WONDERS OF CREATIVE WISDOM

“Who has put WISDOM in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?” – Job 38:36

God’s responses to Job’s dilemma reveal the WONDERS of CREATIVE WISDOM: “Who has put WISDOM in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?” (Job 38:36). The answer, of course, is God. The question came in the middle of an array of questions that God asked Job at the end of his recorded journey in the book. Job had repeatedly challenged God to a contest. God now accepted (38:1-3). His first question set the tone of their mostly one-way conversation, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding” (v.4). Employing amazing creation language, God revealed His sole authorship of the mysteries of creation, which only He could explain – His control of creation!

God’s reply was to ask Job questions that he couldn’t answer, so as to show how little he knew of the Wisdom of the Almighty. God began His ironical questioning of Job with a poetic description of His work in creating the world, something that He did long before Job or any other human being was born. Only angels – “the morning stars” or “sons of God” – witnessed God’s work of material creation (vv.4-7). Wisdom belongs to the One who fastened the foundations and laid the cornerstone of the earth (vv.6-7). He “shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb” (v.8). God separated the waters in the atmosphere from the waters on the earth and caused dry land to appear (vv.8-11).

God asked Job if he could make the sun rise, so that those who rely on darkness to do evil are exposed – “shaken out” of their hiding places (vv.12-13). Could Job use the rays of the rising sun to create beautiful patterns and colours on the earth’s surface (vv.14-15)? Had Job been to the depths of the sea or the ends of the earth? Did he know where the sun dwells in order to make it rise each morning and take it to its resting place each evening? He should, if he had such knowledge as he claimed (vv.16-21). Did Job know how God controls the weather (vv.22-24)? Who made snow, hail, wind, rain and lightning (vv.25-30)? Could Job control the stars (vv.31-33)? Could he send floods or create drought as he wishes (vv.34-38)?

God’s Wisdom put in our inward parts makes it possible for us to yearn for answers to life’s wonders and mysteries. Yet our wisdom comes only from Him, so we cannot ever outsmart God with our carnal wisdom. In fact, He has implanted in us only a fraction of His wisdom, so we could never absolutely comprehend all His ways. It may be good for our souls to voice our grievances against God; but it would be foolish to expect Him to admit to any error! God is all-wise and all-knowing. He never says, “I didn’t know that. If I did, I wouldn’t have done this.” He is infinite from eternity past to eternity future.

Nothing is new to God. He has infinite perspective. God sees everything at every moment and how it relates to everything in all moments and all of eternity. A major point of the Book of Job is for us to see that God is all-wise, the Author of all wisdom; and we can trust His wisdom, given our limited of knowledge, experience, and perspective. We may not understand why this or that is happening, has happened, or will happen in our lives; but we can look to God, and trust that He has all wisdom. He is orchestrating all things to work together for our good (Rom.8:28). He puts wisdom in our inward parts and gives understanding to our minds. We should pray for grace to trust God’s Wisdom in the middle of whatever life brings us.

From His vast, eternal vantage view, God is able to give us a larger and clearer picture of our lives and circumstances. We often need to step back, through His Word, to glimpse – if not fully understand – His larger purposes with greater clarity.