"When I was a son with my father,
tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
he taught me and said to me,
'Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.'"
—Proverbs 4:3–5
We see here the relationship of tradition to wisdom. Tradition may have a negative connotation, as when Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in Matthew 15 for breaking the commands of God for the sake of their tradition. But the problem is not with tradition itself. Tradition by itself is simply a method.
Wisdom we see gives reasons. Wisdom has roots. Tradition for the sake of tradition is rootless. It is not wisdom. Tradition for the sake of tradition can be nothing more than fools foolishly listening to fools. Even so, tradition is the vehicle for the transmission of wisdom. The enduring creeds, confessions, and catechisms of the church have value for this reason. They are accrued wisdom, rooted in the Scriptures, handed down through tradition.
Jarosav Pelikan said “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. And, I suppose I should add, it is traditionalism that gives tradition such a bad name.” Paul admonished the Thessalonians saying, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). What we have in Proverbs 4:3–9, is the same kind of generational transmission that Paul speaks of in 2 Timothy 2:2. “[W]hat you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
Wisdom is to be wed to tradition because wisdom is better inherited than earned. It is wise to readily receive an inheritance of wisdom. It is foolish to spurn it. Many adolescents are eager to receive the wealth of their parents, while rejecting the wisdom that led to that wealth. This is the folly of the prodigal son. By spurning the wisdom he did not want, he also lost the wealth that he did want. He eventually gained wisdom through experience, but it was a costly lesson. Buy wisdom cheap. Purchase it through another’s experience. One theologian writes,
“Tradition can be described as vicarious experience. An old proverb states that ‘experience is the wisdom of fools.’ This may appear to be counter-intuitive, but the point is simple. Fools learn from experience that fire burns your fingers; wise people learn this by heeding what they are taught—and by observing fools! The biggest fools do not learn even from their experience. As the saying goes, there is not much to learn from the second kick of the mule. There is no need to reinvent the wheel in every generation”
Wisdom is to be sought, not found.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 6:16).
Before you walk in the way that seems right to you, ask the gray head for the ancient paths. Wisdom is to be sought. And such wisdom transmitted through tradition.
Parents, know the value of giving and receiving inherited wisdom. Learn the value of good tradition. Implore your children as former fools who have graciously been shown wisdom. Implore them to seek Christ, the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:25) and to walk in the fear of Yahweh.
No Other Boast 