Job and his friends differed in their ideas of how people become wise.
His Source of Wisdom: Wisdom is learned by observing and experiencing life. He based his advice to Job on his confident, firsthand knowledge (4:7, 8; 5:3, 27).
Attitude toward God: “I have personally observed how God works and have figured him out.”
His Source of Wisdom: Wisdom is inherited from the past. Trustworthy knowledge is secondhand. He based his advice to Job on traditional proverbs and sayings that he frequently quoted (8:8, 9; 18:5-21).
Attitude toward God: “Those who have gone before us figured God out, and all we have to do is use that knowledge.”
His Source of Wisdom: Wisdom belongs to the wise. He based his advice on his wisdom that had no other source than himself (11:6; 20:1-29).
Attitude toward God: “The wise know what God is like, but there aren’t many of us around.”
His Source of Wisdom: God is the source of wisdom, and the first step toward wisdom is to fear God (28:20-28).
Attitude toward God: “God reveals his wisdom to those who humbly trust him.”