What Is Biblical Wisdom?

What Is Biblical Wisdom? introduces readers to the Old Testament Wisdom Literature, exploring what Scripture teaches about the nature of wisdom and its bearing on how believers are called to live before God.

Dr. R.C. Sproul surveys the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, and Song of Solomon, showing how these diverse writings—prayers, aphorisms, dramatic narrative, and love poetry—share a unifying concern: the pursuit of godliness rooted in reverence for God. Sproul draws a careful distinction between the speculative orientation of Greek philosophy and the practical, God-centered focus of Hebrew wisdom, in which the fear of the Lord stands as the foundational starting point rather than the conclusion of inquiry.

The book also addresses the relationship between wisdom and knowledge, arguing that while knowledge alone does not produce wisdom, wisdom cannot be attained apart from knowledge of God and His Word. Sproul examines how Scripture contrasts the wise and the foolish, clarifies the nature of the fear of the Lord as filial reverence rather than terror, and traces the way each wisdom book contributes to the biblical call to live faithfully in a world marked by suffering and moral confusion. Written as part of the Crucial Questions series, this booklet offers a concise and accessible entry point into a body of literature that speaks directly to the challenges of daily Christian living.

Key Themes

• The fear of the Lord as the necessary foundation of true wisdom
• The distinction between wisdom and knowledge in Scripture
• The contrast between biblical wisdom and Greek philosophical inquiry
• The pursuit of godliness as the central concern of Old Testament Wisdom Literature

Featured Quotes

“For the Jew, wisdom meant an understanding, practically speaking, of how to live a life that is pleasing to God.”

“We neglect God’s Word, which is the supreme textbook of all wisdom.”