Can you be smart without a relationship with God? Can you be wise?

I am in Dr. Moyer's Proverbs and Ecclesiastes course this semester and this was the question he brought up for discussion in class today. Here are my thoughts in light of the biblical text and also what I learned today in my philosophy course about wisdom. It's so crazy how much my classes are overlapping right now....

It depends on how you define wisdom and I also think it is interesting to ask the question whether there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. As defined by Longman (author of the biblical commentary we are reading) "wisdom is the skill of living, knowing how to act and respond and cope with different circumstances and the many complexities life throws at us." This goes beyond IQ and is more similar to EQ (emotional intelligence). EQ involves such abilities as: motivating oneself, persisting in the face of frustration, controlling impulse/delaying gratification, regulating one's moods, empathizing and hoping. Wisdom is a skill, "knowing how," - it goes beyond raw intellect, a "knowing that." In the biblical understanding and context of the word, wisdom is without a doubt directly tied to a relationship with God. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear (or respect/obedience) of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." There is a clear distinction between those who fear the LORD and fools. Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool says in his heart, there is no God." In biblical times it was a given that you believed in God - there weren't atheists and agnostics as there are today...it was pretty much unheard of.

If you look at it from a philosophical standpoint...Socrates found that the first step to attaining wisdom is to realize that you aren't wise. In other words, the beginning of knowledge is to admit that you don't know. I find that the more I study the more I realize how much I have to learn. Humility is important. Those who think they are wise aren't truly wise in the philosophy of Socrates.

A person of faith who attempts to nail God into his/her theology, who tries to figure God out, in a sense, puts God in a box and limits who He is, and by Socrates definition this individual would not be considered wise. The wise person would understand the limits of the human mind in comprehending the greatness of God. In Proverbs, teachability is a valued quality. Socrates held that wisdom was not something that could be taught, but it is a matter of discovering it withing ourselves. Learning is retrieving the truth that is already within us. This idea is found in Proverbs 20:5 also.....

>>NRSV says, "The purposes in the human mind are like deep water, but the intelligent will draw them out."

>>NIV says, "The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out."

Going beyond the "what" and asking "why" will lead to wisdom. We must strive for understanding and go beyond imitation. This means for myself as a college student, that it's not about making all "A's," getting my homework done, cramming for the test only to forget the material by the end of the semester -- it's about having a genuine desire to learn and doing whatever it takes to make that happen.

There is a tie between morality and wisdom in Proverbs. One arguing that a relationship with God is the source for wisdom could point to Yahweh's consistent concern in regards to the Israelites' morality in the Old Testament. He emphasized right and wrong, good and evil, whereas pagan gods in other near eastern literature did not. Proverbs 1:3 describes the purpose of proverbs as "to do what is right and just and fair," which leads me to my next thought....

It's interesting to consider the result of wisdom, or the "fruit" of it in biblical terms. What purpose does it serve your family, the community, and yourself? In philosophy we discussed learning to sail a boat...While this can prove to be a nice hobby, it doesn't necessarily improve others' lives or society. There is a difference between technae (skill) and epistemae (knowledge). This idea is valued in Proverbs as well. True knowledge is always for a purpose, usually in context of relationships. Knowledge for knowledge's sake isn't worth much. Wisdom has to do with strength of character. "The logical consequence of study and thought is action."

I do believe you can be wise apart from a relationship with God. I would define wisdom as an ability to navigate life well as a result of a deep insight and understanding of the nature of humanity and of respect for people with different beliefs, thoughts, values and behaviors; in short, cultural competence.