WISE EYES
PROVERBS 26:12 NKJ
PROVERBS 26:12 NKJ
12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
OBSERVATION:
This proverb is very straightforward regarding foolish people, lazy people, problem-causing people, and deceitful people. The wisdom and warnings in Proverbs 26 are great instructions for developing people skills. It gives signposts to the different kinds of people that we encounter.
The fool leads the way in this proverb with twelve verses dedicated to the ways of the foolish. It's not very complimentary. Being compared to a dog that returns to his own vomit will not get many likes on social media.
But then verse twelve caps off the discourse on fools. A man who is wise in his own eyes. Fools are actually better off than this one.
What is the big deal about being wise in our own eyes? This is not about self-esteem or considering yourself as dumb as a rock. This has nothing to do with IQ or the capacity to learn. In fact, there are many smart people out there who have very little wisdom.
This is about humility. The ability to recognize that God and His wisdom are far above our insights. That God knows everything, and we are not even close. That compared to Him, we are infants in our wisdom. But if you think you are above God's wisdom and do not have a need to learn, adapt and change, you are not in a good place.
APPLICATION:
All of us who have received Jesus as Savior have exhibited this type of godly wisdom. We have determined that we cannot save ourselves and need God's grace. We refuse to think we're good enough to get in on our own merits. We were not wise in our own eyes. We humbled ourselves and received salvation.
This biblical humility resulted in the wisest decision we ever made. And we can apply this same principle to whatever truth we find in God's word.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for Your word and Your wisdom. I am not stuck to being wise in my own eyes. I want to be considered wise in Your eyes.