Texts: Wisdom of Solomon 6: 12-30; Matthew 35: 1-13

How often have we looked to someone for an answer to a problem only to discover that the answer lies deep within ourselves? More often than we think. Sometimes that answer is an obvious one. And, when we look to someone else who then gives us a sensible and reasonable solution, we think, “Ah, how wise.” That quality we call wisdom is much more than simply knowing an answer to a problem we face. It is understanding the answer.

The ancients had many different approaches to the concept of wisdom. Socrates said that the beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms. Or, as the old Chinese proverb says, calling things by their right names. The Hebrew Scriptures take several approaches to the idea of wisdom. The beginning of wisdom, says the Psalmist, is the fear of God. That doesn't mean that we must be afraid to be wise, but it means that we know our place. We are human and have limitations, lots of them. That is the beginning of wisdom.

The book known as the Wisdom of Solomon is part of a group of fifteen books written in the period following the codification of the Hebrew canon and before the development of the New Testament. Even though they were included as part of the Septuagint, they are not generally included in what we Protestants call “our” Bible. The Greek word Apocrypha means hidden, that is, they presented special or hidden meanings.

During the early Christian centuries most Greek and Latin Church fathers, such as Iraenus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Cyprian – none of who know any Hebrew – quoted these books as Scripture. Although Jerome when he translated Hebrew and Greek texts into Latin separated out the apocryphal books from the Hebrew canon, by the high middle ages, commentaries were written on all of the books from the Hebrew canon and many of the stories were popularized by the mystery plays which served the function of popularizing stories from Scripture. The story of Susanna was a favorite.

The first Bible in a modern vernacular to segregate the apocryphal books was a Dutch Bible published by Jacob von Liesveldt in 1526. Then Swiss-German Bibles began to state in their introdutions that these books were not considered to be biblical by the Hebrews. The Roman Catholic Church held that, indeed, these books were canonical and, in the fashion of the day, pronounced an anathema on anyone who did not hold them as canonical.

Although our spiritual ancestors, the Puritans, banned the Apocrypha from Bibles printed in their day, the stories from these books held sway in popular imagination. There is Tobit who defies an order issued by a monarch and buries the Jewish dead, blinded by a bird one night , and then --- there is Susanna, who refusing the lecherous advances by three lecherous old men who then accuse her of adultery, has her innocence proven just before the dramatic stoning. There are additional books of teachings and, of course, the Maccabees, freedom fighters against the oppressive Seleucid Empire, and my personal favorite Judith, who uses her wiles and status as a woman to dispatch the enemy of her people to another world. These were stories that lent themselves to songs and skits.

The book from which our Hebrew Scripture comes this morning was attributed to Solomon although his name never appears anywhere in the book. The style is one of didactic exhortation, a more formal way of saying preachy. It is less the “wisdom” of one person. Written originally in Greek, the Wisdom of Solomon contains many pithy sayings we know as familiar. Wisdom is not a quality that is received but comes as the result of life's journey. It is close to Mark Twain's wonderful comment that he had been surprised at how much his father knew after Twain himself had aged past 18.

So, back to our original question: What is wisdom and what is its meaning for us in today's world? What does it mean to know our limitations? To understand our place in the so-called grand scheme of things? Quite frankly, we humans have a really awful times realizing that we have limits. Our technological skill serves to convince us that we have no limitations, but in our very realization of our limitations we find wisdom. We are not the masters of our fate, as that Victorian poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley claims. Our confusion of knowledge and wisdom has led to disastrous consequences for our environment. We seem to think we can control and have it all. We cannot. We need to realize that our worship of the gods of technological power without regard for the unintended consequence has led us to some pretty awful results.

The debate over the Keystone XL pipeline is an excellent example of being driven by technology and corporate greed rather than recognizing that not everything has a technological fix. This proposal would bring oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, into the United States to Texas for export to other countries to satisfy corporate greed. The intensive extraction and refining process will emit three times the normal level of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; the waste water contains high levels of arsenic, cyanide, and ammonia, poisoning everything downstream from the huge retention ponds that seep into the groundwater. The local indigenous population already suffers from high levels of cancer, renal failure, and respiratory diseases. Today, as we sit here, a group of clergy are holding a demonstration in front of the White House because the President must approve the pipeline since it crosses an international border.

The technological fixers, thinking their knowledge is infinite, claim that this oil is necessary to feed our insatiable appetite for cheap gas. But this oil will only be going to Texas for further processing before being shipped abroad. And the pipeline will impact dozens, if not hundreds of communities in the Midwest and beyond. Our knowledge is not infinite. Unless we acknowledge our imitations, we will use the technological fix to destroy our planet. Wisdom dictates otherwise. We are acting like the foolish maidens who burned their lamps rather than waiting for the bridegroom.

Scripture tells us that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord, a recognition that we should know out place in the universe. We are not infallible; we are not all powerful but the use of our power can destroy the earth and her riches, which are to be used, not simply exploited. Wisdom waits for us to seek her.

Let us pray: We pray for your wisdom, O eternal Creator, who constantly creates in us a new and magnificent imagination. Help us to seek you in all things. Amen.