And He Said to Man

And He Said to Man.  At our core, we are meaning makers. Humans seek meaning in the universe. Across language, education, religion, and geography meaning-making is an unstoppable internal force that compels us to seek answers to the question, Why? Note the contrast with some humor, my dogs do not ask me why the stars seem to twinkle in the night sky whereas my children do. Asking why? is a valid but often disappointing question. The answers are usually either unavailable or unbearable. But setting all answers aside, the asking of this question shows the universal characteristic of humanity to connect to significance. We seek understanding. This is a wonder; it constitutes one aspect of bearing the image of God!

But there is a bend in the framework of our insatiable drive to find meaning. While we are born hungry to ask meaningful questions, we initiate double trouble when we: (1) look to the wrong source for meaning, and (2) neglect the right source of meaning. A principle emerges in the Scriptures: we search for but cannot find understanding from the universe about the universe or our purpose in it. We need an infusion of wisdom from the outside. We need God.

In the 28^th chapter of Job, Job takes a pause in the unprofitable back-and-forth between himself and his so-called friends as to why Job suffers. Their many words generated zero wisdom, so a stand-alone poem on wisdom is dropped in the middle of their futile opinions.

The first half of the poem (vv. 1-11) argues effectively that while man mines for treasure, better than the rest of creation, he cannot find wisdom. Two pairs of questions emerge in the second half of the poem (vv. 12-28), the first two ask about discovery and the second two ask about source. “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (vs. 12). “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?” (vs. 20). Where can we find wisdom? Clearly, it is undiscoverable (vv. 13-19). From where does wisdom originate? Clearly, it is unsearchable (vv. 21-22). God alone is the source of wisdom. “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place” (vs. 23). To find wisdom is to know God. “And he said to man” (vs. 28a). Wisdom is personal, “And he.” Wisdom initiates relationship, primarily through his spoken word, “he said.” Wisdom enlightens humanity, “And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding’” (vs. 28).