Study of Job 12:12

 

I have often struggled with doing what others think I should do. In my flesh, I want to do what I want to do. In my spirit, I want to do what God wants me to do. The gap is when the world or the devil try to get me to do what they think I should. I do not care what the devil thinks, but I sometimes get confused over the difference between trying to have a good witness to someone and trying to do what God wants me to do. My paradigm is that they should be the same thing. Reality is that sometimes I have to disappoint people to follow God.

‘In’ was ‘with’, ‘among’, and ‘belongs to’. I cannot put a finger on why, but ‘in’ seemed the more accurate term.

‘Understanding’ was also ‘perspicacious’ which I could have looked up, but decided was too rare a word to bother with. ‘Long lived’ was also ‘length of days’. Originally, I selected ‘long lived’ to match the first stitch. But I am going to have to change it. I feel it should be ‘Understanding in length of days?’

My first reaction to the question ‘Is wisdom in the aged?’ is to say no. For me, wisdom is in those who submit to God. In those who look to Him for answers and direction.

My first reaction to the question ‘Is understanding in length of days?’ is to say no. For me understanding comes from a series of experiences with the topic at hand such that you can see the pattern.

Wisdom says we should be able to expect everyone to stop at a stop sign, but we know people will not, and therefore we have to be prepared for someone to run them. Understanding says we know almost no one will stop at a stop sign, and we have to wait until they do to not put ourselves at risk.

We are studying Titus now in our Bible study, and next week we will look at what it requires of Christian leaders. The list is perfection. We cannot achieve that. Only Christ could. My paradigm is that as we seek to follow Christ, we should strive for perfection, but we must know we will fail and not allow the failure to push us off pursuing the goal, but push us to show mercy and grace to others, and to remember to ask for them back.

One of the huge benefits of living longer is the growth in personal history to see where we went wrong and try to do better. It’s part of why I should have spent more time looking back than I have. Our only goals in life are accepting Christ as our savior and giving glory to God. We grow to learn that wisdom and understanding only come to us from God. (More on that in the next verse.)

Is wisdom in the aged,

   Understanding in length of days?

 

Written 10/26/2023, Posted 11/2/23, Job 265