fell away from the fear of his Creator and so missed out on knowledge, for, as Proverbs 1:7 says: “The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge.”

16. Why does God not want man to fall into ignorance, and, correspondingly, why does Solomon urge us to listen to what he has to say?

¹⁶ God did not make man ignorant and he does not want man to fall into ignorance, for that does not result in good. “Also, that the soul should be without knowledge is not good, and he that is hastening with his feet is sinning.” (Prov. 19:2) Knowledge should serve to hold us back from hastening ignorantly into a certain way and thus sinning against God. “Everyone shrewd will act with knowledge, but the one that is stupid will spread abroad foolishness.” (Prov. 13:16) Knowing of the benefits of knowledge of God, the inspired writer of Proverbs urges all seekers of it to listen to what he has to say through this book of the Bible: “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise ones, that you may apply your very heart to my knowledge.”—Prov. 22:17.

17. When did God exercise wisdom first, what is wisdom, and so what does wisdom need and use?

¹⁷ During all his everlasting existence before he created his wise Son, Jehovah God had knowledge. When he began creating he put that knowledge to work. It was then that he used wisdom or displayed it. Wisdom is a worker. It is the ability to use knowledge aright; it is the exercise of knowledge in a right way with good results and carrying out one’s purpose. It means action with enlightenment. Wisdom needs knowledge: “The wise are the ones that treasure up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish one is near to ruin itself.” Wisdom uses knowledge: “The tongue of wise ones does good with knowledge, but the mouth of the stupid ones bubbles forth with foolishness. The lips of the wise ones keep scattering knowledge about, but the heart of the stupid ones is not like that.”—Prov. 10:14; 15:2, 7.

18. When God through wisdom finished creating the first man and woman, what did he see, and what is first necessary for us in order to act with God’s wisdom?

¹⁸ In creating all other things Jehovah God used wisdom personified in his first son, and used it as a master worker. When God, through wisdom, finished creating the first man and woman, “God saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31) Wisdom gives skillful direction to one’s activity, and because of His wisdom and ability all activity of Jehovah God is perfect. Thus wisdom is more than mere knowledge, more than the mere possessing of information in the mind. It is the putting of that information to work in a way that brings honor and praise to the great Fountain of knowledge, Jehovah God, and that therefore brings benefit to his creatures. For us to act with the wisdom of God we have to act with knowledge from him. That is why it is inescapable that we have to go to God’s Word, the Holy Bible, and to study it for its knowledge. Getting knowledge there is necessary for us to gain life. Said wisdom personified to his Father: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) Then one can be wise and one’s lips and hands can spread the life-giving knowledge to others.

19. (A) What is an indispensable need besides knowledge and wisdom? (b) Why is knowledge necessary to understanding, but what is understanding in itself?

¹⁹ In addition to knowledge and wisdom, understanding is an indispensable need. That is to say, God’s understanding is our need. We cannot pit our own understanding of things, events and arrangements against his: “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, and he himself will make your paths straight. Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad.” (Prov. 3:5-7; 21:30) To take notice of him in all our ways we have to know him by having a knowledge of what he has said and done. We find this in the Bible. Without a knowledge of him we cannot enjoy the benefits of true understanding. “The fear of Jehovah is the start of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Most Holy One is what understanding is.” Again we are told: “Men given to badness cannot understand judgment, but those who are seeking Jehovah can understand everything.” (Prov. 9:10; 28:5) Understanding therefore means one’s ability to see something in its connected parts, to separate the parts of a thing and to see and know the reason why they belong and act together, and to see all this in its connection with God. It means discernment, always with God in mind. So, then, it is more than wisdom, which is the ability and inclination to use one’s knowledge to carry out one’s purpose to the best effect.

20. How did Jehovah show forth understanding in creating the heavens, and in this regard why did he make man different from the lower animal creation?

²⁰ In the creating of the marvelous heavens visible to us, Jehovah God used and showed forth understanding. From their beginning he knew and discerned all the parts of the heavens and the relationship of those parts to one another and their working together and the effect they have upon one another. What effect they would have upon his creatures on the earth was also important for him to discern and foreknow. He is the “Maker of the heavens with understanding: . . . the One spreading out the earth above the waters: . . . the Maker of the great lights: . . . even the sun for dominion by day: . . . the moon and the stars for combined dominion by night.” (Ps. 136:5-9) “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the heavens.” (Jer. 10:12, AS) He created man different from the lower animal creation of earth, in that he gave man the ability to understand and the desire to understand. To keep living man had to understand his relationship to his Creator.

