Wisdom Where Are You?

Job 28

We often hear people talk about "Common sense". Almost as frequently we hear it said that "common sense is not so common". While we wish more people had common sense, that is not the same thing as wisdom. Neither is intelligence. There are a lot of really smart people in this world who lack wisdom. That is because wisdom is not easily attained.

Job 28 is a descriptive chapter about the elusivity of wisdom and also the priceless value of wisdom. Job describes that wisdom has the value of gold, silver, and gems but it cannot be found as easily as these. For those of us that are poor, we know that it is not easy to find gold, silver, or precious gems. Yet, they are far easier to come by than wisdom.

Job ends his speech by saying:

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And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;

And to depart from evil is understanding.

Job 28:28

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This sounds a lot like what Solomon said in the proverbs. In Proverbs 9:10 he said, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding". These two verses are synonymous. Fearing God is wisdom and knowledge of the holy is understanding. To depart evil is to pursue holiness. So, both Job and Solomon are saying the same thing.

Many scholars believe that Job was penned by Moses. The author is not identified in the text. Frankly, it does not matter. The author of the Book of Job is the Holy Spirit and He inspired someone to pen the words. This is why there is agreement between the Book of Job and the writings of Solomon. God is in agreement with Himself and does not contradict Himself. To do so would be unwise.

What we learn from this text is that we should give incredible effort to seeking wisdom. We should reverence God and pursue knowledge of Him. Not only should we pursue knowledge of Him, but we should pursue Him. We should seek a personal relationship with Him. Intimacy with God is where we find wisdom. When we walk away from God, we leave wisdom behind as well.

Father, help me to find wisdom in you. May I pursue wisdom by seeking your face. With all that is going on in this world, your people need wisdom to know how to stand. May we stand in you and not in our own understanding.