Where is the Wise?

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Corinthians 1:19-20) Paul was undoubtedly referring to this verse from Isaiah: “The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid” (Isaiah 29:14).  Nephi repeated this same verse from Isaiah as he wrote about the last days (2 Nephi 27:26), and in our day the Lord said something similar: “The wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:9).  Paul also taught that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19).  So if wisdom as the world offers it is foolishness and will perish and come to naught, what is the wisdom we can gain that will last?  What is the wisdom of the righteous that “shall be great” and which shall “reach to heaven” as this same verse from the Doctrine and Covenants describes?    

               It is clear from the scriptures that the greatest wisdom comes only from God.  James directed us to “ask of God” for that wisdom that we needed, and Nephi taught as well that we learn wisdom by turning to the Lord: “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom” (James 1:5, 2 Nephi 28:30).  Wisdom comes gradually from our Father in Heaven to those who seek it by hearkening to His counsel.  Alma said to his son Helaman, “O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God” (Alma 37:35).  Real wisdom comes from keeping the commandments of the Lord; this is what Moses taught as well: “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Deuteronomy 4:5-6).  To be wise is to keep the commandments of God, or, as other passages put it, to fear the Lord.  In Job we read, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).  Similarly the Psalmist wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever” (Psalm 111:10).  The world seeks to separate morality from wisdom and knowledge, but in the Lord’s way, there is no real wisdom without humbly keeping the Lord’s commandments at the same time.  At Church schools this is in fact institutionalized—you cannot learn wisdom in the classroom without a commitment to live the commandments of God. 

            Ultimately the scriptures teach that wisdom can come only through humility before God.  Alma said to the poor of the Zoramites, “I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; for it is because that ye are cast out, that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble” (Alma 32:12).  Humility has to come before wisdom, he taught; if we harden our hearts in pride before God we will eventually “know nothing concerning his mysteries,” the knowledge that really matters (Alma 12:11).  Wisdom is understanding that we depend on God in all things, that it is He that “has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth” and that “man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend” (Mosiah 4:9).  If we truly understand that, then we can go to the Lord in humility, with faith that He can impart of His infinite wisdom to us.