The Highest Wisdom

The Highest Wisdom

 

Scripture Verse: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

In the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi, in the section titled The Great Master (大宗師), we read:

“He who understands the workings of Heaven and the works of man has attained the highest wisdom as a human being. He who understands Heaven lives in accordance with nature. He who understands man uses what he knows to cultivate what he does not know. The one who lives out his natural lifespan without dying prematurely does so because of great wisdom.”

Although Zhuangzi’s notion of “Heaven” refers more to the harmonious order of nature than to a personal deity, believers may rightly interpret this as referring to God. Thus, the wise person is one who understands both the works of God and the nature of human actions. However, such a person does not truly exist. For believers, even if we do not fully grasp the affairs of the world, we should still strive to discern the will of God. And even if we cannot fully comprehend it, we are called to live lives of obedience to His Word.

We live in a time of deep confusion. This confusion stems not only from our inability to discern the intentions behind human actions but also from our lack of understanding of God’s providential will. The chaos of the world unsettles us, and even as Christians committed to following Christ, we are often uncertain about how to live faithfully.

Many who sincerely seek to live godly lives continue to face hardship and suffering, while others—some of whom claim to be Christians—live in morally compromised ways yet seem to be materially blessed. This apparent contradiction confuses and even disheartens us.

Would it not be easier to trust God if He made a clear distinction in how He blessed the faithful versus the unfaithful? Yet God remains silent. Whether He knows our desires or not, whether He listens or not, He offers no explanation. Consequently, even within the church, it is rare to find those who care for the work of God more than their own.

Many wish to believe just enough to “squeeze into heaven.” They are unconcerned with whether they will receive God’s commendation or reward in the life to come.

But is this kind of faith truly a saving faith?

True saving faith is accompanied by assurance of forgiveness and salvation. It looks to the kingdom of God with hope. A person with such faith desires to serve the Lord in response to His grace, striving to fulfill His work whether or not their body can keep up.

Although God personally guided, protected, and provided for the Israelites, their faith was neither wholehearted nor consecrated. Scripture reveals their persistent unbelief and irreverence, even in the presence of God’s tangible provision—manna, quail, clothing that did not wear out.

The problem was not God's invisibility. The real issue was the pride embedded in the human heart. That pride dictated how they interpreted events. And when things did not unfold according to their desires or expectations, they turned to unbelief, even denying God.

Must God act according to our expectations, desires, and ideas of fairness in order to be deemed “truly God”?

Throughout redemptive history, whether God visibly revealed Himself or not, there has always been a remnant of the faithful. These people were marked by humility and obedience to God’s absolute sovereignty and Word.

Their obedience did not come from always understanding God’s ways or seeing Him clearly. Rather, they acknowledged Him as Lord in their hearts. Even when their plans differed from God’s, they trusted in His goodness. Though their present condition may have been filled with suffering and sorrow, they believed that He would ultimately lead them to peace and joy. And so, they obeyed. That is faith.

Faith does not calculate how much one should believe based on present circumstances. It does not measure how much of God’s work to take on depending on whether things are going well.

God desires foolish wise men. To the world, they may appear foolish—but to God, they are wise, because they live by obedient faith.

Take Noah in the Old Testament. To his contemporaries, he was a madman. God did not give him a precise timeline for the flood. He simply said: “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.” (Genesis 6:14)

Noah was mocked and ridiculed: “Fool! Why waste your time on such nonsense? Where is your God? Show Him to us!”
Even his own family likely struggled to understand. They lived far from the sea, and the skies were clear. What was the point of building an ark?

Noah himself may have occasionally thought: “Lord, I do not understand this command.”
Yet he obeyed. He built the ark—quietly, faithfully—for one hundred years.
And what was the result?

At first, it was hardship and confusion. But in the end, it was salvation.
May we, too, become such “foolish” ones who silently look to God in faith, awaiting the day His will is fully revealed.