don't be a fool.

In the book of Job, God reveals that He is sovereign over circumstances, people, hardships, and Satan--yes, even everything! Through the various discourses between Job and his three (not-so-good) friends, he wonders how God could have brought all this calamity upon him. Furthermore, in chapter 28, Job seeks for wisdom and recognizes that it is God who is the source and wellspring of all wisdom. Hear what Job asks:

Job 28:20 20 "Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding?

Job immediately responds with a remarkable and pithy discourse on the sovereignty of God. Here's how he counsels himself:

Job 28:21-27 21 "Thus it [=this wisdom of v.20] is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky. 22 "Abaddon and Death say, 'With our ears we have heard a report of it.' 23 "God understands its way, And He knows its place. 24 "For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens. 25 "When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure, 26 When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the thunderbolt, 27 Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out.

Job wisely remembers that this wisdom resides in God Himself and it is, in fact, hidden from the eyes of all the living. Verse 23 leaves no one questioning, however, as it states that God knows the way of wisdom and he even knows its place--for, indeed, it dwells within His very being!

Take note of Job's logic:

• God sees everything under the heavens (v.24)
• God knows everything about the wind (that which is invisible!) (v.25)
• God sets limits for the rain--yes, every drop! (v.26a)
• God determines the course for every single thunderbolt (v.26b)
• God saw His works which He had sovereignly and powerfully declared (v.27a)
• God established all His works--from everything under the heavens (v.24), everything about the wind (v.25), the formation of every single raindrop (v.26a), the size, magnitude, and power of the thunderbolt (v.26b), yes, even all his works (v.27).
  

Indeed, Job wisely deduces the proper response that He must have (*take note--this ought to be our response as well) when considering the ways and workings of God:

Job 28:28 28 "And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'"

The only proper response after recognizing that God sovereignly establishes and carefully ordains everything that happens is to fear the LORD. Herein lies the fact that Job seeks to find--namely, wisdom. The fear of the LORD is wisdom. Very simply, the one who does not fear the LORD does not have wisdom. Consequently, this fearless one is a fool--a stupid fool. And those who do not fear God will one day fear God as they are forced to bow the knee and confess Jesus Christ as LORD before being judged at the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11-15) and violently thrown into the eternal Lake of Fire.

What an important lesson for us to heed this day, fear the LORD and be wise. Trust God's sovereignty and lean on His infinite wisdom and understanding. For here--and here alone--is where divine wisdom may be found.