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Wisdom & Knowledge

Lately, I’ve been thinking about…

n.

1. The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.

2. Common sense; good judgment: “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things” (Henry David Thoreau).

3.

a. The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge: “In those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations” (Maya Angelou).

b. Wise teachings of the ancient sages.

4. A wise outlook, plan, or course of action.

5. Wisdom Bible. Wisdom of Solomon.

n.

1. The state or fact of knowing.

2. Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study.

3. The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned.

4. Learning; erudition: teachers of great knowledge.

5. Specific information about something.

6. Carnal knowledge.

– Dictionary.com

Considering how little I know, and how poorly I seem to  apply what little I do know, there must be some explanation for this general lack of wisdom and knowledge on my part.

Then again, perhaps the bigger question that’s been floating through my head is whether the two even mean the same thing.

When God asks Solomon what he wants, Solomon responds by saying:

Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.”  - 2 Chronicles 1:10-12 ESV

I suppose, while wisdom and knowledge are differentiated, it’s not too obvious as to how they are different…

And I suppose we can also throw i nformation and data into the mix as well. =)

But I think I’ve decided that the difference between knowledge and wisdom is similar to that between information and data .

Actually, I just found this in the definition for data , which I think summarizes it quite nicely! =P:

1234567.89 is data .

“Your bank balance has jumped 8087% to $1234567.89″ is information .

“Nobody owes me that much money” is knowledge .

“I’d better talk to the bank before I spend it, because of what has happened to other people” is wisdom .

And visually, it looks like this:

Just as data can be meaningless unless it’s shown as information , perhaps knowledge is meaningless without wisdom.

For instance, I can know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life ( John 14:6 ).

But, if in light of that knowledge , if I don’t live a transformed life that reflects that truth, then I have not wisdom .

And in general, there is a ton of knowledge that the human race has generated over the past milleniums. To understand the whole of human knowledge would be a monumental task which would easily exceed any one person’s lifetime (as in, it’s impossible!) . Yet, even if one could achieve that task and know everything there is to know in the universe, without wisdom to apply such knowledge , that person would be no better than a computer hard drive or a large filing cabinet!

Sometimes I feel like I know what I need to know, and many other times, I feel that I lack so much knowledge… yet, above the concerns of whether or not I have adequate knowledge… is that of whether I have the wisdom to make the proper choices and live a life that reflects the truth that I am no longer my own.

The Value of Wisdom
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding ;
yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding ,
if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures ,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom ; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding ;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright ; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity ,
guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;
for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,
delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,
who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,
who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil,
men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. 

So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words,
who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;
for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed;
none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.

So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous .
For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it,
but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

– Proverbs 2 ESV