February 24

Feb 24 - Today from Proverbs 24 we look at verse 7
"Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say."

To get the full impact of this proverb, we need to first understand what 'the assembly at the gate' is. In Bible days, all warfare was practically hand-to-hand with the exception of archers. There were no mortars, artillery, or air support. Therefore, to offer sound protection from outside enemies, the larger cities built walls around the city. Walls were very effective protection but there needed to be ways in and out of the cities. Thus there were gates built into the city walls. These became an important place for the elders (influential leaders) of the city to sit, as the gates were the bottleneck for all of the traveling merchants, businessmen, and visitors to pass through. In this way the elders were able to learn important news from the outside, discuss events, determine how the events might affect their city, and what they might do to capitalize on possibilities of good news and deter possibilities of bad news.
There weren't telephones, computers, television or radio in those days, but there were always traveling merchants, businessmen and adventurers trekking about the countryside, and news moved surprisingly quickly. It was important that the right people of a city received the latest news first, and that the news was reliable. These were the elders - the city fathers. They didn't just sit at the gate and chew the fat while they left their wives home to do all the work. Their role was extremely important to the financial well being and the security of the city. One important criteria for these men was that they were to have WISDOM.
Now, imagine if you will, sitting at the gate and observing and listening to these city elders for a day. As the traveling merchants and adventurers come and go, they stop and share any information they have picked up on their travels. They may talk of advancing armies. They may talk of newly opened trade routes. They may talk of certain regions enduring famine or pestilence. The elders question each of them, asking opinions, seeking details, trying to get as accurate information as they can. As the day nears the end, and it comes time to close the city gates for the night, the elders come together to compile all of the information they gained that day. As they compare stories, they must determine what is true, what is exaggerated, and what is false (yes, there were even effective propaganda networks in those days). As these learned and experienced men put together a proper picture of current events, they then begin to determine how it all does or does not affect their city. Get the picture?
Now consider the fool. A self-serving sort of guy whose biggest interest in life might be what's on tap at the local inn that night, or who won the lottery at the local merchant's sidewalk sale that day, or what the scores were at the arena games that day. As the elders are discussing issues that might effect not only the current livelihood of the entire city, but might have an impact on generations to come - this guy walks onto the scene. What does he have to offer in this discussion? Nothing. He doesn't have critical information - and if he did, he couldn't figure out how it worked into the big picture anyway.
Fools are good at accumulating useless information. Information that might titillate the curiosity of the gossips or stimulate the chatter of sports fans, but adds little or nothing of value to the big picture of life. A fool lives pretty much in his own little world and stays pretty concerned with only the things that directly affect his little world. When he comes to the assembly at the gate, he has nothing to say.
Perhaps the life of a fool seems like the good life. Why bother trying to see the big picture? "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." It's a pretty good philosophy - if there are good men attending the city gates, watching out for your best interests - and if there were nothing past death. But both of those are chancy "ifs". If your little world gets rattled because the bigger picture was thrown out of whack - then what? And if you made your little life pretty good for yourself while ignoring the needs of others and you faced a just God after death - then what? Then the life of a fool is just that. Not such a good life after all.
We are not here to live comfortably, but usefully!