I have to be honest in admitting that Job is probably not my favorite book of the Bible. I had a conversation about it with a friend yesterday, and we both agreed that it is sometimes challenging to wade through. That being said, I really enjoyed this particular reading, and I appreciate the hidden gems, so to speak, throughout it.
It seems like Job has a turning point here where he comes to this realization that wisdom – a treasure of extreme value – cannot be found anywhere on earth. We can search and search, but ultimately wisdom is only found in the Lord. He goes on to say that it's really in the fear of the Lord and the turning away from evil that one finds wisdom.
If I could take that nugget and apply it to my life everyday, I can't imagine how it would influence the decisions that I make. The fear of the Lord is really a proper recognition of Who He is. That means, He doesn't exist for my pleasure, but I exist for His. Life isn't about what I can get out of it but how I can live in a way to please Him. If I filtered every choice through such a lens, then my life would probably look a lot different. If I turned away from evil every time it approached, then I would be living in the fear of the Lord. I'm not talking about fear where I'm scared of everything I do – but a healthy fear of God and putting Him in the proper place in my life.
I'm curious to hear what others think. How do we live joyfully in the fear of the Lord?
Leave a Reply