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Deuteronomy 29:29
The Lord our God keeps certain things hidden. But he makes other things known to us and to our children forever. He does it so we can obey all the words of this law.
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Romans 11:33-34
How very rich are God’s wisdom and knowledge! How he judges is more than we can understand! The way he deals with people is more than we can know!“ Who can ever know what the Lord is thinking? Or who can ever give him advice?”( Isaiah 40:13)
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1 Kings 4 29-1 Kings 4 34
God made Solomon very wise. His understanding couldn’t even be measured. It was like the sand on the seashore. People can’t measure that either.Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the east. It was greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.Solomon was wiser than anyone else. He was wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite. He was wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda. They were the sons of Mahol. Solomon became famous in all the nations around him.He spoke 3,000 proverbs. He wrote 1,005 songs.He spoke about plants. He knew everything about them, from the cedar trees in Lebanon to the hyssop plants that grow out of walls. He spoke about animals and birds. He also spoke about reptiles and fish.The kings of all the world’s nations heard about how wise Solomon was. So they sent their people to listen to him.
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Job 11:7-8
“ Do you know how deep the mysteries of God are? Can you discover the limits of the Mighty One’s knowledge?They are higher than the heavens above. What can you do? They are deeper than the deepest parts of the earth below. What can you know?
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Job 29:16
I was like a father to needy people. I stood up for strangers in court.
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Ezra 4:15
Then you can have a search made in the official records. Have someone check the records of the kings who ruled before you. If you do, you will find out that Jerusalem is an evil city. It causes trouble for kings and countries. For a long time the city has refused to let anyone rule over it. That’s why it was destroyed.
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Job 42:3
You asked me,‘ Who do you think you are to disagree with my plans? You do not know what you are talking about.’ I spoke about things I didn’t completely understand. I talked about things that were too wonderful for me to know.
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Ezra 4:19
I gave an order. I had a search made. Here is what we found out. Jerusalem has a long history of turning against the kings of the countries that have ruled over it. It has refused to remain under their control. It is always stirring up trouble.
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1 Kings 3 9-1 Kings 3 28
So give me a heart that understands. Then I can rule over your people. I can tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Who can possibly rule over this great nation of yours?”The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for that.So God said to him,“ You have not asked to live for a long time. You have not asked to be wealthy. You have not even asked to have your enemies killed. Instead, you have asked for wisdom. You want to do what is right and fair when you judge people. Because that is what you have asked for,I will give it to you. I will give you a wise and understanding heart. So here is what will be true of you. There has never been anyone like you. And there never will be.And that is not all. I will give you what you have not asked for. I will give you wealth and honor. As long as you live, no other king will be as great as you are.Live the way I want you to. Obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did. Then I will let you live for a long time.”Solomon woke up. He realized he had been dreaming. He returned to Jerusalem. He stood in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. He sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his officials.Two prostitutes came to the king. They stood in front of him.One of them said,“ Pardon me, my master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me.Three days after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone. There wasn’t anyone in the house but the two of us.“ During the night this woman’s baby died. It happened because she was lying on top of him.So she got up in the middle of the night. She took my son from my side while I was asleep. She put him by her breast. Then she put her dead son by my breast.The next morning, I got up to nurse my son. But he was dead! I looked at him closely in the morning light. And I saw that it wasn’t my baby.”The other woman said,“ No! The living baby is my son. The dead one belongs to you.” But the first woman said,“ No! The dead baby is yours. The living one belongs to me.” So they argued in front of the king.The king said,“ One of you says,‘ My son is alive. Your son is dead.’ The other one says,‘ No! Your son is dead. Mine is alive.’ ”He continued,“ Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to him.Then he gave an order. He said,“ Cut the living child in two. Give half to one woman and half to the other.”The woman whose son was alive was filled with deep love for her son. She said to the king,“ My master, please give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other woman said,“ Neither one of us will have him. Cut him in two!”Then the king made his decision. He said,“ Give the living baby to the first woman. Don’t kill him. She’s his mother.”All the Israelites heard about the decision the king had given. That gave them great respect for him. They saw that God had given him wisdom. They knew that Solomon would do what was right and fair when he judged people.
