Proverbs 15:2
I
love the character Pigpen from Charles Shultz’s Charlie Brown. Remember him? He
is the one with the cloud of dust that surrounds him. Everywhere he goes that
cloud that goes with him. For him it isn’t such a good thing. His reputation
precedes his arrival. And after he leaves there is a little bit of him that
stays behind. When he is in the room, people know he is there. He isn’t the
center of attention, but his presence is felt.
This
picture of Pigpen gives us a good way to picture our proverb. What we say is
like that cloud. It spills over onto everyone in earshot. And the content of
our speech stays around for a while.
Speech
that is filled with wisdom adds value to everyone who hears it. This is what we
are supposed to be exuding in our lives. We are supposed to be filling our
hearts and minds with God’s wisdom, so that when we speak, His wisdom comes
out. If we only have a little bit of wisdom, then only a little bit can come
out.
This
is where the wise person creates a cloud of wisdom that precedes and follows
them. Wise people speak wise words. It is what they do. And their wisdom
benefits the people around them. We all want advisors whose wisdom will help
keep us out of a jam.
The
fool, the person who doesn’t have a relationship with Christ, also has this
cloud that surrounds them. Their cloud is filled with folly. People around them
who have wisdom, look at each other in disbelief as they hear what the fool has
to offer. You know the look, rolling eyes, the look that says, “Brother! That
was dumb!” But unfortunately, the fool has no idea just how foolish they are
being.
Part
of the equation that often gets forgotten is that our reputation precedes and
follows us. Each time I have moved to a different job assignment, people have
heard about me and, so far, they say it is good things that have been passed
along. This reputation has helped buy smooth transitions. When you have a good
reputation, people give you credits based on that reputation.
But
the fool can also have a reputation that precedes their arrival. People have
given a “heads up” about the fool, and are already on guard, watching for the
folly to come. Human wisdom only has so much potential. There are very wise
non-Believers in the world. They have gathered wisdom deposited by the LORD for
all to see. That wisdom is deposited in the hopes people will understand that
there is a Wisdom behind it all.