By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
MONDAY
THEME: WHO GIVES WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING AND FEEDS ALL CREATURES?
SCRIPTURE: Job 38:36-37,41
“[36]Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? [37]Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, [41]Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?”
REFLECTIONS
How much do we know or pretend to know? When we juxtapose human so-called wisdom with God’s infinite wisdom, we come to terms with our gross ignorance and our awful knowledge deficit—the gap is indescribably wide. God continued to deepen Job’s knowledge by asking further illuminating questions. The more questions God asked, the more Job appreciated His ignorance of God’s majesty. From analyzing the thought-provoking questions, God emerges as a professor and a teacher par excellence. At His feet, everyone can acquire knowledge. One of His teaching methods that He uses effectively is questioning.
In Job 38:36-41, the additional questions provide Job with incremental knowledge and appreciation of who God is. We will attempt to meditate on just two of those insightful questions. First, in verse 36, God queries, “Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?” It is God. If God puts wisdom in the mind, He has and will provide the key to understanding deep things in life. Any knowledge sought for its own sake independent of God may be vague, an illusion, or foolishness, as 1 Corinthians 3:19 implies: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. . .” So, Proverbs 3:5,6 admonishes: “[5]Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; [6]In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Wisdom is not only in the application of knowledge appropriately but also in living a transparent, truthful, God-fearing, and Christ-like life. When Paul said let this mind be in you, Philippians 2:5-7, he set the proper standard for imitation for us – a meek, self-sacrificing, loving, and compassionate Redeemer. Wisdom and understanding will get us to imitate correctly.
The second is found in verse 41, “Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?” Many people are despaired and disillusioned with the current global economic crisis, but God asks who provides and feeds the creatures He has created. Can you trust me to provide your needs? The psalmist is quick to answer, saying in Psalms 147:9 – “He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry.” Luke 12:24 affirms God as providing every need – “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?” Jesus uses this object lesson to extend hope to every human being that we should not waste energy and effort to worry because He is capable and ready to provide us with what we need.
For humans, God’s care is absolute because we are of value and more precious than any other creature. Trusting God to provide for our needs is what God requires of us. He uses the question to teach us a lasting lesson of dependence on Him. He is ready to carry the burden of supplying our needs. He is also willing to give us the wisdom to earn decently and make the right decisions. Luke 12:23 is instructive – “Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.” This statement is the crux of our salvation – the rationale to look beyond the here and now for now and the future. Therefore, be reminded and carry on with this hope in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 86 – “How Great Thou Art” – Rendered by the Winchester Cathedral Choir
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for obliging to give you wisdom and understanding; thank God for His daily provisions; pray to wholly depend on God and lead your family to do so;
– Pray for God to endow your family, church members, friends, and colleagues, leaders of the nation, traditional and religious leaders with wisdom and understanding;
– Pray that those who lack in our society will receive their daily supplies; pray for Christians to show mercy and take care of children of God who are needy;
– Pray for refugees, displaced people, street children, beggars, people in deprived communities, and the unemployed; pray for differently-abled persons, their caregivers, and those who are unwell.
