Proverbs 24.5-6
“A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”
This is a very interesting series of messages in the Book of Proverbs. In the previous passage we are told that a house/organization/team/institution is built by wisdom. These next two verses tell us that battles and wars are won by wisdom.
If you are going to wage war and do battle, you need wisdom and strength. Not strength alone, but also wisdom. Note that Solomon says “a man of knowledge enhances his might.” Wisdom is a force multiplier, and it gives you the insight and discernment to know how to deploy your strength in battle.
Solomon also says that wisdom does not reside in one person alone. He tells us that “by wisdom guidance you can wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” Wise people seek the counsel of knowledgeable people, especially with regard to how to develop and execute strategies for fighting the important battles of life.
On that point, I don’t think this proverb primarily refers to military battles; rather, it refers to the many battles the people of God must fight in a fallen and broken world. It refers to spiritual warfare, and to the battles we must fight in the culture in which we live. It refers to the battles we must fight for truth and moral standards in our society. It refers to the battles we fight for the souls of our families, friends, and colleagues.
It is foolishness to try to fight those battles without the wisdom of God.
The bottom line is that wisdom is strength, and foolishness is weakness. The strength that wisdom gives is the ability to know what is right and do what is right, and to apply strength effectively. It is also the ability to detect and oppose wrong, in all areas of life. It was Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) who said, “Knowledge is power,” but he was only echoing Solomon, who wrote these words 2500 years earlier.
Where wise people are strong, foolish people are weak. Foolish people do not discern right from wrong, nor do they have the strength to resist what is wrong. They have misplaced confidence in their own strength.
What is especially deceiving about foolishness is that when you think you have won a battle through your self-directed strength, you have actually lost. When you think you’re strong, you’re actually weak.
Christians understand that when they are weak, that’s when they are strong (see 2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul summarizes the core message for us when he writes, “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6.12). And then in Ephesian 6.10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”
