Just above the main entrance of 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, an iconic office building and home of the NBC Television Network, hangs an architectural relief from another time, and in more ways than one.
Created by the sculptor Lee Lawrie in the early 1930s, the Art Deco-styled display depicts a man with calipers parting the clouds of ignorance. Beneath him, in all capital letters, we read the words from the Old Testament’s book of Isaiah: “Wisdom and Knowledge Shall Be the Stability of Thy Times.”
Few would argue that we’re living in uneven days, and while sin’s ever-present sting is part of the reason why, the increasing absence of wisdom — God’s point of view — is another key ingredient in culture’s collapse.
“Wisdom is the principal thing, get wisdom,” wrote Solomon. “And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).
People pursue many things these days, including all the classic vices from money to power to sex, but rarely do they reach for prudence and savvy, hallmarks of good judgment. But then again, why should they?
Originally Published in the Washington Times. | 
