![[Photo of a Scripture verse]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/Proverbs_3_7.jpg)
| “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” |
| —Proverbs 3:7 |
No one likes a no-it-all. There’s a certain arrogance that pervades the personality of a know-it-all. I think the current quintessential know it all is probably Sheldon Cooper of the television comedy Big Bang Theory. He is wildly humorous and disturbingly irritating all at the same time. He is a genius with an eidetic memory. He sincerely believes he is the most brilliant mind in all of Theoretical Physics. And, while there is no question that Sheldon is smart, he is also completely inept when it comes to personal relationships and common courtesy.
Self-declared “smarter-than-the-average-bear” people often approach life with a downturn look toward others. In contrast, people who are generally of high intelligence, but with the wisdom to go along with that intelligence, look on others with compassion and concern, even feelings of protection.
The Bible describes King Solomon as one who was highly intelligent, but with God-given wisdom. Solomon made some serious mistakes in his love life and in other interpersonal decisions, but He did keep a list of wise sayings on which we draw to this day. One of those wise sayings is found in Proverbs 3:7:
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
King Solomon would have done well to have consistently taken his own advice. But, at least he passed on this gem to us and we can learn from his mistakes and embrace the truth of this proverb. We do far better if we let other people judge the nature of our wisdom, knowledge, and insight. We do even better if we fear—that is, deeply respect—God and turn our backs on evil. In fact, as we begin this new day, let’s determine to do just that.
