“Where Can Wisdom be Found?”

Dr Richard Smith 13/10/2024

Readings - Job 28: 12-28   Mark 4: 26-32   

“But where can wisdom be found?” Where does understanding dwell? (28:12)  was JOB’s cry in response to his friends who were trying to persuade him that all his misfortunes and suffering was because he had sinned against God. But JOB challenged the wisdom of Deuteronomist of the Jewish Torah (The last of the first 5 books of our Bible)). The answer to Job’s  “But where can wisdom be found?” unfolds in the following chapters when God responds to JOB using the grandeur of creation to illustrate His wisdom and asking Job the rhetorical question, of “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4), highlighting the mystery and majesty of creation over the last billions of years that neither Job or ourselves can ever fully grasp. God goes on to state, “Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind?” (Job 38:36), indicating that while we have been imparted a measure of wisdom, it is limited compared to the infinite wisdom to be found in God’s creation – in Nature itself. This dynamic illustrates that our understanding of suffering and of the world is inherently constrained, and true wisdom is ultimately a gift from God to be found in Nature itself.

The Japanese discovered one aspect of this “wisdom” with their healing forests which they discovered offer profound benefits for mental and physical health, by providing nature’s remedy for the stresses of modern life through fostering a deeper spiritual connection to nature and one another. The British National Health System now offers prescription for such healing experiences as an alternative to psychological or psychiatric counselling. I see the same locally, as people flock in the mornings as the sun rises to walk or run around the paths at Lake Claremont, through an area of native bushland between the Karrakatta and Military Cemetries and through Bold Park. Others go to the ocean to swim all in someway accessing the healing of God’s spirit in nature.

Often when visiting a university, the great scientist Albert Einstein would be asked by Students: “Do you believe in God” to which he would answer: “Yes, in the God of Spinosa”. Now Spinoza was a 17th Century Sephardic Jew, whose family had been expelled from Portugal during the inquisition and were now living in Amsterdam. By the age of 24 Spinoza had concluded that his primary experience of God (the Sacred) was in nature, not in the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) which was central to Jewish worship in the Synagogue.  Spinoza, was declared a heretic and expelled from the Synagogue and was shunned from all contact, for prioritising his experience of the Sacred in nature, over the history of the Jewish people.  Our Aboriginal people bear witness to the same reality, which was ultimately recognised by the Uniting Church in 2009 with the formation of the UAICC, beginning an ongoing process of reconciliation of which our Church is part of.

As I visit your Church at Wembley Downs nature captures my imagination with:

·      Your beautiful Tuart trees outside, which were the pioneer species that over the last 10,000 years have silently transformed what were barren windblown sand dunes into a garden of Eden where many people now desire to live and raise their children. We are so enriched as these trees contribute to the some 500 litres of Oxygen, we each of us shall need today as well as the bonus of honey sold in the jam cabinet outside.

In our Hebrew scriptures this theme of experiencing God in nature abounds particularly in the Psalms where:

Psalm 8: marvels at the vastness of the universe, yet God cares for humanity, Psalm 19:1-6: declares that the heavens and the skies reveals God’s power and creativity, with the sun depicted as a joyful bridegroom. Psalm 29: likens God's voice to a thunderstorm that demonstrates his authority over nature, heralding life-giving rain. Psalm 65: praises God for the abundance of nature, and care for us through the cycles of the seasons, with their rain and subsequent harvests. Psalm 104:  celebrates creation, through the majesty of mountains and the intricacies of wildlife experienced in nature. Psalm 148: calls upon all aspects of creation—from celestial bodies to earthly creatures—to praise the Lord, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things in glorifying God.

It is therefore not surprising that Jesus who grew up in the Galilean foothills, drew heavily on nature in his parables. In today’s reading he personified the natural elements of tiny seeds long hidden, which when they germinate die so as to grow into something magnificent, bringing forth and providing for other animals, plants, birds, bees, microbes and fungi. Jesus used these parables to bridge the gap between the spiritual and the everyday lives of his listeners. By employing familiar imagery, he was able to communicate profound truths about the Kingdom of God, morality, and human relationships in a manner that resonated deeply with his audience, then and on down through the ages to our present time. Jesus’ parable technique not only enriched his teachings but also reinforced the interconnectedness of humanity with all of other forms of life.

A connection that is being too easily lost in our highly urbanised, egocentric and consumerist culture dominated by social media. We moderns would do well to harken to the epilogue of Ecclesiastes, the preacher who concluded his sermon to the people thousands of years ago with the words:

…… there is no end to the making of books, and much study simply tires us out. So that is the end of the matter, for now you have heard everything, but remember:

Stand in awe of Nature and do what it requires of you,

for this is the whole duty of humankind.

For everything we do Nature will bring to judgement,

even everything hidden, whether it be good or evil.[i]

A Judgement that is now upon us with the impact of Global Warming

In Jesus’ name our guide and inspiration.

AMEN

[i] P194 in Lloyd Geering, 2010, SUCH IS LIFE! A Close encounter with Ecclesiastes. pp. 214