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Out of the Whirlwind
Lindsey Gardner on October 16, 2024
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Wisdom Builds a House

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INTRODUCTION

It has become increasingly common to hear Christians refer to “wisdom” as though it were some esoteric, mystical quality, as though it were subjective, relative, or simply some kind of Zen power. But while the wisdom of God does confound the wisdom of men, it is not irrational or incoherent. Wisdom is the art of obedient building. In the beginning God built the world out of nothing with wisdom (Prov. 8:22ff). Wisdom builds her house (Prov. 9:1), and by wisdom a house is built (Prov. 24:3). The queen of Sheba was amazed by Solomon’s wisdom and the house he had built (1 Kgs. 10:4, 2 Chron. 9:3). The wise man hears the words of Jesus and obeys and so builds his house on the rock (Mt. 7:24, Lk. 6:48).

THE TEXT

“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living…” (Job 28:12-29:2)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

As Job’s great argument with his three accusers draws to a close, Job recites this meditation on the difficulty and value of wisdom. It is not found in the land of the living or even in the depths of the sea (28:12-14). It cannot be purchased or even compared to gold or sapphires or any precious stone (28:15-19). Destruction and death say they have heard of wisdom, but only God knows where wisdom dwells (28:20-23). God saw and declared and prepared wisdom when He measured every detail of the universe He made, including the winds, the waters, the rain, and the lightning – wisdom built the world (28:24-27). This is why the fear of the Lord is wisdom and departing from evil is understanding (28:28). Bookending this explanation of wisdom are two speeches by Job, which the narrator says are “parables,” wise meditations on his situation (27:1, 29:1), culminating in the end of Job’s argument (31:40).

WISDOM WEARS A HARD HAT

One of the first mentions of wisdom in the Old Testament is the skill given to those constructing the tabernacle. They are given wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and “all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving timber, to work in all manner of workmanship” (Ex. 31:3-5ff) as well as the making of fabrics, weaving, embroidering, dyeing, and engraving (Ex. 28:3-4, 35:26, 31, 35, 36:1-2). Clearly wisdom is an artistic skill. It is both creative and bound by the laws of nature and God’s word. Those who were filled with wisdom were given the artistic skills to “make all that I have commanded” (Ex. 31:6). Wisdom is the art of obeying God well in order to make and build whatever God has determined to make and build: families, cities, businesses, schools, churches, and a people and a Kingdom that will last forever. While some imagine wisdom as something to be found in a cave in the mountains, surrounded by silence and guttering candles, the Bible says that wisdom wears a hard hat. Wisdom operates a crane and backhoe. Wisdom wields a trowel. Wisdom wears an apron. Wisdom is found at work. Wisdom is found in obedience to God’s assignments for building His projects.

THE WISDOM OF JOB

The assignment given to Job was dealing with the severe providence of being a great king who lost most of his wealth, his children, his health, and then facing the shame of three so-called “friends” accusing him of having sinned and therefore being disqualified to rule. The book is largely taken up with three “cycles” of speeches with Job answering each accuser: Eliphaz-Job-Bildad-Job-Zophar-Job (repeat), with the final cycle falling apart in the middle of Bildad’s speech (Job 25). Some modern textual critics want to argue that we lost some material, but the far more straightforward explanation is that Job won the argument. The text suggests this in several ways: first, Job simply outlasts his accusers – they stopped accusing Job because he refused to admit his guilt (Job 32:1); second, at the end of the book, God says that the three accusers have sinned grievously by not speaking what was correct like Job did (Job 42:7-8); but third, even here, the narrator describes Job’s two final speeches as “parables” (Job 27:1, 29:1).

The word for “parable” is literally a “wise saying,” and it is derived from a verb that means to rule or reign as king. What did it look like Job was doing? Arguing for his life? Maybe struggling with a bad attitude? What was Job actually doing? He was rebuilding his household and kingdom. What were his materials? The metal and wood and stones of his shattered kingdom and shameless accusers. In other words: Almost nothing. His words were like hammer and tongs, hammer and nails, and God restored it all (Job 42). Wisdom is that patient skill that takes dominion of the raw materials in front of you. Wisdom is so valuable because it is the art of building something out of almost nothing. Wisdom builds and God restores all things.

THE PATIENCE OF JOB

James raises the example of the prophets, as standing firm in the midst of suffering affliction with patience, and he specifically mentions the “patience of Job,” as an example of God’s blessing and tender mercy on those who endure (Js. 5:10-11). This is striking because you might not think that “patience” is characterized by 28 chapters worth of a blog war. But patience is not stoic apathy; patience is prophetic. Patience is militant obedience, hungry for the blessing of God. And this is wisdom: patient, cheerful obedience at the task assigned: ruling wisely over the raw materials entrusted to you, using them to build and make something for the glory of God. What are the raw materials entrusted to you? A particular history, family background, sins, weaknesses, gifts, abilities, marital status, children, job, finances, health, and this historical, cultural moment. What are you building? Do you have almost nothing? Perfect.

CONCLUSION

The Spirit of wisdom that was given to Bezalel and Aholiab has been given without measure to every believer in Jesus. That Spirit of Wisdom is given for “all manner of workmanship.” And that Spirit is the One who hovered over the cross and grave and has begun to make all things new. God’s wisdom is most fully revealed in the cross of Jesus (1 Cor. 1-2). Christians look at everything through the cross-wisdom of God, where Jesus destroyed the old temple and rebuilt it in three days. What did it look like? It looked like a man dying, a failed movement. What was he actually doing? Building a house that will last forever.

Jesus is the Greater Job, the Great King, who freely lost everything and was falsely accused and cursed, but He endured the pain and shame of the cross in order to remake this God-forsaken world, in order to build a new world inside the old world. This is the wisdom of God: the grave has heard of it. But God was building a Kingdom that cannot be shaken inside that grave. And now that grave is empty, and the Kingdom is coming like a Great Spring that cannot be stopped.

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The Covenant Home #5: The Federal Family

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INTRODUCTION:

We have already seen that marriages are covenant entities. This is no less true of the fruit of such covenant unions. The family is not established by custom, or by legislation. The family is established and defined by the Word of God alone.

THE TEXT:

And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly (Job 1:4-5).

THE ISSUE:

In this text, Job does not offer sacrifices because of a feeling of guilt, or to cover for his parental failures. This practice of his is actually described as an example of his righteousness. He does this because he knew the nature of his responsibility. But notice how far he extends his responsibilities. He stands before God on account of what any of his children might have done in their hearts. Job is not a man to make excuses.

COVENANT THINKING:

Parents frequently struggle with the issues surrounding personal responsibility because the individualism of our age has taught them to think of responsibility in either/or terms instead of both/and. But parental responsibility and the responsibility of children are not to be understood as two billiard balls which cannot occupy the same place.

We tend to think, “Either he is responsible or I am.” Or sometimes we divide the responsibility—50/50, or 70/30. But it must always, we think, add up to 100. But covenants are historical and hierarchical. Responsibility of this kind does not divide, but multiplies and ascends.

Certain key principles are essential in order to come to understand this.

This is preserving personhood—the assumption of covenant responsibility by parents does not diminish the personal responsibility of each child for everything he does and thinks; rather, it strengthens it. Beware the false dichotomy between individualism and “patriarchalism.”

It is not condemning, but liberating—as Job considered the situation, his assumption of responsibility meant that he knew exactly what he was supposed to do. This thing is hard, but not difficult. It is simple to understand, which is good, because it is hard to do. Swallow your pride, which is hard to get down, and then stand up and do a very simple thing.

We see in this the point of unity—apart from this covenantal thinking, adversarial thinking develops in the family.”

You are over there, and I am over here, and we each have our perspective.” Covenantal thinking is the biblical basis for being able to say we.

We understand the sacrifices—Job offered animal sacrifices because he lived prior to the coming of Christ. We plead the sacrifice of Christ to accompany our prayer, but the content of our prayers taking responsibility should be the same as his.

APPLICATIONS:

Every doctrine lives as it is applied, and no other way.

Obedience—this is simply a question of having an obedient mind. This is not a technique, it is a mind of wisdom. Wisdom is not canned; responsibility cannot be freeze-dried. Distinguish application from mindless conformity.

Decision-making—after a decision is made, then the entire family can say, for example, that “we are doing thus and such.” This is only possible because “we decided to do it.” The fact that the decision was made through the covenant head does not affect that unity. If my head decides to go somewhere, my feet go too.

Before the Lord—but the best place to put these truths into practice is in your prayer life. Notice that Job did not use his covenantal understanding as a foundation for nagging. He did not show up at the kids’ places, saying, “Now you all know how responsible I
feel . . .” He sacrifices before the Lord, and stands before the Lord.

Anti-covenantal, pietistic thinking works this way: “I caught my son using porn. That’s not how we taught him. He should know better. How could he .. .?” Covenantal thinking works this way: “Father, it looks as though lust has a foothold in our home. We come before You in the name of Jesus to confess our fault in this.”

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Surveying the Text: Job

Joe Harby on

Introduction

This book is widely regarded as a masterpiece of human literature, even by non-believers, and yet this high regard is not always accompanied by a high level of understanding. This is a very great book, and like many great things, our natural tendency is to get it down to a more understandable level, where we can piously misunderstand it. But one of the reasons this book shines so brightly is that there is no varnish on it. Job was an important figure. Consider Noah, Daniel and Job—two of the greatest men of righteousness in the Old Testament were not Jews (Ez. 14:14, 20).

The Text

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, Yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, And mine eyes shall behold, and not another; Though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25–27).

Summary of the Text

We do not know who wrote this book, and some scholars have taken our lack of information as a generous invitation to wild speculation. That said, my own view is that the beginnings of this book are found in distant antiquity, and that it took its place in the Wisdom literature around the time of Solomon—with the possibility that Solomon was the author. I believe the events that are the kernel of the poem were historical. Job is not an Israelite, but rather an Edomite, as will be discussed later. No explicit reference to the history of Israel is found in the book.

The book of Job is filled with unanswered questions, and things that human beings simply cannot know. But Job knows at least one thing, and it is stated here in our text—in the midst of his suffering, and in the midst of his wrongful complaint against God, we have this remarkable testimony of faith. This shining testimony sits in the midst of his complaints the same way the godly Job himself sat on the ash heap. Job knows that His redeemer lives, and that his redeemer is going to stand upon the earth at the latter day. Job also affirms his belief in the resurrection of the dead—after his body is destroyed by worms, Job affirms that in his body he is going to see God. Where did that come from?

The Structure of the Book

The first part of the book is the prologue in Heaven, where Satan challenges God with regard to Job’s motives. The result of this is a series of calamities that befall Job. The center of the book is made up of a series of debates that Job has with his three friends, cycling through three times. Then Elihu, a comparatively young man, enters the debate with his rebuke. After this God speaks to Job from the whirlwind, Job repents before God, and his prosperity is restored.

The Actual Situation

The land of Uz is likely part of Edom (Lam. 4:21), to the east of Israel. Eliphaz was a Temanite, and Teman was one of the great chieftains of Edom (Gen. 36:15). Bildad is a descendant of Abraham through Keturah (Gen. 25:2), and they all settled to the east, where Edom was. Zophar lived in the same general area as the other two. Elihu is identified as a Buzite, and Buz was the nephew of Uz.

We know from Scripture that Job was an enormously important man, the greatest of the men of the east (Job 1:3). For all intents and purposes, he was the king (Job 19:9). The Septuagint contains an additional paragraph at the end of the book that identifies Job with Jobab (Gen. 36:33-35), the second king of Edom. This means that the well-being of that society was dependent on Job prospering, since he was the head. So picture Job as the leader of that society, now come to disaster, and his three friends as cabinet members, trying to talk him into taking one for the team. This is not an example of three friends as private busybodies. This is politics. The future wellbeing of their whole society was at stake, and Job refuses to admit fault. He refuses to be the scapegoat.

Prosperity Theology

The problem with Job’s counselors is not that they were wrong, but rather that they were rightwoodenly. The Bible does teach that God is not mocked—there is a correlation between what a man sows and what he reaps (Gal. 6:7). That correlation is real, and this is why the wisdom of Proverbs teaches us to look for such correlations. Do you see a lazy man? Look for poverty (Prov. 24:33-343). Do you see a drunkard? Look for hallucinations (Prov. 23:31-35). Do you see a skirt-chaser? Look for death (Prov. 7:27). But don’t look for these things within thirty minutes (Ps. 37:35), and don’t affirm the consequent (John 9:3). Just because it is a fact that sin leads to hard consequences, it does not follow that hard consequences mean that there had to have been sin.

We do live in a world where there is moral cause and effect, but we are cautioned by this book (as by little else) not to be too tidy about it. At the same time, how does the book end? Job has all his prosperity restored.

My Redeemer Lives

This passage is a great creedal statement. Job knows that it is going to be momentous, and wants what he is about to say to be graven on a rock with a pen of iron. This is important, what he is about to say. And given what he was saying earlier in the chapter, it appears to come from the wild blue random.

The word rendered redeemer here is the word for kinsman. Because Job has a kinsman- redeemer who will stand in the latter day upon the earth, Job is confident that he also is going to stand upon the earth. He is going to do so in his body after his body has been destroyed. Although Job is restored in this life by the end of the book, he has no expectation of that here. He is looking forward to something else, something outside, something beyond. This is the hope of the resurrection—and our great Justification has led the way.

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