The Look of Wisdom - Job 27-28

Job 28:23-28 (ESV Strong's)
23 “God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
28 And he said to man,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

The Look of Wisdom

In chapters 27 and 28 of Job, Job is continuing his discourse, in response to his three friends.   The three of them have accused Job of being so full of sin he is suffering in this very cruel manner.  Job cries, “Innocent!”   As he unfold his argument in these chapters he is drawing a comparisons between man’s pursuit for wisdom and God’s real definition of wisdom. Basically his three friends are trying to prove their points, using man-made wisdom, while Job is trying to prove his point with God’s wisdom (or, so he thought).  In the above passage we finally get to the central thesis of Job’s argument.   He is maintaining that wisdom is a Divine gift from God and is not an intellectual pursuit.  He states in the above passage that wisdom flows from God.  He wants his friends to know that wisdom comes from a relationship with God as we stand in awe of who He is.   God created wisdom.   Wisdom is the essence of God’s work.  When we see the impact of the wind, that is God’s wisdom that gave wind it’s weight (that is an amazing thought).  When we see the shoreline of the lake we see God’s wisdom giving the water her boundaries.   A good rain and lighting storm are the visible evidence of God’s wisdom.   When we ask for God’s wisdom in our lives, this is the type of power, promise and insight we get from Him.   Job is trying to make sure his friends know that although he has no idea why these sufferings have come upon him, he does know that they flow from the hand of God who also gives wisdom.   He comes to the conclusion that the only way to access this wisdom is to live in the Fear of the Lord.  When we see the depths of God’s awesome character, He gives us the riches of His amazing wisdom.