The Value of Sense

(Proverbs 17:16 KJV)  Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?

This speaks of the frustration of the rich fool.  He has the resources to buy anything he sees.  The problem is that nothing that is available fills the void in his life.  The KJV does a better job of translating by saying “heart” (3820) instead of the “sense” of the NASB.  Picture a vegan in a butcher shop.  He is surrounded by edible food but doesn’t want any of it.  A good example of this was in the recent hysteria over the lottery jackpot that reached over a billion dollars.  Three people shared the bounty.  I hope they are not typical of winners.  People who win millions in the lottery usually end up pennyless and miserable because they don’t have the heart of wisdom.  The money destroys them.

We live in an affluent age in a rich country.  Even our poor are better off than most of the world.  And yet we have so many people who are miserable in the midst of their plenty.  Keep in mind what they are missing, it isn’t wealth.

(Proverbs 9:10 KJV)  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

So?  Feel free to daydream about winning the lottery but keep your feet in eternity.  I trust that you have the sense, or heart, that can put you in touch with the One who satisfies.