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Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Links on Wisdom

Bill Wilder on The Royal Significance and the Tree of Wisdom:
This understanding of wisdom should make it clear that there is no reason to think that the knowledge of good and evil was wrong in and of itself. On the contrary, wisdom belongs to kings, not least to those intended from the moment of their creation to be ‘‘images of God,’’ ruling as God’s vice regents over the earth. Thus, there is every reason to believe that the enjoyment of both trees was part of God’s intended destiny for man as it relates to creation, for everything in earth was made for man. Indeed, the ‘‘tree of wisdom’’ belonged with the tree of life in the center of the garden precisely because, in line with numerous passages in Scripture, wisdom and life belong together. Wisdom, if exercised properly and in accordance with God’s commands, leads to life:‘‘she is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her’’(Prov3:18). Unfortunately, Adam and Eve anticipated the example of Solomon rather than his proverb. They acquired royal wisdom and authority—of a sort, but failed in their most basic obligation to honor God as their liege lord and king.
He also discusses the various implications ("moral, aesthetic, and sensual") of wisdom and the largely royal context in which it lives.

Scot McKnight lays out his own attempt at defining wisdom from Ps 119. Here's my favorite (ie most convicting) part:
Wisdom leads to “sound moral judgment”: wisdom includes knowledge (cognition) but always goes beyond cognition to doing good and to doing what is right.

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