The Bible says:
“Therefore I said, ‘Hearken unto me; I also will shew mine opinion.’” — Job 32: 10
An opinion is defined as “a settled judgment or belief of the mind; sentiment; idea; point of view; persuasion; or estimation.”
King Solomon shared his opinion when he wrote his conclusion of all opinions at the close of the book of Ecclesiastes, and in my opinion he is right.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandment: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
— Ecclesiastes 12: 13, 14
Elihu, the one who spoke our text, along with Job’s other friends had an opinion about Job’s ordeal, but their opinion was wrong. (Job 42: 7) Elijah was of the opinion that the Lord was God, and others were of the opinion that Baal was God.
When Elijah prayed fire down from heaven they had the same opinion as Elijah. (1 Kings 18).
Martin Lloyd Jones said that everyone is a philosopher because everyone has an opinion. Someone else said that opinions are like armpits; everyone has two and they both stick.
Our opinion is our persuasion, the way we think about things, our world view and serves to shape our convictions, our principles and our morals.
When we come to some conclusion and form our private opinion it’s a sign that we’ve learned to think for ourselves. Some people consider us dangerous because of this.
There is public and popular opinion that the masses procure on the open market which is the herd-mentality of slaves. I am of the opinion that the opinion of the world is terribly wrong.
Then there are some who are opinionated, close-minded, stubborn, and dogmatic over an absurd and false opinion. The reasonable person knows there’s a chance they could have a wrong opinion and therefore leave room for correction.
“Those who never retract their opinions when they know they’re wrong love themselves more than they love truth.”
I am of the opinion that God’s will is best for everyone, and the world would be a better place if everyone held this same opinion.
The prophets held this opinion. Jesus and His apostles held this opinion and shared this opinion when they shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
James H. Cagle is a Ray City resident who pastored several churches for a total of 11 years. Email him at pastorjameshcagle@ yahoo.com
