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By: Henry Weststeyn You may listen to this devotion in audio form via podcast here.
And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”
- Job 28:28
Wisdom is an elusive trait. Defining it is an arduous undertaking. In seeking a definition, I turned to what some may call, from a secular standpoint, the present day source of wisdom: Google. But Google let me down, as one of the first websites that it directed me to was entitled “Best 17 Definitions of Wisdom.” Well that didn’t work.
The Oxford English Dictionary, whose name alone sounds more “wise” than any other online dictionary, defines wisdom as: "Capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct; soundness of judgement in the choice of means and ends.”
The devotional today is based on the story of Job. It’s a well known Bible story. God allows Satan to wreak havoc upon Job’s life in an attempt to prove that his dedication to God is based on the blessings he has been given, not by a true fear and reverence for the Lord. The bulk of the book is a series of argumentative discourses between Job and his friends, who assure him his demise is from God’s hand and due to some unrepented, grievous sin in his life. Even Job’s wife gets involved, suggesting he “curse God and die” as the only solution to his now miserable life. Job, however, is resolutely opposed to the claim of an unrepented sin, yet still struggles with his friends, and with God, as to why this all has happened to him.
This brings us to the second half of Chapter 28, where Job suggests that a lack of “wisdom” might be the reason for he and his friends’ inability to understand God’s action in his life.
After first acknowledging that wisdom cannot be found on the earth or in the seas, and also that it cannot be purchased at any price, he states in v. 23 that only the God of the universe truly knows where wisdom can be found. This is the case because only God has perfect knowledge of His creation, and how it functions. Especially man himself. Job concludes the answer to the question of his problems is only found in the wisdom of God. And Job rightfully reveals this to his doubting friends.
Isn’t this the same with us today? Thankfully for us, our problems and sufferings pale in comparison to those of Job, but as humans we cannot, and never will, possess enough wisdom to understand fully the pressing questions in our lives, and certainly not in this world.
Let’s be honest: how are we truly defining wisdom? Are we still viewing success in our businesses or careers as evidence of wisdom? Do we label learned people at the pinnacle of academia as “wise”? Is old age and experience the only path to wisdom? Noted politicians? Medical professionals? Politicians who think they are medical professionals – is that where wisdom is found?
Especially in these turbulent times, where worldwide virus, racial unrest, oppressive drought, and strained human relationships are the concern of the day, we need to set our focus on the definition of wisdom that God himself gives his creation in verse 28:
“And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding’”
If we do this, everything else will work itself out.
Just as God, in His perfect wisdom, intends.