WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER FALSE WISDOM by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction: Over the past few days, many people have reached out to me about my take on the “Walk for Peace” by some Buddhist monks. I had been aware of it for some time, but when the questions started coming in last Monday, I felt that I should’ve addressed it earlier, even last weekend, before they walked down our streets. Looking back, I believe that God did not allow me to do that for several reasons: 

• He allowed me, and many of you, see that other religions are not ashamed of sharing their faith with us, even coming into our churches.
• He allowed me, and many of you, see the lack of spiritual discernment among Christians, even in the Bible belt.
• He allowed me, and many of you, see the lostness in America, even smalltown rural America.
• He allowed me, and many of you, see that while we with the true hope through Jesus Christ and true wisdom keep shutting down, false religions with false hope and false wisdom keep building and getting established. 

At stake is not just some march from Fort Worth to Washington DC in the cold winter. At stake is the salvation of men and women, boys and girls. At stake is the eternal destiny of our children and our grandchildren. At stake is the future of our nation and world. Turn in your Bible to page#819.In today’s message, in our series through Job, we will be looking at another character who pops out of nowhere and tries to instruct Job in wisdom, but Job does not even respond to him. In the process, we will also understand this walk for peace by the Buddhist monks and what it means for us and the future.

Job 33 (page #819) 31 “Give ear, Job, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will speak. 32 If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you. 33 If not, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Context: Last weekend, we wrapped up the third and final dialogue cycle between Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar). If you remember, the conversation broke down, and Job ended up speaking from Job 26 to 31, culminating with Job’s oath of innocence in Job 31. He gave a list of wrongs that were not big crimes, but minor deviations from what God requires. Job was arguing that if he did not sin in these minor crimes, then he definitely did not sin in the major ones. Here are 5 things that stand out in the list:

1. Job did not indulge in lust.

Job 31 (page #814) 1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?…” Sounds similar to what Jesus said in Matthew 5      27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

2. Job did not indulge in dishonesty.

Job 31 (page #814) 5 “If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit, 6 Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity.”

3. Job did not mistreat his servants or the poor.

Job 31 (page #814) 13 “If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me… 16 “If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17 Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it…” Again, very similar to what Jesus said in Luke 6      32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back…”

4. Job did not secretly worship idols.

Job 31 (page #815) 24 “If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’; 25If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; 26 If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, 27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand…”

5. Job did not secretly harbor bitterness.

Job 31 (page #815) 29 “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him 30 (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul).”Matthew 5      21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” 

There is a reason why we went over this list. Most people’s idea of godliness stops here. They think that if someone keeps a list like this, then they must be godly. Is it any wonder that people are on their knees bowing with hands folded as the monks file past them? They think that the monks are close to God!

Did you know that Buddhism is atheism. Who are the monks praying to? They are not praying to God. In fact, they are not praying at all! They are meditating to practice spiritual transcendence. They are repeating certain Sutras and Mantras (chants) that will help them focus or practice mindfulness. In fact, the particular form of Buddhism that is espoused by the monks is Theravada Buddhism that was imported to Vietnam not too long ago. Back in 2021, I covered all this in a message titled Canon. 

