Ministry of Grace Church

For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Truth to Learn

The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.

Behind the Words

“Written” is from the Greek word graphō, which literally means “to grave,” that is, to carve. It is the most ancient form of writing. In first century common usage, it refers to any kind of writing. It is written here in the perfect tense, so it means “it was written in the past and, therefore, it is written (as a confirmed statement of fact).”

Apollumi, is the word translated “destroy.” It is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from,” used as an intensifier, and ollumi, meaning “to destroy.” Thus, apollumi means “to completely destroy. Today, we might say annihilate.

Both “wisdom” and “wise” are translated from a form of sophos, which refers to “wisdom, skill, tact, or expertise in an art form.”

The words “bring to nothing” are from atheteō, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “without” and thetos, which refers to something that has been put in its place. Therefore, athetheō means “to cause something to be without a place.” In other words, it means “to get rid of” or “to abolish.”

Both “understanding” and “prudent” are from forms of the Greek word suniēmi, which refers to “perception, understanding, or intelligence.” It generally refers to the ability to understand concepts and see relationships between them.

Meaning Explained

Paul is making his comments with regard to the gospel message. In the previous verse he said that the good news of Salvation in Jesus Christ is laughable, even absurd, to those who reject it, those who are on death’s road because of such rejection. However, to those of us who believe the salvation truth, it is the life-giving power of God. To further emphasize his point, Paul quotes from the Prophet Isaiah, who said:

Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden. (Isaiah 29:14)

This message was delivered to the Israelites because they thought they could rely on the strength of the Egyptians to protect them from a coming invasion by the Assyrians. In spite of all the miracles that God had done to save them and protect them, the Israelites rejected God and relied on their own wisdom and understanding. After all, at that time the Egyptians were the richest, most powerful nation in the world. It seemed like the wisest, most prudent thing to do, to make an alliance with Egypt for their own protection.

One thing we often miss when we read about the Israelites and their Egyptian neighbors: Egypt is a type (a symbolic picture) of the world system that we live in today. The world system will not save you. Only God can do that.

Application

How many Christians today are so caught up in the world around them that they come to depend on it instead of God? Are you one of them? We have to live in the world, but we don’t have to follow it. Where is your heart?