Seeking Wisdom: Bible Quotes We Could Learn From Today

Seeking Wisdom: Bible Quotes We Could Learn From Today

Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. Wisdom was the only thing he asked for when he became king of Israel after his father David. God gave him what he wanted, and Solomon’s judgment became legendary across the land. The stories of Solomon’s court, especially the story of cutting the baby in half related in Kings, are a fascinating read.

How many of us wouldn’t like such a gift of wisdom to avoid the pitfalls of our uncertain lives? We would all love to be able to avoid making wrong choices at turning points, be it in business, in our relationships and in our everyday, practical lives. Like Solomon, many of us who find ourselves facing change, no matter what kind of change, wish we could learn to see past the things that blind us to truth or the right way to go.

That is why the Bible can provide us with some of the great timeless words of wisdom that we can apply in our lives. I emphasize timeless, because do we not still find value in the lines in Proverbs 4:6-7 in which Solomon says “Do-not-foresake-wisdom-and-she-will-protect-you; love her, – and -she -will – watch – over – you. Wisdom – is supreme; therefore -get wisdom. Though – it – cost – all – you have, get understanding.”

The Bible is a rich mine of some of the rarest and most beautiful poetry that we may find in the best literature of the past and present. And cocooned in these lines is wisdom gained from experience. This is wisdom we can use in our everyday lives to gain strength in times of weakness and sorrow. We all of us have a need for guardian angels. We all have something we could learn from the quotes on wisdom scattered throughout the scriptures.

Here is a look at 6 Bible quotations that we can easily apply to our lives and become wiser, happier people.

1. On education

Proverbs 13:14

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (ESV)

This line talks of the importance of educating ourselves, and of surrounding ourselves with teachers and mentors who we can learn from. Teachers, professors, our community leaders, poets, writers, great statesmen are all wise men whose experiences and choices we can learn from. The Bible tells us that learning is life-affirming; it turns us away from ignorance and death. Learning from books and from people we can look up to can make all the difference to how we choose to live our lives – in the light of understanding or in the darkness of ignorance.

2. On holding your own counsel

Proverb 10:19

When – words – are – many, sin – is- not – absent, but – he – who – holds – his – tongue is wise.

Verses in the Bible on learning to tame your tongue and keep your own counsel abound. And clearly this was a universal experience of great men in our own civilization. Dwight Eisenhower reprised this quote by saying “Never miss a good opportunity to keep – your – mouth -shut.” In a similar vein author Mark Twain said, ” It- is – better – to – keep – your – mouth – shut and – appear – stupid – than to – open – it – and remove all doubt.”

Therefore, one of the quickest paths to wisdom is learning to hold your tongue. It may not be easy if you love to talk, but too much talking interferes with introspection. And we all know that without introspection, there can be no wisdom.

3. On not using hurtful words

Reckless- words – pierce – like a – sword, but – the tongue of – the wise brings healing.

We all know the common metaphor of the tongue as the sword. When words are not used wisely, they can cut like a sword and can hurt people, sometimes without us realizing it. The quickest way to avoid hurting people with our words is, as the previous proverb suggests, learning to tame our tongues. If we keep our swords sheathed and our tongues in control, our relationships with people are bound to improve.

4. On pride and humility:

Proverb 11:2

when – pride – comes, then – comes disgrace, but – with humility – comes – wisdom.

Not only in the Bible, but even in ancient Greek drama and folk tales throughout the history of the world, pride has never been a good thing. Of course this doesn’t mean self-respect, or self-esteem – that is a kind of pride that is essential to our sense of being.

But excessive pride that overrides all common sense can delude us, and eventually, be a cause of disgrace. Pride can blind us to our faults, and if we’re not aware of our faults, how can we ever improve? Having a certain amount of humility will give us a realistic sense of our faults, and help us to learn and grow into better and more successful people.

5. On accepting criticism

Proverb 15:31

He- who – listens – to life-giving – rebuke – will – be – at – home – among -the wise. (NIV)

The bible tells us to listen to constructive criticism – it will put us in the ranks of the wise. It may be difficult for many of us to accept criticism. This is usually because we are holding on to our pride and refusing to look at other perspectives that may broaden our horizons. When we don’t accept criticism, we close our minds to change and new ways of looking at things. None of us is perfect. Listening to what others have to say about our work or our way of doing things can be good for us.

6. On choosing wisdom over wealth

Proverb 16:16

How – much – better – to – get – wisdom – than – gold, to – choose – understanding – rather – than – silver! (NIV)

When choosing between wisdom and wealth, the Bible recommends wisdom. Think about it – wealth doesn’t last, but wisdom you will carry with you for a lifetime. Wealth can get you only so much material comfort. It is wisdom that will strengthen your friendships and personal relationships, improve your workplace relationships and give you the tools to live a full life.

All of these quotations offer time-tested life truths that the greatest statesmen, poets, social influencers and people who have achieved great things agree with. Here we took a look at the source of most of our modern-day wisdom. We often tend to forget some of them. There is never a better time than now to start learning them again in order to become wiser and happier than you are!