“Says who?”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, September 2, 2024

Job 12: 1-6, 13-25 (Forward, p. 35) CEV p. 532

Much has been bandied about these days about informed opinions, fact checking, and reputedly expert advice. The sad, and, to my way of thinking, unfortunate, result of all this is that one can get a vast array of opinions, many of which come up with totally different, and conflicting, conclusions. And so the question becomes: just who, and what, can you trust?

Here we are presented with two difficulties. Firstly, there is the reality that we tend to go with the opinion or conclusion that we already agree with, but what help is that? In other words, we tend to come to the information source with our minds already made up, or, at very least, predisposed in a certain direction. That, then, is our first difficulty.

And the second difficulty is that our ‘sources’, the sources themselves, are probably equally tainted or biased, and so it is almost impossible to get the facts, the unvarnished truth, from them without them being ‘influenced’ unduly by ‘where they come from.’ Perhaps the best we can do then,, whether with information that comes from either ourselves or from others, is to be aware of the operant biases and take them into account in our thinking.

It is here that today’s passage offers us some advice. First, it suggests that people who have no problems and whose lives are at ease, really have little to say to those encountering great woes or who are suffering intently

(see verses 5-6).

And it suggests that wise, experienced counsellors and advisors can easily become confused and even the wisest administrators or judges become fools. Indeed, by way of contrast, he says, “God is the real source of wisdom and strength” (verse 13). No, those who rely on earthly, worldly wisdom can become like senseless rulers, left by God to ‘roam through barren deserts, lost in the dark, staggering like someone drunk” (verses 24-25). Indeed, does this not sound like much wisdom today? So, it is best to go straight to God and ask for His wisdom.

But then, how are we to do that? And how are we to know when we have actually received God’s wisdom, especially considering that countless people have sought God’s direction and guidance and come up with differing opinions about it? Here I would have two suggestions. Firstly, it is good to see clearly ahead of time what our assumptions and biases might be and examine them carefully. And secondly, to test our conclusions with people, preferably people who are mature and level-headed, and not necessarily prone to same conclusions as we have. If those people are of a different persuasion, all the better. Nevertheless, knowing who and what is right these days is an incredibly difficult exercise. Even so, it is important that we try to get it.

Forward notes: “With God are wisdom and strength; he has counsel and

understanding” (verse 13).

“What makes me free? Free from the judgment of others, free from my own shame. It is the grace of knowing what Jesus knew: ‘I can do nothing on my own’ (John 5:30a).

“Job knew this, too. As his friends, with their best intentions, waxed philosophical about his condition, Job knew what most of us fail to realize, and all other creation understands: power comes from God alone.

“When I find myself stretched too thin, overwhelmed, and stressed by work, family dynamics, or money woes, I’ve learned to identify the source of my anxiety. Without fail, I have slowly but steadily drifted back to my default modus operandi: ‘I got this.’ My neglect to acknowledge God’s active presence in my day-to-day life turns the weight of responsibility into a burden. I’m grateful God is always willing to remind me what I so easily forget. Like Jesus, I can do nothing on my own. At least not peacefully.”

Moving Forward: “Read this passage from Job. How often do you forget that God is in charge?”