I do believe that we all need wisdom. Moreover, I believe that we need a daily reminder as to where we find this wisdom because in our world, as godless as it may be, we need to remember that wisdom is not found in culture or in this world system, but found in the fear of God.Listen to how Job puts it in this inclusio (sandwichlike structure):
Job 28:12 "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
And then he spends fifteen verses showing where wisdom is not found. He concludes by saying:
Job 28:28 "And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'"
How important it is for us to remember this essential question: Where can real wisdom be found? Job answers that by saying that wisdom is not found in man (v.13); in nature (v.14); in wealth (v.15-19), but only with God (vv.20-27).
I was considering the magnitude of this verse when I read it this morning. What would I do if God were to approach me right now and ask me this question that Job poses:
Job 31:14 What then could I do when God arises? And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
Would you say that you have been pursuing the true wisdom of God as found in the fear of God revealed in the Word of God? Or are you living life seeking your own wisdom living life day to day in and through your own human (finite!!) wisdom?
It is my prayer today that we receive afresh the reminder that true wisdom is found in the fear of God. Fearing God is understanding who God is and who we - as sinful creatures - are (or who we are not!). Let us spend time with God in the treasury of wisdom and knowledge given to us in the pages of Scripture. This is to be our source of wisdom. This is to be our source of meditation. This is to be our preoccupation. Soli Deo Gloria.
