Father.
b.
To understand we must secondly receive instruction from that source we
call the Bible. It requires not casual detached study but disciplined
study and learning. Knowledge and learning are the keys to being wise in
the truth.
c.
And lastly, to understand, we must discern wisely. Like Solomon we need
to be able to discern between good and evil.
This is the sixth great
pillar of wisdom, understanding.
7 Power
The last pillar listed in
chapter 8 and verse 14 of Proverbs is Strength or Power. There is no
point in understanding a problem, if there is no power to implement the
solution.
You may be reading this
article and thinking that through hard work and diligence that it is
possible to attain the first six pillars of wisdom as you progress
through life. And indeed some of us may already have attained those
pillars. But what about attaining the seventh pillar of power and
strength? If you don’t think you have the power to implement solutions
that you have thought through then the answer to attaining strength can
be found in Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse 19 says this:
Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.
The solution is simple the
seventh pillar of strength comes from attaining the previous six
pillars. If you have attained the first six pillars then the seventh
pillar of strength comes naturally to you.
The man with godly wisdom
is truly strong and fortified. Put in another way, if a man or woman has
attained prudence, knowledge of sagacious things, fears God,
gives and receives counsel, has sound wisdom in his or her behaviour,
and has attained understanding then that person truly has power
and strength. He or she is truly fortified against the evils of this
world and is a true servant of God.
Conclusion
Jesus Christ had become
strong through attaining those pillars of wisdom.
And
the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the
grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40)
Jesus attained his
strength through being filled with wisdom. And this same wisdom is
available to us, for as James says, God gives wisdom generously to all
who ask. If we truly aspire to be like the man Jesus Christ then we must
live in that house built by wisdom, dwelling amongst the seven pillars
that she has hewn out.
Isaiah chapter 11 and
verses 1 to 5 tells of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and how the
great pillars of wisdom will rest on him.
A
shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will
bear fruit.
The
Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and he will delight in the fear
of the LORD.
He
will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears
with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will
strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips
he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness
the sash around his waist.
Bible - Words Of Wisdom
Romans 16:19 - For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.Isaiah 28:24-29 - Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border? For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. ...
Philippians 3:7-10 - But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith -- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
John 8:31 - So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples"
Jeremiah 9:23 - Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches
Proverbs 21:30 - No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.
John 6:45 - It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
Matthew 11:25-27 - At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Daniel 2:23 - To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter."
Ecclesiastes 7:16-25 - Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. ...
Proverbs 10:8 - The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Colossians 1:26-28 - The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Proverbs 10:23 - Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
1 John 5:20 - And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Proverbs 30:24-28 - Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.
Ecclesiastes 10:12 - The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.
2 Corinthians 2:11 - So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Luke 24:45 - Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
Proverbs 29:3 - He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
Proverbs 17:10 - A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.
Colossians 1:10 - So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Romans 15:14 - I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
John 1:17 - For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Job 12:12-13 - Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. "With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding."
Matthew 7:25 - And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
Proverbs 23:12 - Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.
Matthew 16:17 - And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.