This post was last updated on May 11, 2026

Day 38 (Year 2)

Dark Wisdom

“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink, Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!” (Isaiah 5:21-23 NASB)

The above scripture indicates that some who consider themselves wise but do not possess God’s wisdom. They simply see darkness as normal and even find pleasure in wickedness. Their dark wisdom is not of God but serves to drive people further from Him. Distorting His Word is one trait of this evil wisdom. For example, some say that when believers suffer, we must endure it just as Job did. But in reality, righteous ones like Job are rare. When we face disasters, the safest course of action is to promptly examine ourselves to see if there is any sin that must be confessed and repented of before God, so that His discipline may be lessened. I believe that when people follow dark wisdom for a long time, they often become spiritually parched, depressed, or lifeless.

How can we discern wisdom that looks divine but is merely mortal? The passage points out that those who love and are skilled at mixing strong drinks mostly pursue human wisdom. They seek things for good feelings and find pleasure in them. According to the text, they may even have certain material addictions or indulgences. This often requires understanding the private lives or hidden habits of these “wise” people to know how much of their wisdom or shrewdness is actually tied to addictions. From a social development perspective, strong drink or similar addictions increase social risks and hinder human progress as a whole.

Finally, the verses mention that the primary way of depriving justice is bribery, which leads to the inversion of right and wrong and the oppression of the righteous. Bribery is used to promote unrighteousness, and wicked cliques suppress the innocents. Note that those who call evil good often focus only on short-term interests. They do not truly promote justice or truth. If they do, it is only lip service rather than real practice. This focus on self-interest makes people shortsighted, preventing them from investing for eternal life. The ancient Israel perished because the wicked ran rampant. To “take away the rights of the ones who are right” makes it difficult for people to pursue justice, and the righteous often fall silent. Yet, in such situations, we must not lose heart, but trust God wholeheartedly, strive to practice the truth, even fight back from the brink, uphold justice, and expand the righteous community to attain final victory.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you find it easy to discern dark wisdom? If you do, how can you rely on the Lord to overcome it?

2) Can you detect those who are addicted yet full of religious talk about righteousness? If so, how will you rely on God to deal with them?