Mensa Otabil - Wisdom's Enemies
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We’ve been talking about wisdom, and yesterday we discussed the friends of wisdom. Today, we will look at the enemies of wisdom. In Proverbs chapter 8, verse 13, it states, «The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, and arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate.» This passage discusses what wisdom hates, and wisdom declares that she hates pride and arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth. These three enemies are ones we should watch out for.Wisdom is always rooted in the fear of the Lord. When we possess wisdom, we respect God, honor His word, and honor His purposes. Anything that contradicts God’s way is generally an enemy of wisdom, but these three are clearly outlined. The first one is pride and arrogance, positioned as the foremost enemy of wisdom, which signifies its significance.
So, what is pride? Pride is having an excessively high opinion of ourselves, while arrogance is an attitude of superiority over others. There is a place for healthy self-esteem, and it is perfectly fine to take pride in our work, our achievements, and what our children are doing, as well as acknowledging what our parents have accomplished. That is healthy pride.
However, pride becomes a problem when we only recognize our own value and fail to appreciate others. You may think your child is smart, but believe that everyone else’s child is not. You may view your work as great, but dismiss everyone else’s work as inferior. When you only regard yourself and have no esteem for others, that is pride and arrogance, which is an enemy of wisdom. Simply put, it means you cannot possess this attitude and be a wise person.Why is that? Why can’t a person become wise when they are proud and arrogant? Because they cannot receive correction, they can’t learn from others, and they cannot even learn from their own mistakes since they never acknowledge them. They might even believe their mistakes are the greatest occurrences on Earth. There are individuals who never recognize their mistakes. With such an attitude, wisdom will be very far from you. Pride and arrogance are enemy number one.
Enemy number two is called the evil way. The evil way represents a path that rebels against God’s way, opposing what is right or the righteous path. There are people who always choose a different way, saying things like, «I want to do things my own way,» or «I have my own way of doing it.» While self-expression can be positive, if we constantly choose our own way without considering any other options, we will walk on the evil way. This will lead us to make very wrong and poor choices, ultimately ending up in a situation that does not please God. The scripture states, «There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.» While we must confidently make the right choices ourselves, we should not consistently favor our own way without seeking guidance, help, advice, or counsel from others. The evil way is an enemy of wisdom.
The third enemy is the perverse mouth. The perverse mouth refers to those who speak words that are corrupt. When we describe words as perverse, it indicates that they go against what is right. So, what are perverse lips or perverse words? They encompass lies, falsehoods, false witnesses, gossip, and spreading malicious reports about others to harm them. That is a perverse mouth. Speaking profanity is also characteristic of a perverse mouth. Unfortunately, many people today routinely use profanity, including many Christians. They adorn their speech with foul language, thinking it’s cute or clever. This is a perverse mouth, which demonstrates a lack of wisdom. Wisdom grants us self-control, and it is decorous. Therefore, while we seek wisdom, it is essential to put away arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, teach me to hate what You hate and to love what You love. Take away pride and falsehood from me. In Jesus' name, Amen.» Be a friend of wisdom, my friend. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.