But I have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things? – Job 12:3

Today's Scripture Reading (August 23, 2024): Job 12

With all of the negative research and advertising around smoking cigarettes, it is hard to believe that there was actually a day when the health benefits of enjoying a cigarette were stressed. Or that it used to be that cigarettes were advertised on family-friendly shows like "The Beverly Hillbillies." I smile every time I stream a show today and read the list of warnings, including "cigarette use." Today, we are angry if a family show includes advertisements for sugary treats and cereals, and we wouldn't think about using these shows to promote cigarettes.

 It is hard to believe that Coca-Cola once included cocaine in the recipe, although it was a less refined form of the drug than is commonly used today. Cocaine was thought of as a medicine, and Coca-Cola was a household, over-the-counter drug that could cure the ordinary pains and ailments of life.

Today, we know differently. The things that we once believed are wrong. As we look back in history, it is interesting to read about the common wisdom of the day and realize how incorrect it was.

Job begins his defense in two ways. First, he stresses that his friends are not the only ones with a mind. Job is not inferior to his friends. And second, the things that Job's friends know are common wisdom. There is nothing new here.

These solutions are not new, and there is no proof that they are true. We could summarize Job's response as "All your boasted wisdom consists only in strings of proverbs which are in every person's mouth, and are no proof of wisdom and experience in them that use them" (Adam Clarke). Job's friends were citing nothing more than easy answers to complex questions. A year ago, Job might have recited the same answers, but now he is in the midst of the most profound suffering he could imagine, and the common wisdom spouted by his friends no longer fills the void that the suffering had left within him.

One of the lessons we need to learn from Job is that our common wisdom often doesn't work either. And sometimes, our friends don't need the common wisdom that we know but just our support as they struggle to find the difficult answers that we all have to look for once in a while.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Job 13