Gray Hair, Wisdom and the Passage of Time

Having gray hair doesn’t mean you’re wise. But the bible does say that those who follow the Lord over a long period of time will be the wiser for it.

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For you older people, don’t you wish you had your present wisdom back when you were first married or when you were a teenager? How many arguments would never have happened or problems that could have been solved more easily?

Yes, I know that you learned wisdom thru these mistakes. And those lessons wouldn’t have been learned without going thru that whole process. If there was an easier way for us to learn these things, I’m sure God would have used that way instead. That’s why I think the bible speaks of people with gray hair as being wiser.


Don’t get me wrong. Having gray hair doesn’t mean you’re wise. But the bible does say that those who follow the Lord over a long period of time will be the wiser for it (Proverbs 20:28, 29 & 16:31, Leviticus 19:32, Job 12:12, 13 and Psalm 92:12-15)


The Hebrews defined wisdom as “skill in living”. The bible teaches that there are two types of wisdom:
– general wisdom teaches us things like getting a job to provide for your family, saving money for emergencies, being a good parent, being honest, etc. Anyone can access this type of wisdom.
– revelatory wisdom…things that God teaches His children,

The bible teaches both kinds of wisdom, but only the believer can access revelatory wisdom. Sometimes God can and does speak to us thru other people, however, the bible is our main source of wisdom. While there is wisdom on every page of the bible (especially in the New Testament epistles), Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are the biggest sources of this everyday wisdom.


Ecclesiastes teaches wisdom by having the Teacher experience all kinds of things, hoping that something will provide some type of lasting fulfillment. In the end, he realizes that only a relationship with God can give him the fulfillment he so desperately desires (Ecclesiastes, chapter 12). The Teacher gives examples of worldly wisdom and how it never provided lasting fulfillment. He tried great building projects, made gardens and parks, planted all kinds of fruit trees. Yet when all of it was done, it provided no lasting fulfillment for him (Ecclesiastes 2:4-6, chapters 10,11, 18-23). Making a boatload of money didn’t satisfy either (Eccl 5:10-15). The Teacher’s solution is to love God (Eccl 2:24-26 and 3:12-14), get wisdom, and always remember to live for God (Eccl 12:1, 6, 13, 14).


Proverbs teaches wisdom by comparing a life of wisdom with a life of foolishness. Notice the different outcomes of those who follow Godly wisdom and those who don’t. Rarely will we be completely wise or foolish. But the more wise choices we make over time, the wiser we become. Some examples are;
– resist sexual temptation, Proverbs 5:1-23 & 6:20 thru 7:22
– be a great worker, Proverbs 6:6-11
– be an encourager, Proverbs 10:11, 19-21 and 11:24,25 & 12:18, 25 and 15:1,4 23 and 16:24
– be generous, Proverbs 11:4, 25 and 15:21 and 22:9
– be correctable, Proverbs 12:1, 15 and 13:20 and 16:20 and 27:17
– parenting, Proverbs 2-7
– what to look for in a spouse, Proverbs 31
– seek guidance from wise people, Proverbs 15:22 & 11:14
– listen and think before you speak, Proverbs 18: 6, 7 and 10:14 and 13:3

A great experiment to try is to read one chapter in Proverbs a day. Write down on a 3 x 5 card one or two verses that stand out to you. Pull that card out of your pocket during the day and think about how it can apply to you. In a month’s time, you will have read all of Proverbs 31 chapters. And become the wiser for it.

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on bssb-llc.com

Featured Image by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

 

 

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About the Author

Dave earned a Michigan provisional teaching certificate and a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in physics and minors in astronomy, chemistry, and mathematics. He has done graduate work in astrophysics, worked as a physics graduate teaching assistant, and taught college astronomy. His work experience includes a research and development laboratory manager at a plastics company, an automotive engineer, a chemist, and a public and private high school teacher in math, physics, and chemistry. Dave is currently retired from his own advanced materials tooling company. He has taught Christian adult education since the mid-1990s at two churches. He was Director of Adult Education at one church and is now a teacher of Adult Education at his present church. Since becoming a Christ-follower in 1974, Dave has been an avid student of the Bible, with a special emphasis on apologetics. He and his wife, Patti, have been married for over 40 years and have 3 adult sons and 9 wonderful grandchildren.