Happy
is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For
the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain
therof than fine gold.
She
is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to
be compared unto her.
Length
of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Her
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
She
is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every on that retaineth
her.
Proverbs
3:13-18
When I consider this passage of scripture, I notice
that the positive attribute of wisdom is
spoken of as feminine. It reminds me of a young man I recently met (around eight or nine years old) who happily told me, “Girls are smarter than
boys and boys are stronger than girls.” I was surprised that he didn’t seem
bothered by this apparent fact. He was just happy to be stronger than girls. I
have taught every grade level from Kindergarten through college, with the
exception of second grade and high school seniors, so I do have an opinion
about his statement (boys are stronger).
Yesterday, an agnostic friend sent me this picture,
with the comment that I should stop reading (my favorite pastime):
So, I decided to apply wisdom to the situation by
checking the bible verses listed on the man’s sign. Here they are:
The
foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
Psalm
5:5
The
have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not
Psalm
115:5
Hate
the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that
the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
Amos
5:15
There is no evidence in any of these three verses
that “God hates book lernin’.” My conclusion is that this photograph is an
anti-Christian hoax. I’d love to hear what you
think.
Ahh that fountain of wisdom. These days it is hard to immediately trust what you see as there are powerful tools to manipulate stuff. As far as religion is concerned, I have always believed that respect for individual beliefs is important - after all, there are many doors yes, but only one destination. ~ Luchie C.
ReplyDeleteSolomon always had an interesting way of putting things, and if you read through Proverbs he often reffers to wisdom as feminine, one of my favorite writers of the scriptures; so much wisdom to take from his Proverbs and Ecclessiastes.
ReplyDeleteApostle Paul must have had a bit of "book larnin' " hisself. Quoting the Athenian Philosopher Epimenides twice. If we learned anything from Jacob and his wives' fleeing from their parents; Stolen gold, is still gold!
ReplyDelete