Wisdom Beyond Years: The Role of Divine Inspiration in Understanding
Job 32:8
But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
Elihu, the youngest of the group, politely waited his turn to speak. He assumed that with age among him would come wisdom, but soon found out that was not the case. In fact, he goes on and says in verse nine that “Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.” Thus, he begins to speak in full confidence, knowing and understanding that one does not have to be old to have wisdom, but he needs only to be inspired in his spirit by God Almighty, who is the one who gives understanding. Having acknowledged this truth, he then proceeds with his own “opinion,” he calls it, while implying that what he is fixing to say is inspired by the Almighty, and therefore will be wise.
I like his confidence because it appears to me that his confidence is in knowing that the Almighty had given him inspiration and understanding. He then felt the need to share it with others. Which brings me to my point; when you know you have been given understanding under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, you can always speak with boldness and confidence, no matter what your age is. What matters most is not the age of the speaker, but the age of the wisdom spoken. Is your “wisdom” a modern, new age philosophy, or does it come from the Rock of Ages, who existed before time was, and will be here after time has come to an end?
You see, if you take God’s Word to heart, read it, learn it, live it, and teach it, then you will walk in wisdom beyond your years. This is one of the reasons that the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day had a problem with Jesus, because He spoke as one having authority. In other words, He was confident, and what He said was irrefutable truth, which made them pale in comparison.
And now for a word of caution; do not expect others to always accept your truth, simply because it is true. Some will have a problem with it, but only because they didn’t say it first, and your wisdom outshone theirs. If this should happen to you, don’t let it stop you from declaring truth anyway. It may separate you from some, but it will draw you close to the heart of God, and your godliness and integrity will speak for themselves in the long run. May we ALWAYS seek to be inspired by God’s Spirit!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
Elihu, the youngest of the group, politely waited his turn to speak. He assumed that with age among him would come wisdom, but soon found out that was not the case. In fact, he goes on and says in verse nine that “Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.” Thus, he begins to speak in full confidence, knowing and understanding that one does not have to be old to have wisdom, but he needs only to be inspired in his spirit by God Almighty, who is the one who gives understanding. Having acknowledged this truth, he then proceeds with his own “opinion,” he calls it, while implying that what he is fixing to say is inspired by the Almighty, and therefore will be wise.
I like his confidence because it appears to me that his confidence is in knowing that the Almighty had given him inspiration and understanding. He then felt the need to share it with others. Which brings me to my point; when you know you have been given understanding under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, you can always speak with boldness and confidence, no matter what your age is. What matters most is not the age of the speaker, but the age of the wisdom spoken. Is your “wisdom” a modern, new age philosophy, or does it come from the Rock of Ages, who existed before time was, and will be here after time has come to an end?
You see, if you take God’s Word to heart, read it, learn it, live it, and teach it, then you will walk in wisdom beyond your years. This is one of the reasons that the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day had a problem with Jesus, because He spoke as one having authority. In other words, He was confident, and what He said was irrefutable truth, which made them pale in comparison.
And now for a word of caution; do not expect others to always accept your truth, simply because it is true. Some will have a problem with it, but only because they didn’t say it first, and your wisdom outshone theirs. If this should happen to you, don’t let it stop you from declaring truth anyway. It may separate you from some, but it will draw you close to the heart of God, and your godliness and integrity will speak for themselves in the long run. May we ALWAYS seek to be inspired by God’s Spirit!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill