Reading from Saturday, August 28

Bible blog.

I sat down to do this last night but could feel that I was too tired to give it a proper read. So yet again I am far behind.

Reading for August 28
Job 28:1-30:31
There is some awesome stuff in this chunk of text. Chapter 28 specifically weaves a beautiful image of wisdom and its rarity. Job describes a place completely uncharted, "forgotten by the foot of man" and how "No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon's eye has seen it." This whole chapter is so interesting if you consider it in light of the first few chapters of Proverbs where Solomon basically says that wisdom is more important than food and clothing.

I love the idea that wisdom is this sought after, hidden treasure. On a personal level it makes sense in the context of reading the Bible. There is wisdom in here, but its not on the surface - I need to dig and prod and think - and even then I'm sure I'm wrong about 90% of the conclusions I reach.

But this also makes perfect sense in Job's circumstance. He is still deep in a long speech of lamentation, and then he jumps to this idea of wisdom being hidden. Well, think about it. What is the biggest question of this book?

"Why?"

Job, his friends, his wife, and we the readers all struggle with the "why?" And Job describing wisdom as a hidden treasure which is more valuable than any of earth's precious metals fits perfectly with this question of "why?"

At the end of chapter 28 though, he reveals what wisdom actually is:

 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.' "

Again, this is in line with Solomon's teachings from Proverbs 1:7:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

So to sum this up:

• There is nothing in this world more precious or sought after or important than wisdom.
• Wisdom is the fear of the Lord.

And who among the entire cast of characters in the Bible has a reason to fear God?

Job.

Job is terrified of his creator. Yet, he is wise. Such is the price of wisdom.

2 Corinthians 2:12-17
Paul makes a cool analogy to smells here.

¹⁴But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. ¹⁵For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

I'm currently reading a book called "The Passage" which is about future, super powerful vampires. One of the characters in that book described how he liked the way a certain woman smelled and how when she walked by there would always be this trail of a beautiful scent - and I think we've all experienced that. Someone has a perfume or cologne on and they leave this intoxicating fragrant aroma behind them, and sometimes all around them.

I think that's a great analogy to God's presence. It's something that exists in the ether of our world - you can sense it but you can't see it or touch it, but you feel its effects and are aware of its presence.

Also, look at verse 16. It didn't strike me at first what that actually meant but I think I have a basic idea. Again, think about perfumes. There could be one that makes you go absolutely starry eyed and trip over yourself because of how intoxicating it is, but someone could be allergic to that same scent. So the same scent could effect two people in completely opposite ways. In the same way, the "scent" of the message of Christ is polarizing. To "evil" people, it smells of death, but to those in need of saving it smells of life.

Sometimes my butt smells. I wonder what that means.

Psalm 42:1-11

 ⁹ I say to God my Rock,
       "Why have you forgotten me?
       Why must I go about mourning,
       oppressed by the enemy?"
 ¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony
       as my foes taunt me,
       saying to me all day long,
       "Where is your God?"
 ¹¹ Why are you downcast, O my soul?
       Why so disturbed within me?
       Put your hope in God,
       for I will yet praise him,
       my Savior and my God.

Verse 10 is pretty poignant. I think people asking "where is your God?" in the face of disaster and pain and hardship, whether personal or widespread, is a common reaction. I have asked this myself many times with all the violent acts of nature this year. But as I'm learning - God is there. God does exactly what he wants. We people have no say and no right to complain against his will. Will I still complain to him when things don't go my way? You bet. But I need to remember he has plans and sometimes those plans suck for a lot of people. But it needs to come down to trusting him.  And that's something I think we all have a hard time doing.

Proverbs 22:7
 ⁷ The rich rule over the poor,
       and the borrower is servant to the lender.


Word up homies.