And unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. Job 28:28
There is a huge difference between knowing something and understanding it. I spent several months in a classroom, learning about the Java programming language. We spent considerable time learning how to write the code, learning the syntax of the language, and how to create programs that actually did something. After spending time learning about objects, methods, and all the other structure that makes up the language, we came to a point in the course where the instructor gave us an assignment: we were to create a tic-tac-toe game in Java. All of a sudden, those of us who could answer any question about what Java looked like and what it included were brought face to face with the need to make it work. Simply put, we needed to understand why Java existed. To our credit, most of us managed to program the game. But most in this world do not have the same level of understanding about God.
We see the world around us failing to understand the need to depart from evil. For example, the murder of the unborn and the destruction of the family unit have become accepted and acceptable ways to enable people to take part in unbridled sexual activity. Rather than accepting the Word of God and its admonition against sin, men simply dismiss the Word of God as irrelevant and outdated. So where does that put the humble, obedient Christian, who simply bows to the Truth, and obeys the Word of God?
Many of us would be hard put to answer the tough questions of the mockers and denyers. The best we can come up with sometimes is to simply quote a verse that is relevant to the challenge. As far as we are concerned, we might lose many an argument with those who think they are wiser than us. But our text tells us that if we conduct our lives in reverence and godly fear, if we make it our policy to depart from evil, we have reached the level of wisdom and understanding. So it doesn’t matter what the worldly wise say about or to us.
Does it really matter if those around us think we are fools for following the Lord Jesus? Is it really important if we are ridiculed for submitting to the Word of God? The most important thing to understand is that accepting Jesus’ lordship is the true secret to a successful life. -Jim MacIntosh