Sharp

Ecclesiastes 10:10

If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

This machette was given to me a number of years ago. It is from the Dominican Republic.


The sticker of authenticity. Despite the sticker, there is a problem...at least what I think of as a problem.


Look carefully at that edge. Looks rather ragged doesn't it. It isn't a nice clean refined edge.




This is a wetstone. This particular stone has a very fine texture. It is meant for refinement of an edge. A stone of more coarse texture would be used to create the edge at first, then a fine textured stone would be used to refine the edge, which would make it sharper.


The verse talks about applying wisdom to make sharpening easier. If I was sharpening a blade on this stone, I'd use water or a light oil. By so doing, the sharpening precess is inhanced. Particles of steel and stone don't congregate in the area of sharpening clogging the process. God's wisdom will make the process of so many things in life easier if one seeks and asks for it. Human effort by itself can only do so much, but heavenly wisdom added to human effort creates the best outcome.

The result is a clean, fine edge (this is just for the illustration...I don't have the guts to use that stone on this knife).

Another illustration: Many areas of our lives may be like the machette, in need of refining. Sometimes it takes an abrasive applied by pressure to produce a finished result. By seeking God's wisdom, that period of sharpening may be reduce as a result. Just as the water or oil provides for more effective sharpening, so heavenly wisdom provides for more effective learning experience.


I don't know about you, but I want to be willing to learn my lesson(s) by asking for God's wisdom and applying it to situations and learn from them quickly rather than having to have more pressure applied so the lesson gets through my head.