How does Job 12:20 illustrate God's control over human wisdom and authority? “He deprives the trusted of speech and takes away the discernment of the elders.” Setting the verse in context • Job is responding to friends who assume they understand the ways of God. • Chapters 12–14 form Job’s rebuttal, emphasizing God’s absolute sovereignty. • Verse 20 sits in a list of divine actions (vv. 17-25) showing the Lord’s power over every human sphere—kings, priests, nobles, nations, and sages alike. Word-by-word insights • “Deprives” – an active, intentional verb; God does the removing. • “Trusted” – men counted reliable, pillars of society; not fringe voices. • “Speech” – the very means by which leaders wield influence. • “Takes away” – no negotiation; a decisive stripping. • “Discernment” – sound judgment, insight, wisdom. • “Elders” – seasoned authorities, respected for experience. How the verse shows God’s sovereignty over wisdom • Human insight is not self-generated; it remains in God’s hand. • When He withholds discernment, even lifelong sages become confused. • Compare 1 Corinthians 1:19—“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.” • Proverbs 2:6—“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” How the verse shows God’s sovereignty over authority • Speech is a primary tool of leadership; God can silence it. • Elders symbolize established power structures. God disrupts them at will. • Daniel 2:21—“He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” • Psalm 75:7—“It is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another.” Related Scriptures reinforcing the theme • Isaiah 40:23—“He brings the princes to nothing and makes the judges of the earth meaningless.” • Ezekiel 7:26—“Disaster upon disaster will come… They will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law will perish from the priest and counsel from the elders.” • James 1:5—Wisdom, when given, is “from above,” underscoring God as the source. Application for today • Confidence in experts must be secondary to confidence in the Lord who grants—or withholds—their capacity. • Pray for leaders’ mouths and minds to stay under God’s guiding hand. • When public voices falter or proven authorities fail, remember Job 12:20: God is neither surprised nor outmaneuvered. • Personal wisdom comes by humble dependence on Him (Proverbs 3:5-6), not by credentials alone. |
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