Wisdom is Beforehand

“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.” (Pr 8:17 AV)

Well, they will find wisdom early enough to use it!  If you do not seek wisdom early, wisdom will find you.  Perhaps.  Unless we are hard-headed.  Wisdom will never find us.  This is as simple as it gets.  There is no mystery here.  If one would seek wisdom before he makes a decision, he will find it.  If he does not care and will go off and make a decision without meditating upon the consequences of the decision, he will not find wisdom.  Those consequences may or may not result in wisdom.  It is better to be as informed as one can be before he jumps off a cliff than turn a blind eye to whatever might happen.

There is a whole genre dedicated to the lack of wisdom.  There used to be a show called America’s Funniest Home Videos.  Some times the clips were cute children or animals doing things they usually do without knowing they were cute or funny.  Who cannot laugh at a little child’s laughter?  Who wouldn’t chuckle at a cat or dog chasing a laser pointer?  But most of the clips are of people who should have known better attempting some unsafe or silly stunt without thinking it all the way through.  Most of the time, physical harm is the result.  At the very least, a good dose of humiliation is the reward.  Programs of like ilk are still available fare.  There is one that I take in once in a while.  This show is out of England.  London to be precise.  London is the most surveilled city on the planet.  There are cameras everywhere.  This program works with the police on the ground and the staff of camera operators as they track criminal behavior.  It is fascinating how little wisdom the misbehaving show.  Programs like these illustrate very well how we as human beings are predisposed to ignore the availability of wisdom before it is too late. 

Wisdom promises to come to those who seek it early.  This is a no-brainer.  Wisdom has to be sought early.  It doesn’t work any other way.  Seeking wisdom after the fact is too late.  The decision has been made.  The consequences are now the new normal.  This is not in our nature.  At least in our immaturity.  At some point, we grow a bit in our humility and realize it is better to think something all the way through.  It is better to get counsel from others.  It is better to consider all angles before we jump in with both feet.  This is wisdom’s plea.  It is hard to see someone in the process of making a big mistake.  You know the end from the beginning.  You know where this is leading.  You know if they attempt what they are thinking of attempting, there are going to be problems.  You wish you could stop it.  But you cannot.  Off they go into oblivion not realizing what waits for them when they land.  This is exactly how the LORD feels.  He wishes He could stop you and I.  But He has given us the privilege of self-determination. We have freedom of choice.  He cries out for us to seek wisdom early.  Before it is too late.  Let us heed the cry of the voice of God and learn before we leap rather than suffer the injuries which come because of our own simplicity.