Knowledge, Wisdom and Community
Our reading for today comes from a list of soldiers who came to help transition David into kingship after Saul's death. It's a formidable list of brave warriors and heroes.In this list the men of Issacher (one of the 12 tribes of Israel) were singled out for their ability to understand the times and know what should be done. They came as a cohesive unit with a number of leaders and their families.
"Understanding the times" is about more than knowledge. Facts always have to be interpreted and this leads to opinions. There are plenty of opinions out there. They range from "armchair individual opinions" to "semi-researched opinions", "individual expert opinions", "opinions from seasoned experts", "opinions from professional respected bodies" all the way to "opinions accepted and adopted by a diverse group of respected individuals and bodies." Sadly, on social media all these opinions can carry equal weight and armchair opinions are often expressed with less caution and less restraint, making them more evocative and interesting than opinions expressed by organizations and institutions who make statements in measured and precise tones without exaggerations and avoiding generalizations. I'm not saying that individuals are always wrong and institutions always right. I'm just saying that we need to understand the playing field. In times like this, weigh opinions carefully.
"Knowing what to do" is about wisdom. Loosely we could define wisdom as "making the decision that causes the least harm and brings about the greatest good." For believers, this is further qualified by the "fear (respect/awe) of the Lord" (Prov9:10) and the desire to do the "good pleasing and perfect will of God." (Rom12:2). Wisdom seated in the "fear of" the Lord means we do things in a way that pleases the Lord. Now the Bible doesn't say anything about Covid19. It does talk about infectious diseases to a limited extent and I'll tackle that tomorrow. But there are broader principles that apply. Jesus painted a bullseye target when He put love of God at the center and love of neighbour as the "second ring" of that target. Many churches have decided to cancel services for a period of time saying "out of love for our neighbour we will sacrifice our big gatherings." They have come to a difficult decision out of a deep and fundamental principle of love for neighbour.The men of Issachar operated as a community and as a family. They were 200 chiefs and relatives moving as one. This is very important. Our strength and our effectiveness comes from being very deliberate in doing everything we can to maintain community, mutual respect (you'd need that with 200 chiefs!) and love.
[Practical Challenges]
Please consider the following questions today:
- Are you measuring the opinions you're coming across and thinking twice before you forward something?
- Are you doing things in a way that "fears/respects/honours the Lord"? Is your trust in Him larger than your fear of our times? Is His still small voice urging you to comfort/calm/equip/help someone else?" Our society desperately needs resolute people who listen to God and do what He asks.
- Are you building strong community around you so that there is cohesion and support? Social distancing doesn't have to reduce community.
| "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2) ... men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do --200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command... (1Chronicles12:32) |
