The first half of Proverbs 18:14 proclaims, "The human spirit can endure in sickness…" (NIV) God has designed people to be remarkably resilient. During insurmountable suffering, think Nazi death camps, famine, abuse by terrorists, and of course plagues, in those settings of extreme deprivation are always found the hurting who despite pain are buoyed by hope. As followers of Christ, our minds go to the immortal words of Job, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him." (Job 13:15 KJV) In a great trial, we soar on the wings of Job's confidence!
Until the wind beneath our wings thrusts us to the ground. In the second half of verse 14, Solomon addresses the elephant in the room of suffering, "…but a crushed spirit who can bear?" Hope does not always "spring eternal." In the "dark night of the soul," our eyes can starve for the light of Heaven. As acknowledged by Solomon, our spirit can indeed be crushed!
I find Solomon to be refreshingly realistic. In the verse before us, he readily acknowledges the transcendent highs of supernaturally secured hope. Then, he equally acknowledges, as he often does, some exceptions are …well, in Solomon's own words, "I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind." (Ecclesiastes 6:1 NIV)
Solomon does not leave us without recourse. The next verse, 15, guides toward hope with, "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out." (Pr. 18:15 NIV) Knowledge is mentioned twice in this short verse and obviously is the path to hope. But there is a qualifier in the first line described as the "heart of the discerning." Similar to Aristotle's conundrum of ethics that one must be virtuous to become virtuous, do we need knowledge (discernment) to gain knowledge? That necessary foundational discernment is available to all. Again, Solomon closes the loop in 1:7 with "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…" (NIV) God will guide us to the place of peace, hope, and provision for any experience He allows. If we "fear the Lord," that is respect his sovereign control and intently listen, our ears will hear the whispers of knowledge.
There is no secret path to universal peace and prosperity. Some of the challenges we face must simply be endured! Former US Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt expressed his concern over the 2007 H5N1 avian flu, "Everything you say in advance of a pandemic seems alarmist. Anything you've done after it starts is inadequate."1
Pursue God and the knowledge necessary for these days because God has provided, through an army of medical professionals, what we need to find ourselves on the highway to hope. It will be a long and hard road, but a doable path. If we fail to appeal to God and to follow the knowledge he has provided thoughtfully, the wind beneath our wings of hope will die. On the other hand, the ears of the wise will find the way and flourish.
1 http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/commentary-strange-covid-19-bedfellows-gnawing-anxiety-and-under-reaction
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