Rev. Don Campbell
You Can’t Water from an Empty Well
Kings and queens of all nations who heard of Solomon’s wisdom came to hear it firsthand. Solomon sat on an ivory throne (1 Kings 10:18), but his wisdom was not that of an ivory tower—an impractical, often escapist attitude marked by aloof lack of concern with or interest in practical matters or urgent problems (Webster). The Book of Proverbs begins: “These are the proverbs of King Solomon of Israel, David’s son.
He wrote them to teach his people how to live—how to act in every circumstance, for he wanted them to be understanding, just, and fair in everything they did. ‘I want to make the simpleminded wise!’ he said. ‘I want to warn young men about some problems they will face. I want those already wise to become wiser and become leaders by exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of truth’” (Proverbs 1:1-6, TLB).
Fools—of whatever rank in life—believe they have all the answers. The truly wise realize they do not even know all the questions, and those who teach without learning soon find themselves drawing from an empty well.
