Proverbs 24.7
“Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.”
In ancient Israel, the gate is whether the elders and leaders of the community gathered to discuss, debate, and decide. It was the thinking and decision-making center of the community. Needless to say, wisdom was desired and required in order to contribute to the thinking and decision-making.
Foolish people had nothing of value to contribute in the conversations and deliberations “in the gate,” because wisdom was “too high” for them. The picture being painted is that foolish people do not look up to God and his standards to find wisdom. An earlier Proverb helps us here, as it describes the difference between where foolish people look for standards as compared to where else people look:
“The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” (Proverbs 17.24)
We can say it this way: A fool’s eyes work horizontally, and he only sees the things of self and the world. He does not see vertically—he does not see above his head—to recognize the purpose and principles of the living and true God. The wisdom of God is too high for him and he isn’t looking up. Therefore, he has little to say that contributes to wise decision-making.
Today, however, foolish people do not keep quiet “in the gate.” In our generation foolish people have many platforms by which to declare their opinion. As a result, our society is flooded with the foolishness of people who only “see horizontally.”
But as I have said previously, having an opinion is not the same as having credibility. Having an opinion is easy and requires nothing more than the indulgence of an impulse. Having credibility, on the other hand, is hard work and requires diligent study and due diligence.
Many today are simply not looking vertically. They are not looking up to understand God’s principles and purposes. Rather, they are fixated on the horizontal. They look to the world—not heaven—for the reference points for life. They look to self—not God—for principles to live by.
As a result of this horizontal thinking, they pursue personal agendas and promote popular narratives, but miss the timeless truth of the Creator.
Wise people, on the other hand, are discerning. They see both vertically and horizontally. They have vertical vision; that is, they see the truth of the Creator above. And they have horizontal vision; that is, they see the truth of the world God created and the realities of the world in which we live and work every day.
Importantly, wise people are able to discern the dangers and distortions in the world. Here is a creative way to express the discernment of wise people:
Real eyes
Realize
Real lies
Again, wisdom is strength. Foolishness is weakness.