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Job 38:4-39:30
“ Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you know.Who measured it? I am sure you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?What was it built on? Who laid its most important stone?When it happened, the morning stars sang together. All the angels shouted with joy.“ Who created the ocean? Who caused it to be born?I put clouds over it as if they were its clothes. I wrapped it in thick darkness.I set limits for it. I put its doors and metal bars in place.I said,‘ You can come this far. But you can’t come any farther. Here is where your proud waves have to stop.’“ Job, have you ever commanded the morning to come? Have you ever shown the sun where to rise?The daylight takes the earth by its edges as if it were a blanket. Then it shakes sinful people out of it.The earth takes shape like clay stamped with an official’s mark. Its features stand out like the different parts of your clothes.Sinners would rather have darkness than light. When the light comes, their power is broken.“ Have you traveled to the springs at the bottom of the ocean? Have you walked in its deepest parts?Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?Do you understand how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all these things.“ Where does light come from? And where does darkness live?Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their houses?I am sure you know! After all, you were already born! You have lived so many years!“ Have you entered the places where the snow is kept? Have you seen the storerooms for the hail?I store up snow and hail for times of trouble. I keep them for days of war and battle.Where does lightning come from? Where do the east winds live that blow across the earth?Who tells the rain where it should fall? Who makes paths for the thunderstorms?They bring water to places where no one lives. They water deserts that do not have anyone in them.They satisfy the needs of dry and empty lands. They make grass start growing there.Does the rain have a father? Who is the father of the drops of dew?Does the ice have a mother? Who is the mother of the frost from the heavens?The waters become as hard as stone. The surface of the ocean freezes over.“ Can you tie up the cords of the Pleiades? Can you untie the belt that Orion wears?Can you bring out all the stars in their seasons? Can you lead out the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper?Do you know the laws that govern the heavens? Can you rule over the earth the way I do?“ Can you give orders to the clouds? Can you make them pour rain down on you?Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you,‘ Here we are’?Who gives the ibis wisdom? Who gives the rooster understanding?Who is wise enough to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens?I tip them over when the ground becomes hard. I do it when the dirt sticks together.“ Do you hunt for food for mother lions? Do you satisfy the hunger of their cubs?Some of them lie low in their dens. Others lie waiting in the bushes.Who provides food for ravens when their babies cry out to me? They wander around because they do not have anything to eat.“ Job, do you know when mountain goats have their babies? Do you watch when female deer give birth?Do you count the months until the animals have their babies? Do you know the time when they give birth?They bend their back legs and have their babies. Then their labor pains stop.Their little ones grow strong and healthy in the wild. They leave and do not come home again.“ Who let the wild donkeys go free? Who untied their ropes?I gave them the dry and empty land as their home. I gave them salt flats to live in.They laugh at all the noise in town. They do not hear the shouts of the donkey drivers.They wander over the hills to look for grass. They search for anything green to eat.“ Job, will wild oxen agree to serve you? Will they stay by your feed box at night?Can you keep them in straight rows with harnesses? Will they plow the valleys behind you?Will you depend on them for their great strength? Will you let them do your heavy work?Can you trust them to haul in your grain? Will they bring it to your threshing floor?“ The wings of ostriches flap with joy. But they can’t compare with the wings and feathers of storks.Ostriches lay their eggs on the ground. They let them get warm in the sand.They do not know that something might step on them. A wild animal might walk all over them.Ostriches are mean to their little ones. They treat them as if they did not belong to them. They do not care that their work was useless.I did not provide ostriches with wisdom. I did not give them good sense.But when they spread their feathers to run, they laugh at a horse and its rider.“ Job, do you give horses their strength? Do you put flowing manes on their necks?Do you make them jump like locusts? They terrify others with their proud snorting.They paw the ground wildly. They are filled with joy. They charge at their enemies.They laugh at fear. They are not afraid of anything. They do not run away from swords.Many arrows rattle at their sides. Flashing spears and javelins are also there.They are so excited that they race over the ground. They can’t stand still when trumpets are blown.When they hear the trumpets they snort,‘ Aha!’ They catch the smells of battle far away. They hear the shouts of commanders and the battle cries.“ Job, are you wise enough to teach hawks where to fly? They spread their wings and fly toward the south.Do you command eagles to fly so high? They build their nests as high as they can.They live on cliffs and stay there at night. High up on the rocks they think they are safe.From there they look for their food. They can see it from far away.Their little ones like to eat blood. Eagles gather where they see dead bodies.”
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Job 40:2
“ I am the Mighty One. Will the man who argues with me correct me? Let him who brings charges against me answer me!”
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Ezra 5:17-6:1
If it pleases you, King Darius, let a search be made in the royal records. Search the official records of the kings of Babylon. Find out whether King Cyrus really did give an order to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then tell us what you decide to do.King Darius gave an order. He had a search made in the official records stored among the treasures at Babylon.
