How To Be A Wise Guy! Job 28

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Job 28:

23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom;  he knows where it can be found 24 for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. 25 He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. 26 He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning. 27 Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. 28 And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Today's passage in Job 28 talks about the value of wisdom. This makes sense because the book of Job is under the biblical category of "wisdom literature". Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs are all books in the bible referred to as "wisdom literature". 

"Wisdom is a capacity of the mind that allows us to understand life from God's perspective." NIV Bible

"The purpose of wisdom is to give insight to the living, that our days may not be wasted and lived fully for an eternal purpose; avoiding regret and living without guilt from choices bathed in wisdom.  Wisdom guides how we live and grants joy to those who live by it.  Without it, we live in vain." - Denise Pass

Job sums up the concept of wisdom quite well when he says, "God alone understands the way to wisdom." Job 28:23

So what does Job means when he says, "The fear of the Lord is true wisdom."? 

Many people misunderstand what the phrase "the fear of the Lord" means. By understanding it correctly, we can surmise why it is the key to true wisdom. To fear the Lord is to put God in His proper place. When God is in the proper place in our lives everything else flows from that. We might say this means having a "right relationship" with God. 

A right relationship with God is gained by understanding who God is and what is His nature. God is all powerful, all knowing, and all loving. And understanding who we are as made in God's image, yet also born of a sinful nature.  At the heart of our sinful nature is that we don't want to listen to God but would rather live life on our own terms. 

Wise people realize that God is God and we are not! They realize the smartest thing they can do live on God's terms not their own. 

The opposite of being wise is being foolish. Foolish people do not fear God. They do not acknowledge their need for Him, nor do they realize one day they will be accountable for how they lived their lives. They live as if there is no God and live for self gratification and pleasure. People who live like this will eventually realize the foolishness of their ways. When they lose their wealth or their health, they realize that their life is founded on sinking sand.  

Fortunately God is gracious and sent His only Son to show us how much he loves us. Jesus came in the flesh to show us the wisdom of God. When we come to faith in Jesus, we are made right in God's sight. We have a healthy fear of God and are given the Holy Spirit as a guide to our lives. 

I love the serenity prayer which is a cornerstone of the Alcoholics Anonymous. 

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the WISDOM to know the difference." 

Are you living according to God's Wisdom, or the wisdom of this world?  God's wisdom is found in His Word and is given to us by the Holy Spirit. James says, 

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:5


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