Good Morning Friends.
Here are some additional scriptures you can study dealing with the fear of the Lord.
We have finally arrived at the day we have been longing for: Job's final speech. (I told you that we would make it.) Two themes jumped out at me in today's reading, I will discuss them in a minute but I had to comment on one line in Job's response to Bildad. Job is talking about the Almighty and His power. Then He says the most amazing thing in verse 14. Well, amazing to me:
"These are some of the minor things He does, merely a whisper of His power."
Just the other day I said that I wanted to be close enough to God where a whisper is enough. Well, I am thinking I might need to back up a bit. (Smile) Don't you love Job's words?
Those words lead right into Job's final speech where he speaks of wisdom. Wisdom. I used to believe that wisdom only came to those who were older than me. When I was younger that would be anyone 50 or older. Now that I am not too far from that milestone and since I have been a student of God's Word, I have adjusted my thinking. I want to camp out a bit on Job's final statement about wisdom in 28:28:
"And this what he (speaking of God) says to all humanity, 'The fear of the Lord is true wisdom: to forsake evil is real understanding.'" (emphasis mine)
Learning to understand the statement, "The fear of the Lord is true wisdom" is what I was referring to when I said my thinking as been adjusted. An understanding of what fear means in this phrase is imperative before we can apply the truth to our lives.
A quick word study reveals the word fear in this context means: respect, reverence, piety, revered. Piety means dutiful respect or regard for. When we give the Lord the respect, reverence and regard He deserves we begin to grow in our wisdom, understanding and application of His truth. When we grow in our wisdom, understanding, and application of His truth God begins to reveal to us His plan and purposes for our lives. Isn't that what we want to know? The revealed plans and purpose of lives. This is the answer: fear of the Lord. You can't revere, respect, and reverence some you don't know. So therefore we must be in His Word everyday so we can get to know Him and learn how to respect/revere/ fear the Lord.
A quick word study reveals the word fear in this context means: respect, reverence, piety, revered. Piety means dutiful respect or regard for. When we give the Lord the respect, reverence and regard He deserves we begin to grow in our wisdom, understanding and application of His truth. When we grow in our wisdom, understanding, and application of His truth God begins to reveal to us His plan and purposes for our lives. Isn't that what we want to know? The revealed plans and purpose of lives. This is the answer: fear of the Lord. You can't revere, respect, and reverence some you don't know. So therefore we must be in His Word everyday so we can get to know Him and learn how to respect/revere/ fear the Lord.
Here are some additional scriptures you can study dealing with the fear of the Lord.
Also you must read Proverbs 8. It is beautiful! You feel wise just reading it. My favorite verse in Proverbs 8 is verse 35 because I like favor from my Father.
The other theme that jumped out of the reading was pride. Did you see how many times Job mentioned the words my, me, and I in chapter 29? It seems to me the veil is being lifted a bit for us on what Job's heart issue may be. It will become more clear as we continue to read. We could spend several days on the subject of pride. Did I already give myself away when it comes to pride in any early post? Maybe, just maybe the Lord is repeating the theme for me. I can be a little hard-headed and stiff-necked.
These are our final days with Job. We will be back in Egypt by the end of the beginning of next week.
These are our final days with Job. We will be back in Egypt by the end of the beginning of next week.
9 Comments:
I love reading Job! It gives me hope to continue through the storm I presently am in with my eyes on Jesus.
Thank you Wendy for beginning this journey for all of us!
In His Love,
ctina811219
Wendy
Good nugget. I went and read Proverbs 8, that's good too. What you wrote about wisdom reminds me of Solomon. When God told him he could have anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom. God told him because he had asked for wisdom instead of riches and other things He (God) would give him (Solomon)wisdom AND all the other things. (2 Chronicles 1).
Thanks,
Lynn
The post I wrote today was on Job 28:28 too!
I'm so glad you highlighted Job 26:14. As I read through verses 7-13 in awe of all of who God is and what He does - and then read, "These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power", I respond with Job and ask, "Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?"
How Great is our God!
Praising Him,
Joy
God is so gracious to his children! No matter what we have without wisdom it can accomplish nothing. He promised us wisdom just for the asking. My favorite wisdom verse for daily application is:
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17
Sifting my decisions and responses through this definition of wisdom always causes me to second think my choices and reactions.
My second nugget is gratefulness for living under grace. Job spoke about all his "works" which caused him to think more highly of himself than he should have. Under grace we know we can never earn our salvation and place of sonship with the Father, it is truly a gift of God. Therefore, we can faithfully offer up praise for all God has done in our lives!
Debbie - North Carolina
I too latched onto the wisdom verses. It is worth it to us to seek it; it is more valuable than gems. In more situations than not, I am asking God for His wisdom, becaue mine falls so short.
Another tidbit I've been marking in Job; the times he mentions the "great sea monster" the "gliding serpent", etc...dinosaurs anyone?
Morgen -MN
Thank You Wendy. I am enjoying this bible study. I am in a waiting time and I am praying for God's wisdom to guide.
Blessings,
Debra
I zeroed in on Job's last comment too. I really liked his definition of wisdom. It is also referenced in the P31 women, in verse 30. It refers to true beauty being a women who fears the Lord.
Blessings,
Charlene
I love Job 26:7-8.
"God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds don't burst with the weight."
These verses bring such comfort. They are such a beautiful word picture of God's power and strength. They remind me that if God can do this, He can surely handle our problems, large and small.
Job said, "I long for the years gone by when God took care of me..." (29:2) Job takes God’s silence as desertion. Job cries out to God… and nothing. Job let his mouth do the walking… and the more he talked the farther away he was getting. Now Job is longing for the days when God was with him, without realizing God never left him! Perhaps God let Job keep talking and walking until he wore himself out enough to be still and listen – I know that happens with me, more than I care to admit :)
There is a danger to longing for the years gone by:
1. It keeps you from reaching your full potential if you are "stuck in the past".
2. It makes you discontent with the here and now.
3. It makes you complacent - been there, done that.
4. It becomes a pride issue… as shown by Job.
5. It causes you to take your eyes off the prize, which is AHEAD not behind you.
6. It becomes a stumbling block for relationships. Remember love keeps no record... that means of wrongs or rights!
7. It makes us discouraged – particularly if we feel God has forgotten us.
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Heb 13:5
This study is a good refresher to remember all of the promises God has given to us. I enjoy everyone's input!
Susan
VA
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