If the purpose of life is a life of purpose, we will need to have God’s wisdom to know what it is.
When we turn the page on Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, we leave the historical books of the Old Testament. We now enter what is labeled the Wisdom and Poetry section of the Bible: Job–Song of Solomon. Of course, there is wisdom on every page of Scripture, but Wisdom Literature is a particular genre, providing moral, ethical, and spiritual insights, and practical advice for living in the world. Many cultures had their Wisdom Literature, but what made the Hebrew variety distinct was its claim that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 9:10). However, the challenge in understanding these books is to determine what, of the participants’ comments, would have the approval of the Divine. Everything in the Bible is truly recorded, but not everything in it is true! For example, the Bible says “There is no God” (Ps 14:1), but it happens to be quoting a fool. The Word of God contains quotations from God, angels, good men, bad men, and devils. Sometimes the source of wisdom—whether “from above” or from beneath (Jas 3:13-17)—is obvious; sometimes not so much. For example, how much of Ecclesiastes, written from the perspective of someone “under the sun” (Eccl 1:9), aligns with heavenly wisdom, and how much of it is there to show us the flawed frailty of mere human understanding? This will be our greatest challenge in studying the book of Job. It would be very helpful, in beginning such a study, to follow this sage advice: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Jas 1:5). And let’s remember that “Christ Jesus…has become for us wisdom from God” (1 Cor 1:30, NIV). Wisdom is now our best Friend!