Where is wisdom found? This is the question Job asked.
His friends had different ideas…
1. Eliphaz said it came from experience. (Job 4:7,8; 5:3, 27)
What was his attitude?
“I have personally observed how life works and have figured it out.”
While experience can be a teacher, it is not necessarily the best teacher nor the ultimate source of wisdom.
2. Bildad said it came from education. (Job 8:8,9; 18:15-21)
To him, wisdom is inherited from the past. He based his advice from traditional proverbs and sayings he frequently quoted. Wisdom would come from the learned and teachers.
His attitude? “Those who have gone before us figured life out, and all we need to do is use that knowledge.”
3. For Zophar, wisdom would come from intelligence. (Job 11:6; 20:1-29)
To him, it’s either you have it or you don’t. He based his advice on his wisdom that had no other source than himself.
His attitude: “The wise know what life is like but there aren’t many of us around.”
4. But Job hit the nail on the head. It’s not from experience, nor education, nor intelligence. His answer was that wisdom came from God. (Job 28:20-28)
His attitude: “God reveals His wisdom to those who fear Him.”
Job 28:28 – ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’
What then is the fear of the Lord?
Proverbs 8:13 – To fear the Lord is to hate evil.
It’s to hate what God hates. To dislike what He dislikes.
A few more verses on the fear of the Lord…
Prov 15:33. The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Prov 19:23. The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
Prov 10:27. The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.
Prov 14:27. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
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