Let’s read Job 28. I recommend reading in its entirety (copied below), but if you are not going to do that, at least scroll to read the last few verses.
Job 28
“People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold. They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock.
They know how to shine light in the darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore. They sink a mine shaft into the earth far from where anyone lives.bThey descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.
Food is grown on the earth above, but down below, the earth is melted as by fire. Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli, and the dust contains gold. These are treasures no bird of prey can see, no falcon’s eye observe. No wild animal has walked upon these treasures; no lion has ever set his paw there.
People know how to tear apart flinty rocks and overturn the roots of mountains. They cut tunnels in the rocks and uncover precious stones. They dam up the trickling streams and bring to light the hidden treasures.
“But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living.
‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.
‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.
It cannot be bought with gold.
It cannot be purchased with silver.
It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.
It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.
Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.
The price of wisdom is far above rubies.
Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it.
It’s worth more than the purest gold.
“But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.
Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.
Destruction and Death say,
‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’
“God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens.
He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning.
Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”
So, What is Wisdom?
Fear of the Lord
Fear of the Lord is not being “afraid of punishment.”
Personally, I sum it up like this:
Friendship with God is reserved for those that fear the Lord.
Psalm 24:14
“The Lord confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.”
And fearing the Lord isn’t being afraid of Him, it’s being terrified of walking down a path that drives a wedge between our heart and His manifest presence. This fear creates a pursuit of holiness in our lives which both works to sanctify us and yet, also bends our knees in reverence to the realization that we will never get anything accomplished without Him. Which should leave us with an awe that the fullness of His glory is literally too much for our “humanness” to fully comprehend, and yet He wants to be our friend anyway.
Consider a Good Parent
When you have a REALLY good parent, fear of them is centered more around fear of disappointment than fear of punishment. You are less afraid of what they can do to you and you are more afraid of what you can do to fracture the relationship. This makes one more cautious when making decisions that create space within the relationship.
Going back to the End of Job here:
When we live our lives with a healthy “fear” of disappointing God, we live in a way promotes growth, learning, wisdom, listening, asking questions, seeking clarity, trust, and simply enjoying His presence we KNOW He has our best interests at heart even when we can’t see it or it doesn’t “feel” good in the moment.
And to “forsake all evil” means having our actions match our words and our hearts. It shows that we understand the wisdom that God gives us via this friendship and that we actually do fear that disappointment can place a fracture in that relationship.
And when we do inevitably disappoint Him in some fashion, it’s up to US to ask for forgiveness and show effort to mend the fracture.
He promises to give us the forgiveness and wholeness again through His strength and grace, but we have to be genuine in asking and in action for it to have any real meaning in our lives.
Did you know that we can GRIEVE the Holy Spirit?
That is far more scary than punishment.
Ephesians 4:25-30
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
And do not bring SORROW to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
We can also QUENCH the Holy Spirit.
Not only can we bring SORROW to the Holy Spirit within us. We can QUENCH the Holy Spirit within us.
Aka: WE can put out the FIRE of the Holy Spirit living inside of us.
And if we are the ones to put out our own Fire of the Spirit, then at that point…. Who is leading us?
That’s another SCARY place to be spiritually.
1 Thessalonians 15-22
“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.”