Wisdom and Understanding

Job 28:28

“And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

As I opened up the package, I saw a bunch of parts all stacked on top of each other. The picture on the box did not look like the parts in the box. As I sat in silence, I started to put the parts together as I saw fit. This part looks like it goes here and this part looks looks like it fit there. As I ran through the parts, joining them together attempting to match the picture it was clear that my creation used all of the parts but it did not look anything like the picture on the box. Bewildered, I sat in defeat and looked inside the box once more hoping to find another part and I noticed some papers bound together. I opened them up and to my amazement, it was a set of instructions. As I read them it was clear that my way of putting the parts together was wrong. I needed the instructions.

Wisdom and understanding are two things I believe every human will ultimately pursue in some fashion.  Job and his friends have been on a multichapter diatribe on this very subject.  Job’s friends continue to say that he needs to repent of something because clearly God is punishing him and Job hurls back in chapter form that he is blameless in his actions and that God alone has caused this anguish in life and he does not know why. 

If I had a dollar every time I felt like I was in the book of Job I would not need a job today.  Job makes the statement that the fear of the Lord is wisdom and to shun evil is understanding.  Are you shunning evil or letting it run alongside you? Is your understanding of the world your wisdom?   Most of us would say wisdom is understanding the world but God would say that wisdom is fearing God. 

Don’t get caught up in academic understanding and calling it wisdom.  Most of us say, “well when this happened to me we did this” and wisdom is born in your minds.  Can I submit that when we counsel others, we impart understanding not wisdom.  We often fall short of wisdom and are satisfied with understanding. Understanding that I needed some instructions to put the parts together is only half the battle. Wisdom would say to start with the instructions in other words.

Try being Job and knowing you are blameless and an upright man and watching all this around you fall.  Your friends say, “out of understanding” that you have obviously done something and God is punishing you.  Wisdom is fearing God period.  If we start with that understanding will come.  Don’t fall into the trap of getting them backwards, going for understanding and then reckoning it to be wisdom.  We may not always understand our circumstances but we can fear the Lord and shun evil.  Job’s resolve was under attack because his friends were trying to get him to curse God but Job knew what real wisdom looked like.  It began with fearing the Lord and then understanding was shunning evil in his life.

We may not always understand the why behind our circumstances. If I asked a cross section of people if they wanted wisdom and understanding everyone would say yes. Godly wisdom is fearing the Lord and shunning evil in your life is understanding. Sadly, for most of us wisdom would be defined by understanding our circumstances. In God’s economy, He gave us His set of instructions called the Bible. Proverbs 1:1-7 gives us an outline for wisdom and understanding. It finishes with this statement, “but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 2:2 says, “turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding.” Today, let that be your driving life principle. Don’t go through life just putting the parts together randomly. God has a plan for your life and only he can put all the pieces together the correct way. You see, all the parts in the box were meant to build the very picture your see on see on the box. Your way of putting them together without the instructions will only end up in defeat.

Surrender your entire life to the Lord and let Him build it, now that is wisdom and understanding.

Prayer: Father, I pray that we listen to your Holy Spirit for Godly wisdom and understanding in our lives. I shun evil in Jesus name. I align myself with your Word, the Bible, for it is the instruction manual for our lives. I will embrace your Word and fear the Lord. In Jesus name, amen.