One of the main resources of wisdom we talked about in class were proverbs. Not just the book in the Bible, but also short sayings that are nonbiblical, which people still go by everyday. One of the main things that I learned or that has never really caught my eye is how wisdom can be used in a negative way if it is in the wrong hands. It is actually a proverb in of itself: “Like a thornbush in drunkard’s hand is a proverb said from a fool.” We see this in Job and how his friends try to use wisdom to help him in his suffering, but in reality they were only making the situation worse.
One of the most fascinating things about the story of Job and one of the biggest things to take away was, not how faithful he stayed after the first bout of suffering came his way, but after going through so much more and coming to a point where he wishes he was never born, then seeing so much growth when he ultimately reveals his unwavering faith in God after going through so much pain while being as impressive of a human being as possible. It is such a good lesson on how to handle suffering, which is to come to the realization that God is bigger, better, and more consistent than anything in the universe and that the suffering one is going through doesn’t even compare to the goodness of God.