Probably most people think of intelligence as the ability to
reason, learn, comprehend, and solve problems. They think in terms of
“I.Q.” or intelligence quotient, the number used to express the
relative intelligence of a person determined by dividing his mental
age by his chronological age and multiplying by 100.
Yet, I have observed that a person’s I.Q. has little if anything to
do with a person’s character or what I like to think of as “spiritual
intelligence.” A person with a high I.Q. can be kind and compassionate
or just the opposite – cruel and lacking in empathy for God’s creatures.
Intelligence, whether high, low or average, seems to have little if
anything to do with “spiritual intelligence.”
Then there is “wisdom” or the ability to use knowledge. A person can
be a “walking encyclopedia,” yet not use that knowledge wisely. One of
my favorite Bible passages is found in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament):
Isaiah, Chapter 11. Here the Prophet Isaiah foresees the coming of the
Messiah and describes Him as having the “spirit of wisdom and
understanding…the spirit of knowledge….”
I especially like the passage that begins with Verse 6 –
“And the wolf will dwell with the lamb….”
and ends with Verse 9:
“They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.”
It’s the application of this knowledge that brings an end to all the
hurting and destroying of both humans and other animals that is so
rampant upon this earth today. It seems ironic that so many people, who
claim to be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, continue to promote
cruelty and suffering either directly or indirectly.
Frank and I pray for the arrival of that day when there will no
longer be any hurting or destroying in all of God’s creation.
