“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
– Proverbs 26:12
Oh, get the language here. Someone who is wise in their own eyes is worse than a fool. Is more hopeless than a fool. So Proverbs 26:12 is a clear warning against wisdom in your own eyes, wisdom according to your own thoughts, wisdom according to your own ways, wisdom from your own perspective. The whole point of foolishness is we think what we’re doing is right or good when the reality is, we are missing the whole point. So if we think what we’re doing is right or good and we label it wise in our own eyes, then we’re worse than a fool.
This verse warns us against wisdom in our own eyes, wisdom according to our own thoughts and ways. We must look to the all wise God for help.
What’s the remedy? Look to God. The all wise God. Whose ways alone are right. Whose ways alone are good. And whose ways alone are just. Whose ways alone are wise and live according to his ways. Live according to his justice. Live according to his righteousness. And Live according to his word which means look to him and ask for his wisdom.
This Verse Warns Us Not To Be Wise In Just Ourselves
Don’t be wise in your own eyes, see God as the all wise one and ask him for wisdom. Like Solomon in First Kings 3, “I’m only a child, I don’t know how to carry out my duties. Please give me wisdom.” God says, First Kings 3, “Behold, I now do according to your word. I give you wisdom. This is a promise.” James Chapter 1. God promises, when we ask God for wisdom, he will give it to us. It is utter foolishness to live in ways that we think we’re wise in and of ourselves and to go on with our own wisdom according to our own perspective. Don’t live like that. Look to God. Plead for wisdom. Go to his word. Fear God. Study his word and live in the wisdom that only comes from him.
Proverbs 26:12 Prays For His Wisdom
Live in wisdom according to God, for there is hope for that kind of life. There is sure hope because God will enable us to walk in his wisdom when we look to him, when we lean on him, when we trust in him, his word. So God we pray, keep us. Guard us. Deliver us from pride in our own eyes. We pray for humility. We pray for an end to all our pride and the foolish hopelessness that comes in it. God, deliver us from our pride. Help us to see ourselves humbly before you, the all wise creator of the universe and the generous father who desires to give us all the wisdom we need, all the wisdom we ask for, so we ask for it.
God, help us to live wisely today. Help us to speak wisely. Help us to think wisely. To desire wisely today and when we ask that, we know we have what we have asked because we are asking this according to your word, according to your promise. Help us to live our lives wisely. Help us to lead our families wisely. To love people around us with wisdom. Help us to speak with wisdom. Help us to work with wisdom. God, make us wise according to your word. God, make us wise in your eyes. Not ours. With a wisdom that comes from you, not us, not from this world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
