Wisdom Wears A Hard Hat

“That Job is a forty-two chapter argument or as much a mud-wrestling throw-down as anything else, is another way of describing how Job is Wisdom Literature. In the Bible, wisdom is not theoretical. Wisdom doesn’t exist in heads, to be published in arcane philosophy journals and parsed and diagrammed by men with sweater vests and pipes (no offense to my sweater-vest-wearing, pipe-smoking readers). If biblical wisdom were a vocation, it would be something like an auto mechanic or a construction worker. Wisdom is a skill, and if wisdom were a degree you would have to get it at the local Vo-Tech school. The very first use of the word “wisdom” in the Bible illustrates the point well. It is used in the book of Exodus, where Yahweh’s “Spirit of wisdom” is poured out on Aholiab and Bezalel in order to equip them to design and build the tabernacle (Ex. 31:2-11, 35:30-35). Having the Spirit meant they were construction workers, architects, and artisans. It meant they knew how to pour concrete, were good with numbers, and could run a machine shop with creativity.”