Job 12:12

12 With the ancient [yashiysh] is wisdom [chokmah]; and in length ['orek] of days [yowm] understanding [tabuwn]. KJV-Interlinear

12 'Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding. NASB

People function in life with learning. Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge which is the general awareness or accumulation of facts, details, ideas, techniques, abilities and so forth.

With repetition of learning, comes understanding. Understanding is the ability to perceive the meaning of those facts, details, ideas, techniques, abilities and so forth. Continued repetition of understanding leads to the mastery of a function or process, such as singing, dancing, inventing, engineering, etc.

A child bounces a ball, he is learning. The child bounces the ball several times and that becomes the learning process for dribbling a basketball. Over time, as the child grows up, and gains balance and coordination, then he becomes more proficient at his bouncing ball technique. Pretty soon he commands the ball with his learned abilities.

Wisdom is the result of time driven exposure to learning, understanding, and mastery over facts, details, ideas, techniques, abilities and so forth, such that one possesses the necessary tools for making good decisions.

Making good decisions in life, opens up doors for more opportunities. Making bad decisions in life, closes doors of opportunity.

There are two ultimate decisions one can make in life which have eternal impact on ones life. These are of course, believing in Christ, thus opening up the door of heaven for ones future.

The second decision is to advance ones self to spiritual maturity, opening up the door for phenomenal blessings, beyond ones imagination, in eternity.

The first decision takes only a second or two, to believe in Christ. Once you have believed in Christ then you are saved and heaven will be your next destination after this life. That decision alone gives you phenomenal opportunities for an eternal life in heaven. The other bad choice is to not believe in Christ, and thus choose the Lake of Fire as your next stop.

The second decision is really a daily commitment to studying the Bible for the rest of your life. With that commitment, you learn Biblical principles, responsibility, charity, orientation to life, orientation to God, orientation to people, discernment, and so forth.

With spiritual growth, you learn faith and dependence on God for everything in your life. God shows you phenomenal things even in this life. And, when you get to heaven, your evaluation at the Judgment Seat of Christ will gain you phenomenal rewards for eternity. Rewards which others who choose not to grow up in their spiritual lives, will not receive.

Those rewards, honors, crowns, wages if you will, bonuses, promotions, recognitions, privileges, abilities, and many more things, will far exceed your ability to imagine, and they will last you and be your possessions, forever.

Your spiritual life is yours to own. It is Gods gift for your perseverance in your spiritual studies. It is your most valuable asset. That should be obvious. Of all that you earn, gain, accumulate, or possess in this life, nothing will come anywhere as close in value as your spiritual life.

Unfortunately, most folks do not invest in their spiritual life, but spend most of their time, if not all of their time, investing in the temporary things of this world.

Now for Jobs verse.

Wisdom, which is the ultimate and final destination of the learning process, generally lies with the older folks. Most of us have to go through life, before we begin to learn.

Back in Jobs day, the ancients, or the very old folks, had knowledge of creation, the pre-flood days, the flood, the Tower of Babel, the confusion of tongues, the migration of families, and the settlement of nations.

Those folks lived several hundreds of years, contrary to the popular belief that 'cavemen' had very short lifespans. They gained knowledge by hearing their elders speak. They gained knowledge by observation. They gained knowledge by experience. And they handed this knowledge down to later generations by means of parables, proverbs, sayings and so forth.

Learning by proverb is not enough to teach understanding or gain wisdom. Experience is necessary in some cases, but in every case, learning Bible doctrine is mandatory, which is the ultimate and perfect standard for discernment in life.

Man has to learn a little bit at a time. No one can learn the vast world of Bible doctrine, overnight, in a weekend, in a month, or from a once or twice reading of the scriptures.

No one can grow up fully in their spiritual life, even in an infinite number of life times. Therefore, you cannot expect to learn everything and know it all, in this life.

In comparison to God, man has to learn, God does not. And that will be the subject of the rest of the chapter.

Now is the time to post a prayer.