The Path of Wisdom
Wisdom keeps us off the path of death and on the path to life.
“Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. If you have any words, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you. If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
I was recently asked to teach on Job chapter 33, and I was amazed by what I found in this somewhat obscure passage. Job 33 is part of 6 chapters dedicated to the words of Elihu. In this chapter, Elihu makes it clear that his intention is to offer Job wisdom. He says in the last verse of the chapter, “I will teach you wisdom.”
Throughout the Bible, wisdom is defined as living in harmony with the character of God. It is thinking, feeling and acting as God would think, feel and act. Elihu tells Job when a person walks in the way of wisdom it has two effects. First, wisdom works “to bring back his soul from the pit.” In other words, wisdom keeps us off the path that leads to death. Secondly, wisdom makes it so that “he may be lighted with the light of life.” To say it another way, wisdom keeps us on the path that leads to life. Elihu says there are a few “things” that God does in order to accomplish these two purposes. According to Elihu, here are 3 things that God does to keep us off the path to death and on the path to life.
God gives us special revelation.
“In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.”
God’s character and ways can be known because he chooses to reveal them to us. Some aspects of God’s character are available to us through the general revelation of the created order. Paul says in the first chapter of Romans, “His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” This type of revelation is generally available to all people. However, there are certain aspects of God’s character and work that must be revealed through special revelation. In these verses, that revelation is described as “dreams” and “visions of the night.” However, these verses were written thousands of years before the perfect special revelation of Jesus and the completion of the Bible’s New Testament. The author of Hebrews says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) Between the general revelation of creation and the special revelation of Jesus, God has thoroughly demonstrated to us his character. This is the first thing God does so that we might leave the path to death and find the path to life.
God allows us to suffer.
“Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones, so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite the choicest food. His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out. His soul draws near the pit, and his life to those who bring death.”
The second thing God does, according to Elihu, is allow us to suffer. Given the context of Elihu’s speeches this is obviously a key point, and he does expound on it throughout the rest of his speeches. So far Job and his friends have attempted and failed to answer the question, “Why do the righteous suffer?” In the minds of Job’s friends, suffering is reserved as punishment for sin. However, Elihu offers a different perspective. He seems to suggest that suffering can be a deterrent to sin and even a means to righteousness. This reality is further explained in the New Testament by authors like Paul. He says of his own suffering, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2 Corinthians 12:7) Like Job, God allowed Paul to be tormented by Satan, but Paul saw the goal right away. It was to keep him from becoming conceited. Doesn’t that sound similar to Job 33:17? “That he may turn aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man.” Paul goes so far as to say that viewing suffering this way causes us to rejoice. He says in Romans 5, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5). God allows us to suffer in order to turn our feet from the path that leads to death and establish our feet firmly on the path that leads to life.
God sends us a Savior.
“If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, and he is merciful to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’; then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: ‘I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.”
Finally, God teaches us to walk in wisdom by sending us a savior. Elihu seems to teach that our final hope rests on God sending us a messenger who will outright declare to us what is right. This messenger will be a mediator, someone who stands between God and man and pleads our case. He will be “one of the thousand.” This is a phrase similar to our English phrase, “one in a million.” He will be unique, and he will show us mercy by interceding on our behalf asking God to restore us. Of course, the ultimate fulfillment of these duties is found in Jesus Christ. He earned the righteousness that we could not by living out wisdom perfectly because he was one with God in both character and substance. He also died taking on himself the punishment for all sin. Now, through his resurrection, he offers us an exchange. Our sin for his righteousness. Jesus takes our sinfulness upon himself and gives to us his righteousness so there is no condemnation left only grace for those of us who are united with him. Jesus, a suffering Savior, is our special revelation. The ultimate revelation of God’s character. The ultimate revealing of God’s wisdom. The ultimate work to keep us off the path of death and on the path to life is the death and resurrection of Jesus.
