“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
The origin of this thought is highly contested. There are claims that the adage is Chinese, Native-American, Indian, African, and even biblical. Sometimes it is linked to Maimonides or others. Neither the words nor the concept is found in Scripture. To the contrary, Believers are taught to rely on God as provider—rather than on self. Surrender is urged as opposed to self-reliance. Of course that doesn’t negate the necessity of tangible work, but God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness, so says 2 Corinthians 12:9. Another Bible verse which instructs reliance on God is Proverbs 3:5-6. Nevertheless, a popular world doctrine is to “pull yourself up by your bootstrap” and “teach a man to fish so he will eat for a lifetime”. Quotations such as these are human-made.
Indeed, many cultures are said to have coined the phrase to, “teach a man to fish…” including Maimonides, but who was Maimonides?
Moses ben Maimon, commonly known as Maimonides, or Ram Bam, was a Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. He was also a Rabbi, astronomer, and physician and his writings on Jewish law and ethics were highly acclaimed. After his death, he was acknowledged as being among the foremost rabbinical philosophers in Jewish history.
Maimonides was mentioned extensively in studies worldwide. Even so, he was not the greatest thinker of all time. He was not the Messiah. Followers of Christ must KNOW, VALUE, and FOLLOW the teachings of Christ more than the quotes of even the most highly educated and greatly favored personalities ever. We must pursue knowing the words and ways of Christ more than we know even the most commonly known words and phrases. We should seek to know biblical truth much better than we know our favorite songs, the most popular books or movies, or even the best sermons. And while we will never know every single thing, we are charged to live 2 Timothy 2:15 lives.
Believers are to study to show approval by God as workers who are not ashamed because we correctly analyze to determine what is true vs. what is not true. Such study yields, not only discernment of truth vs. error, but also of what is of eternal value as opposed to what is of temporary interest. Popular phrases, such as, “teach a man to fish…” may sound good and may even have some merit, but can any word or phrase compare to Scripture as for authority?
Spiritually, if one is to be taught to fish, let it not be so that he can eat for a lifetime, but rather so that he (or she) may become fishers of lost souls. Those very precious souls may then be lead to real and everlasting LIFE [Matthew 4:19].
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