The Strength of Understanding

 Some people are very strong physically. Often, they work out with heavy weights, so they can have large muscles and impress people with their prowess. I suppose that kind of strength is very helpful when we need to do heavy work or defend ourselves against an attacker. However, that kind of strength can't really accomplish some of the most important tasks of life. The kind of strength we all need is the strength of understanding.  

Elihu gave his speech against Job, and some of what he said was very true, while a lot of what he said about Job was very off base. He did give us an insight about this strength. (Job 36:5) He said that God is mighty, but despises no one. He is mighty in the strength of understanding. I believe there is a lesson for all of us here.

When we are mighty, we can be guilty of the sin of despising others. We can look down on people who do not seem to be as powerful or influential as we are. That is a terrible sin. It shows that we are filled with pride, and that pride leads us into sin. If God is mighty, but He doesn't despise anyone, certainly we should never succumb to this. Instead, we need to treat each person as an individual and seek to understand them.

The strength of understanding is the ability to listen to other people. It is when we know the right questions to ask, so that we can learn what they believe, what motivates them. Then, the strength of understanding looks at the actions of the other person to see if they line up with what they say they believe. When this is done, we do not judge people wrongly. We give them the benefit of the doubt, and we do not look down on them, but we treat them with the respect they deserve.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 37-41.