READ Job 25-28
As Job persisted that he was blameless, his ‘friend’ Bildad hammered him — no one can be pure. Ironic. Was he including himself? Job responded that God’s majesty is unsearchable yet no matter what God did, he held to his claim:
“As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.” (Job 27:2–6)
Job knew that every part of his life depended on his Creator. He could not breathe apart from God. He knew that his righteousness was a gift from the Almighty. He held on to that gift and would not let go. He also knew about another precious gift and began talking about wisdom.
Wisdom in not about being smart, inventive or creative. It is not about knowing all sorts of things about the world, it’s flora and fauna, or people, or any area of study or science. Job talked about some of these wonders as he set up his listeners for a huge question, the answer of which explains how he knew God was not punishing him for sin:
“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. (Job 28:12–19)
Again, wisdom is not about intelligence; there are many highly educated fools. It is not about being cunning; some of those wind up in prison. Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight to the situations of life. It can be as simple as knowing what to do with a screaming baby, or how to minister to a broken heart, or how to sooth an angry neighbor when your child broke two of their windows. It is being able to guide a country through a crisis, the threat of war, or a pandemic. Wisdom for the tough stuff is not only precious as Job says, it is rare.
He finally asks, “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’” (Job 28:20–22) Then this man, even in his anguished state and suffering, answers his own question:
“God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out. And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ” (Job 28:23–28)
Job knew what thousands do not know. Humanity races toward the greatest inventions, the biggest and best ideas, but the world does not know how to properly use most of them. Some of the best ideas are ruining health, relationships, and certainly robbing from human hearts the need for God and His grace, including His wisdom.
A deep respect and reverence for God means trusting Him even without understanding Him. This is the doorway to wisdom and the only way that Job or anyone else can hold on to godly convictions when it seems that God has dropped them off a cliff. Today and every day, I need to remember that whatever flies at me or is pulled out from under me and threatens to shatter my peace, I need God’s wisdom and grace to stick to what He has shown me, even when it seems He has changed His mind.
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