Week 25 Proverbs 28
Whoever trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
So Solomon points out a contrast here. It’s between a) trusting in myself & b) walking in wisdom.
I’m wondering especially about part a): Can I Trust Myself or Can I Not Trust Myself? The end-point of Solomon’s advice is that I need to walk-in-wisdom. But it begins as an exercise in not-trusting-myself.
The problem is that if my options are between a) relying on what I personally think & b) deferring to some outsider that disagrees with what I personally think then that means I’d have to consider the possibility that my own ideas are flawed. That I could get better information somewhere else.
That’s a hard thing to do. I already have my own ideas about things and it’s easiest to just run with them. What are the chances that I’ll start being suspicious about my own ideas?
And even if I do start having some self-doubt and I’m thinking about shifting my confidence over to some other view there’s a whole bunch of options to think about and sift through.
Solomon’s recommendation (his point b)) is to choose the Lord’s Wisdom.
But before I ever get around to hitching-my-wagon to Wisdom I have to deal with Solomon’s Step #1: Doubt Yourself. And that’s a supremely hard thing to do.
Note: quote from Proverbs 28:26 (NIV)