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Smart
May 19, 2012

Have you ever heard the word "smart" used to sell a product or idea? School children may hear adults say that a smart child will do something and what they also mean is that somebody who is not smart will not do what they ask. Adults hear this same word used to describe investments, political ideas, and consumer products. Again, what is implied is that only using the suggested product makes one smart. Also implied is that if you use any other product you are not smart. Both children and adults can be tested by use of the word smart because most do not want to appear to be not smart. This can be pretty easy to observe in any public place. All you need to do is gather three or four friends together and while standing in one spot just look up at a fixed location for no particular reason and occassionally point without saying much. For this to work it is best to be looking at absolutely nothing. If you do this while paying attention to those around you, you will begin to see others looking at the spot where there is nothing. Some might even stop and try to figure out what you see. Even though many would say they are doing this for safety's sake, this is an example of people wanting to be smart and to avoid being not smart. Gossip is another way that people show they are smart. Questions that begin with "Did you hear...?" are designed to demonstrate the knowledge of the person sharing the gossip while pointing out the lack of knowledge of the person being told the gossip. Because children are learning lots of information all the time, this kind of thought process is used by many children to influence behaviors of other children. And it appears that many adults are children who are grown up. The use of the concept of "smart" is powerful because being smart evokes pride and not being smart is viewed by some to be shameful. Whenever you hear somebody use the word smart to describe a product or idea, be careful. Are they trying to evoke pride in you to get you to do something that may not be so smart, but will better suit their own interest, or is there a genuine level of concern? Virtually all of the time parents and teachers will have a child's best interest in mind when they describe a product or idea as smart. There are those few teachers and parents who do not have a child's best interest in mind. For instance, if a teacher asks a child to do something that the child has been told is wrong to do by his or her parent, the child should be taught to realize the kind of manipulation that is being used and be taught how to seek help from another adult who is nearby. There are also times when parents and teachers may disagree on other issues, such as politics, grades, discipline, and other areas of life where there may be different beliefs. In these circumstances the child most likely would never be told to do something the parents have taught as wrong, but the use of the concept of smart versus being not smart may still be used. The concept of smart versus being not smart is introduced in the Bible from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

The serpent was appealing to the woman's desire to be smart. She never considered that the serpent may not be telling the truth. Imagine if she would have consideredwhat the serpent had told her was wrong and how this may have ended if she only would have gone to God for help. But she did not and as a result was a victim of the serpent's trick. As a result, she and her husband lost the only home they knew. As part of the serpent's trick notice he started with the truth as the serpent noted that God had said not to eat of every tree of the garden. After the women provided her explanation, the serpent stretched the truth and assured her that if she ate of this forbidden tree, she would not die. And the Bible shows that when she ate of the fruit of this tree she did not die at that moment in time. Eventually, she did die. And from our viewpoint of history looking back, it may seem like the serpent was more truthful than God. Those who understand the Bible know the Bible shows there is eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. Perhaps if the women had not listened to the serpent, there would have been no sin, and no need for a savior for eternal life. The Bible shows many different people being tempted in many different ways. Satan even tried to tempt Jesus.

Matthew 4:1-11
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Again, Satan used the smart versus not smart argument, and variations of this, in his attempt to tempt Jesus. He started with the "if" word and could have easily said, "If you are smart..." In a subtle way he was trying to tell Jesus to his face that Jesus was not smart. He was trying to evoke pride and it did not work. Instead, Jesus answered with an appropriate piece of scripture. This was followed by another "if" question and again there was an attempt to have Jesus buy into the smart versus not smart argument. Again it failed as Jesus responded with scripture. This was followed by a third "if" question with an incentive to agree, and again Jesus responded appropriately with scripture. Why did Jesus get through this temptation and The woman Eve did not? There has been much said about this and I want you to consider that Jesus used the knowledge he had and Eve did not use the knowledge she had. Jesus quoted scripture and obeyed God. Eve quoted God and did not obey God. When it comes to the knowledge we have, we have to obey God. We cannot be drawn into an argument of smart versus being not smart. And even though smart versus being not smart is used to sell products and ideas, it is important to obtain knowledge and as you obtain knowledge you have to use that knowledge. You have to be confident in the knowledge you have. And you must use your knowledge to do the right thing. That is why Jesus had a different result in his encounter with the Devil while Eve had a totally different result. You cannot allow yourself to lack knowledge where every new idea confuses you. If you allow this, you will be more like Eve and less like Jesus.

Ephesians 4:11-14
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

We must be careful so that we are not deceived, and the smart versus not smart argument is one way how people will try to deceive us.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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