The preeminent demonstration of wisdom is that of King
Solomon when he devised a method to determine the true mother of a child. To satisfy the claim by two different women
that a baby was theirs, he ordered the child split in half with a sword so each
woman could be satisfied. One woman readily
assented, the other immediately pleaded that the child not be killed but given
to the other woman. Thusly, Solomon was
able to determine the true mother.
Solomon demonstrated wisdom by his profound knowledge of human behavior
and his ability to devise a method to have it plainly and starkly revealed. (ref: 2 Chronicles 3:16-28)
From this viewpoint, our age of specialization
does not preclude wisdom, for wisdom is a specialization itself. In whatever field man operates, there human
nature is active in full force. If one
can acquire a deep understanding of human behavior, then he has an essential knowledge
that spans all fields. The parables of
Jesus show a deep appreciation for human nature and thus are keenly relevant to
our times as much as they were in times vastly different from ours in many ways—in
many ways except one: the persistence of human nature.
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