The Cause for Fall and Folly

“For Jerusalem has stumbled,
    and Judah has fallen,
because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord,
    defying his glorious presence.

For the look on their faces bears witness against them;
    they proclaim their sin like Sodom;
    they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
    For they have brought evil on themselves…
Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him,
    for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.”

“Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
    and shrewd in their own sight!”

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
    who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
‘I dwell in the high and holy place,
    and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.'” Isaiah 3:8-9,11; 5:20-21; 57:15

“And he said to man,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
    and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28:28

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Proverbs 9:10

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5

In a convoluted world, true wisdom can be elusive. The wisdom of God is alien to unredeemed man. Thought leaders abound, and supposed experts put their intellectual and moral wares on display, but the wisdom of the world bubbles and spurts as folly to the Lord and in comparison to His ways. (1 Corinthians 3:19-20)

He is God, we are not. Disdain His rule, supremacy, and rightful dominion and your own will be toppled. Yet man in his innate pomp and self-importance doesn’t think or behave this way. There is little fear of God in many lands. Man put himself on life’s pedestal, feelings and wants at the fore, and the natural result is foolishness in all manner of life: wanton behavior, nonsensical oallegiances, dysfunctional governments, impulsive decisions that take no consideration for the future, eternity, or a Sovereign.

Man left to himself has a low and limited perception of the Lord. Short the regeneration and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he cannot see or discern the One higher, greater, loftier. Left to his choosing, there would be no accountability or any authority superior to self. Only those who fear the Lord gain an understanding of His grandeur and our proper position before Him. (Isaiah 6:1-5; 55:8-9; 1 Corinthians 2:14)

Do we seek the wisdom of the world or of God Almighty? In what do we invest our time to gain wisdom? Proportionately, how much credence do we give the thoughts and advice of man against the truth of God’s Word? Instead of complaining about the folly around us and slipping toward foolishness ourselves, what will we do to heighten our view of God and discover and implement His wisdom?

Lord, keep me seeking and embracing godly wisdom that results in righteous living, makes a difference in the world, and exalts Your name. (Psalm 111:10)