21. Why does a person of understanding go to God’s Word, and why does he keep in close touch with wisdom?

²¹ To understand we must know what we seek to grasp with the mind with a clearness of vision. “The understanding heart is one that searches for knowledge, but the mouth of the stupid ones is one that aspires to foolishness.” The search that understanding makes for knowledge is rewarded: “The heart of the understanding one acquires knowledge, and the ear of wise ones seeks to find knowledge.” Because the understanding heart sees the Source of true knowledge and acknowledges man’s relationship to God and man’s dependence upon God for all things, such a heart turns to God’s Word for the vital knowledge, and God gives such a heart insight into the meaning of his Word: “By one’s giving insight to a wise person he gets knowledge.” (Prov. 15:14; 18:15; 21:11) A person of understanding not only craves knowledge of all things that are connected with God’s Word and works, and the purpose behind these, but he keeps in close touch with wisdom for the ability and intelligence to use that knowledge in harmony with God. He keeps wisdom close in front of him. “Wisdom is before the face of the understanding one, but the eyes of the stupid one are at the extremity of the earth.” (Prov. 17:24) For what discernment the stupid person has or shows, his eyes might as well be as far off from him as the end of the earth.

22. How does a stupid person differ from an understanding person, and how did King Solomon despite his wisdom turn to stupidity?

²² The stupid person does not keep God in mind or in view; the understanding person does. He is not only wise in fearing Jehovah; he is understanding. He is acting in accord with his godly fear. It was God himself who said: “Look! the fear of Jehovah—that is wisdom, and to turn away from bad is understanding.” (Job 28:28) The understanding person will not refuse a reproof and then ridicule: “The ridiculer you should strike, that the inexperienced one may become shrewd; and there should be a reproving of the understanding one, that he may discern knowledge.” (Prov. 19:25) A mere reproof, not a violent blow, is enough for an understanding person. In spite of all his wisdom, he may act indiscreetly or wrongly. For that reason he may from time to time need a reproof to bring him back to understanding. Encrusted in old age, King Solomon did not take heed to a mere reproof. Despite all the wisdom with which God had favored him, he turned to stupidity. Why? Because he left off understanding. How? He let his vision and his keen sense of his relationship to Jehovah God grow dull; he became like a beast. “Earthling man, although in honor, who does not understand, is indeed comparable with the beasts that have been destroyed.”—Ps. 49:20.

23. So Solomon lost understanding when he did what, and how can we appreciate the great wisdom from which he fell?

²³ Solomon lost understanding when he abandoned his relationship with Jehovah and yoked himself with other gods, the gods of the many pagan wives whom he had married. “And Jehovah came to be incensed at Solomon, because his heart had turned away from Jehovah the God of Israel, the one appearing to him twice. And respecting this thing he commanded him not to go after other gods, but he had not kept that which Jehovah had commanded.” (1 Ki. 11:9, 10) The great wisdom from which Solomon fell to a death in God’s disfavor can be appreciated when we turn to the writings of Solomon that he composed under inspiration as one of Jehovah’s witnesses.

24. Why should we never ridicule the things of God, and why will we try to make knowledge, wisdom and understanding a part of ourselves?

²⁴ Let us never ridicule the things of God. The life-giving knowledge of the true God will never be got that way. One who understands his creative tie with God and his total dependence upon him will find it easy to know him. “The ridiculer has sought to find wisdom, and there is none; but to the understanding one knowledge is an easy thing.” (Prov. 14:6) Seeing, then, how knowledge, wisdom and understanding must be kept together, and how needful all three are to life and right conduct, we will try to make them an inseparable part of ourselves. We will make them our relatives, members of our spiritual family. “Say to wisdom: ‘You are my sister,’ and may you call understanding itself ‘Kinswoman.’”—Prov. 7:4.

Their Real Religion

● In Tarbell’s Teachers’ Guide are some comments by Frank S. Mead about what the average professed Christian worships: “A famous Chinese gentleman stood in the New York Stock Exchange not so long ago. . . . He was so impressed with the furor and intensity of the Exchange that he cried, ‘Ah, this is their real religion! This is what they care about!’ Well, is it? Wouldn’t you say that we are worshiping Mars, the god of war, as much as we worship Jesus Christ? Every able-bodied boy in the country may be forced to give two years of his life to the art of war; how many give two years to Jesus Christ? Others worship Bacchus; they live to have a good time. Others worship the god of the machine, or the god of the cash register, or the god of athletics, or . . . How many more can you supply?”