• I explained in this message that Buddha was an Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama from Northern India in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. For various reasons, his father would not let him venture out of the palace. He did not know what suffering was. He was married and had a child. One day, at the age of 29, he asked his charioteer to take him for a ride. On the way, he was exposed to “Four Sights” – an old man, a sick man, and a funeral procession. In other words, he was exposed to suffering. The fourth sight was a Hindu sadhu who seemed very peaceful. He decided to become one and left his wife and son. This was the “Great Renunciation.” He went searching for the truth and even tried to scourge himself. Finally, at age 35, he sat under a pipal tree (sacred fig) to meditate. All night, he fought against the evil tempter Mara. As a result, he experienced enlightenment and the path to the end of suffering. 
• This path begins with 4 Noble Truths: 1. Existence is suffering (dukkha) 2. Suffering is caused by desire (tanha). 3. Liberation (nirvana) from suffering and desire is possible. 4. The Eightfold path is the way to escape – right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Basically, they are morality, concentration, and wisdom.
• After this he gained some disciples and began preaching his way to enlightenment.
• Basically, his teachings were rooted in Hinduism, Jainism, and other ancient religions. There was a lot of focus on suffering, meditation, and following wise teachers. Karma was again important. The goal was to progress through the reincarnation cycles and escape to Nirvana. Unlike Hinduism, which focuses on coming back in the next life, Buddhism focuses on the continuation of pure karma from one life to another. 
• But, there were many other Buddhas. Their common teachings together are the buddhavacana or the word of the Buddha. This is the essence of the eternal Dharma or teachings.
• There are 3 canons based on the three main traditions: Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism. Theravada (way of the elders) claims to be the earliest and closest to the early Buddhist community. Pali Canon which has the Tripitaka (3 baskets) containing Buddha’s teachings, monastic codes, and philosophical analysis. They were passed down orally and finally penned 400 years later and agreed upon 500 more years later. This is much larger than the Bible, 11 times. This is how the Ajanta and Ellora Caves came to be. They were places for monks to study, work, and meditate.

(Adapted from Thane Hutcherson Ury)

A. Buddhist Religious Books	B. Bible
No personal god	God wants us to know him.
History is cyclical. No creation	History is linear. Yes, creation
Main problem is suffering	Main problem is sin
Salvation is from inside	Salvation is from above
Ultimate goal is Nirvana	Ultimate goal is relationship with God
It all happened under a tree	It all happened on a tree
No judgment	Day appointed for judgment
No life after death	Eternal Life
Be lamps to yourself	Shine the light of Jesus
Without Buddha, still Buddhism	No Christianity without Christ

Application: Some people have used deflection tactics to say – “We should not be fussing over these monks when there are bigger problems like crime, hate, teenage pregnancies, etc.” Yeah, standing up for the deity of Christ is not a small problem. Some said – “It’s just for peace. What’s wrong with that?” These monks are from Fort Worth, Texas, where they are building a big temple at the cost of $150 million dollars. They may be walking for peace, but this is also a fundraiser. Their goal is to firmly establish Buddhism in America. Others have said – “We as Christians should show hospitality…” 2 John 9 “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”

Back to Job 31 – When Job in Job 31 gives a list of all things that he doesn’t do, was he just a pre-Buddhist? No. Listen to Job 31 (page #815) 33 “If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom…” In the Hebrew, the word for Adam and humanity is one and the same – “adam.” Some scholars have said that Job is simply saying that “If I have concealed, as humans do, my transgression…” They argue that Job is simply saying that he is not like other humans who hide their sins. Although, that is possible, I believe that more is going on. Don’t forget that Job has talked about Jesus in very profound ways:

• Job 9:33 “Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both”
• Job 19:25 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth.”

So also, Job is saying something more than just “humanity” (See Robert Gordis and David Clines). Listen again to Job 31:33 “If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, 34 Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door.” Job is referring to the first Adam, who after he sinned, along with his wife, hid from God. It is very interesting that Job has spent all this time talking about his innocence, but, all of sudden, he says that he hasn’t hidden his transgression (pashah) from people. He admits that he is fundamentally a sinner before God. Covering up the fact that you and I are sinners who have transgressed God’s law is unforgivable. Job says that he has admitted that he is a sinner. Wow! 

Very quickly – Job 32 (page #816) 1 “So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. 3Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4 Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job. 5When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.” On the surface it seems as if this young guy Elihu is a good guy, but that is not the case. Listen again to Job 33 (page #817) 1 “But please, Job, hear my speech, And listen to all my words. 2 Now, I open my mouth;My tongue speaks in my mouth. 3 My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge.4 The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5 If you can answer me,Set your words in order before me; Take your stand. 6      Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed out of clay. 7 Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will my hand be heavy on you…31 “Give ear, Job, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will speak. 32 If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you. 33 If not, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.” Elihu is presuming to be the Second Adam.

1 Corinthians 15       45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Only Jesus is the Second Adam. We look to him.

Application: Have you admitted before God that you are a sinner? Are you listening to the wrong Adam? Are you saved?