The end of this phrase should be in their own eyes. Our intelligence is finite and our ability to act out wisdom is limited. When Solomon asked God for wisdom, he was rewarded for it because wisdom is what we should be attempting to achieve in this life. But even Solomon failed to fully achieve it, bringing Israel down with his foreign wives and their imported idolatrous religions. Religious freedom has a dark element to it; it is not an ideal God encouraged in Israel. In fact, he forbade it. Sometimes, I wonder what our founding fathers were thinking when they determined religious freedom to be a high ideal. Actually, I don’t have to ask because I know. They thought, unwisely, that religious freedom would mean they could practice any form of Christianity they wanted and had little foresight that spiritual battles are indeed real, and if the dark spirits could destroy Christianity in America through our foreign “wives,” as it were, then that is exactly what will happen. They also had little forethought that freedom of speech and assembly would result in pornography, gay pride parades, and drag queen story hours.
Of course, all of this is hindsight 20-20 on our parts today. We know what’s happened in America because we are living in the aftermath of our beloved cafeteria of ideas. We also know what happened in Israel due to Solomon’s lack of wisdom because it’s recorded in the historical accounts of the Israelites. What we are less able to see clearly is our own inability to have perfect understanding and wisdom. Oh, sure, we can see it in other people, generally those who disagree with us. I can go right now to YouTube and find numerous videos of people spouting off who have no humility in their declarations at all. A lack of humility does not, obviously, mean someone isn’t speaking the truth, but it will most decidedly mean that person isn’t open to correction when he or she (hardheadedness and/or hardheartedness are not gendered concepts) is wrong. Everyone is wrong at some point, but not everyone has acknowledged their receipt of that memo. Thankfully, most people arrive at a place where they can admit to being wrong or at least to not fully understanding an issue. When a person doubles down under challenge and refuses to listen to counter arguments, I generally just walk away. Generally. Not always.
In the “cafeteria of ideas,” there are many I won’t entertain at all, even if I’m considered hardhearted. The fact is that, in every field of knowledge, there are foundational concepts that can’t be removed without toppling the entire field. Within Christianity, for example, if you argue that there was no resurrection, you have just toppled Christianity. It doesn’t exist anymore — so what is the point of this argument? This is why the early church fathers condensed core beliefs into creeds while also holding to the ten commandments and their New Testament counterpart, loving God first and then your neighbor. Even if it is impossible to understand God or his Scriptures perfectly, it is possible to know the gospel and how we should live as Christians.
When it comes to God confounding the wisdom of the world, you can see it all over the Bible, e.g., in God choosing the youngest sibling instead of the eldest for kingship or a birthright; or in God granting wisdom to a woman instead of to a man regarding family decisions. That’s one that will irk our modern patriarchals, but the examples are recorded for a reason: e.g., Rebecca chose the son whom God had chosen; Isaac did not, and Abigail had an understanding of who God’s chosen king was, even though her husband either did not or did not care. There are more examples of this phenomenon, in which God reveals that we don’t understand as much about the world as we think we do.
The above thoughts came about because I always ponder Solomon at the start of a New Year. I ponder him because he’s a classic old world version of a nihilist, and nihilism creeps into my soul in January. Years ago, it was so difficult for me to cope with this nihilism that I avoided reading Ecclesiastes. It’s not easy reading, and Solomon’s answer to it is easier said than done. I don’t avoid the book any longer; after all, God wanted it in the Bible for a reason. Still, I don’t go out my way to join Ecclesiastes Bible studies, even if I read it as part of liturgical or yearly Bible reading.
But what ultimately got me thinking along the lines of God confounding the wise was listening to a Christian YouTuber who mocks almost every Christian leader, pastor, or musician who exists in the world today. I listened to him because I clicked on a link where he reviews The Chosen. Solomon this man isn’t. Most of us aren’t even capable of the wisdom, power, or, conversely, the sinfulness of Solomon. I mean, how many of you men have 700 wives who are building temples to their false gods? Aside from that, though, it’s not that men like this YouTuber have first principles they stand for. Everything is a first principle to men like him. It gave me a chill up my spine because I’ve been dealing with a narcissist in my life, and my husband and I have both been gathering information regarding this personality disorder. One of the telltale signs of narcissism is never admitting to being wrong unless it’s for the purpose of manipulation. So, although God confounds those who are wise in their own eyes, the entire world will be able to see it, except the narcissist. They will instead view it as persecution and be protected from the fallout…to an extent, as they will eventually burn all their bridges and be left with no one but God for help.
If you want to know who the YouTuber is, his name is Spencer Smith. I haven’t listened to enough of his videos to claim he’s a narcissist; nor am I a psychiatrist. All I know is he gives off the whiff of it from a distance. Of course, YouTube is no doubt rife with narcissists because it’s an open platform for engaging with people. Narcissists will burn their bridges and retreat as victims to lick their wounds from time to time, but their mental illness requires an audience. Assuredly, they will be back for more. If you are wise, you will avoid them, and I don’t think God will confound such a decision unless he (cringe) wants to use you to penetrate the armor a narcissist wears for protection.
Jill Domschot 