"Shall I not in that day saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?" - Oba. 1:8

    Though men be in many respects blind whom God guides not by his Spirit, and on whom he shines not with his word, yet the worst blindness is when men become inebriated with the false conceit of wisdom. God indeed permits the ungodly for a long time to felicitate (joyfully congratulate) themselves on account of their own acumen (wisdom) and counsels. But we are warned by these words that if we excel in understanding, we are not to abuse this singular gift of God, as we see the case to be with the ungodly, who turn to cunning whatever wisdom the Lord has bestowed on them. There is hardly one in a hundred to be found who does not seek to be crafty and deceitful if he excels in understanding. We see that the world perverts this excellent gift of God; the more reason there is for us to labor that our wisdom should be founded in true simplicity. This is one Thing. Then we must also beware lest we trust in our own understanding and despise our enemies, and lest we think that we can ward off any evil that may impend over us; but let us ever seek from the Lord that he may vouchsafe (give) to us at all times the Spirit of wisdom, that he may guide us even to the end of life.