That’s Wisdom
Today’s Bible Reading: JOB 26:1-29:25
Job 28:28
And he said to man, “Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn from evil is understanding”
Wisdom can seem unattainable and understanding inaccessible, but they are not. Man searches for wisdom in many different ways. He exhausts much energy and effort in his quest to attain it. He invests countless resources to pursue it.
Inevitably all men’s efforts are ineffective in gaining true wisdom, because he seeks for it in the wrong realm. True wisdom can’t ultimately be found in or through the created order. It emerges from the Creator. The Lord is the source of all wisdom. Wisdom is found in Him and is attained by knowing Him.
Job declares that “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom”. Real wisdom is connected to a proper reverence of God. The fear of God mentioned here is a deep affection for the Almighty. It is filial fear which fosters high and Holy thoughts of God. It is valuing the Lord above all that you value. It is the veneration of Him above everyone else. It is attained when we abandon our self-centered life for a God-centered life in which we align ourselves with His word and His ways.
Job comments that the fruit of this fear is an “understanding” that the prompts us “to turn from evil’. Godly wisdom leads to a change of heart which leads to a change of habits. It brings a deep understanding of our depravity and how it displeases the Lord. Wisdom leads us to understand how God sees our sin and develops in us the same hatred and repulsion that He has for sin. It leads us to realize that evil has no place in our relationship to Him. Out of our affection for Him, we examine how evil entices us from without and within and strive to eradicate it. Our reverence for Him motivates us to repel the overwhelming tug of evil. Our delight in our Savior stimulates us to decline sin. Our fear of Him leads us to forsake evil. It is our trust in Him that enables us to turn from evil.
Today thank God for the wisdom that He has manifested to mankind. Praise Him that His wisdom enables you to walk in His ways. Thank Him that the understanding that He dispenses empowers you to dispel sin. Consider your personal struggle with reoccurring evil in your life. Contemplate how it influences you and entices you to follow its impulses and draw you into sin. Cry out for the spiritual understanding you need to turn from evil. Trust Him to help you make the turn.
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