20. "Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding
dwell?
21. It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even
from the birds of the air.
22. Destruction and Death say, 'Only a rumor of it has reached our
ears.'
23. God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it
dwells,
24. for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the
heavens.
25. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the
waters,
26. when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the
thunderstorm,
27. then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and
tested it.
28. And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord -- that is wisdom, and
to shun evil is understanding.'
We are given two keys to wisdom and understanding in the last verse:
- Fear God.
- Shun evil.
If you take the book of Job as a whole, it does not teach that by
mastering these two things, everything will go well for you. Job found out all too
painfully that there are no guarantees of reward on this earth for those who follow this
formula. He also found out that whether or not we understand God has no bearing on whether
or not he is God. And, usually as soon as we think we've got him figured out, that's when
he teaches us how little we really do know.
So why bother? Because God is God, and you aren't. Because God
looked at wisdom, checked it out, and said this is what it is. So, get wise and listen to
what he's telling you.