"Buy truth and do not sell it. Get wisdom and instruction and understanding"
This is a very powerful but overlooked proverb. The clear idea is that there will be times when you do not know enough to make a wise decision, and you must find the truth, the information, and the data that you need somewhere. You must get hard, cold truth and not let your heart be swayed by the opinions, myths, emotional displays, or personal prejudices of yourself or others. You must purchase truth. Collect truth. And then he says a very interesting thing: don't sell it. In this sense it seems that he means once you have obtained reliable truth, do not let it leave your presence and/or do not move counter to this truth for any pleasure, gain, or position. Some have argued against sound wisdom or truth in order to take a shortcut to something that they want; but it usually does not accomplish what they did it for or if it does, then it comes with consequences that are destructive. Do not part with objective truth no matter how wonderful the temptation seems. It will not pan out.
Many have destroyed their lives in this way: through pursuing a mistress; the tech stock crash of the late 90s; CEO embezzlement and fraud. Each was an example of going after a temptation through ignoring truth. They sold truth for a temporary gain that destroyed them and many others.
truth
The idea of truth as the basis for faith is the bedrock of the Judeo-Christian tradition. We are not asked to believe against the facts but because of the facts. This flies in the face of the modern day notion of faith in faith. This helps us understand a deeper application of this proverb. One must not be caught up in the cultural myths that surround every community. One must remember the bedrock truths and place their faith in them. What are these fundamental truths?
There is a God.
He created the world.
There is right and wrong.
There will be a judgment day in which everything you have ever done will be judged.
He has provided a way for us to come into His presence even though we have sinned against Him.
We find many of these bedrock truths in the Apostles Creed. We don't teach these bedrock truths enough.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz