I was told in school that I am a smart guy. I have an above average IQ according to IQ tests that I took. What does this mean? It means that I process information quicker than most people. Does it mean that I never do dumb things? Nope.

In fact, the reality of the difference in IQ of different people is so stark, that it might lead one to become a elitist. There are ethnic groups with an average IQ in the 60s, to ethnic groups with IQ scores above 115. If you are of an ethnic group with an IQ in the 60s, you might feel bad about yourself. If you are of an ethnic group with scores above 115, you might feel superior. The question is, should you?

This question is the reason God had Solomon write the book of Proverbs. In the book of proverbs, God contrasts the “foolishness of men” to the “wisdom of God”. The wisdom of God, is from God. According to the book of Proverbs, anyone can have the wisdom of God, which is freely available, simply by asking.

From Proverbs 2 verse 3 to 6:

For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord
And discover the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

In other words, If you want knowledge and understanding, all you have to do is ask. You do not need a high IQ.

Fact is though, a high IQ does buy you things. For me, it bought be a good job as a Computer Programmer. Companies give prospective programmers an IQ test before hiring them. They do this because the job requires a lot of research and education to adapt to new technologies. Lower IQ people would take a long time jumping to a new technology so they would not make good employees.

On the other side of the coin, some jobs are dull and repetitious, and a high IQ person would be bored to death doing them, and would perform poorly. A lower IQ person would be a better fit.

Rather than valuing people’s differences in IQ, society favors the high IQ person over the lower IQ person. This is stupid. It also ignores the basic problem that people have, doing stupid things irregardless of their IQ.

In order to explain this, I want to compare and contrast IQ and God’s wisdom (which I will refer to as just “wisdom” from now on) with Horse Power and Torque.

Automobile and Truck engines generally have 2 specifications that are given out as a measurement of an engine’s capabilities. I am going to compare 2 engines, one from a Chevy Corvette, and one from a Mack trailer truck. The Corvette Z06 engine produces 650 hp and 650 ft lbs of torque. The Mack truck 11 L MP 7 engine produces 325 hp and 1200 ft lbs of torque. One engine is twice the horse power and half the torque, and the other is half the horse power and twice the torque.

One engine is used to propel a Truck carrying up to 80,000 lbs at a top speed around 70 mph. The other is used to propel a car carrying 2 people and about 500 lbs of luggage to a top speed around 180 mph. One engine is sexy, the other is boring, but if you were moving your household goods across the country, which would you choose?

One might ask, couldn’t the Corvette engine be put into the Mack Truck to make it go faster? The answer is no. A Corvette engine does not have the torque to handle 80,000 lbs. If fact, it would tear itself apart at the first hill you tried to climb.

Horsepower is like IQ. It is sexy and impressive. Horsepower will propel a lightweight vehicle to high speeds. IQ will enable a person to learn new things quickly. High horsepower and low torque will not handle heavy loads however. High IQ will not automatically enable a person to make good decisions however.

Torque is like wisdom. It is dull and boring. Torque will enable you to move heavy loads at low speeds. Wisdom will enable you to complete large projects. High torque and low horsepower will not help you win races however.

The conclusion is, we need wisdom, not high IQ’s. A high IQ does not stop you from being foolish. A high IQ might make you clever, but from Isaiah 29:14 (NIV):

Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.

In the end, we all need wisdom no matter what our IQ is. High IQ people do a lot of stupid things, because of the pride they have in themselves. The book of Proverbs identifies these people as “cunning”, “haughty” and “proud”. The book of Proverbs chapter 21:2 through 6 predicts failure for these people:

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the hearts.
To do righteousness and justice
Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.
Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
The lamp of the wicked, is sin.
The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage,
But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

In the end, people who rely on IQ, and assume it also makes them wise, are identified by their promotion of these 2 things:

1. Atheism (“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1)
2. Socialism (“he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.” 1 Samuel 8:11, see Socialism, good or bad? and Is America Being Robbed?)

Both of these things are foolish and will result in failure.

No high IQ person should ever assume that he is automatically wise and that he does not need the wisdom that only comes from God!