Job 28:1-28
Where Wisdom is Found
1 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
10 They tunnel through the rock;
their eyes see all its treasures.
11 They search the sources of the rivers
and bring hidden things to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “It is not in me”;
the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction and Death say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”
The Book of Job is one of the oldest books of the Bible...Job and his friends are searching hard to find and are talking about the mysteries of God...Job and his friend are looking at the deep questions of life...Their search and discussion for God, takes them from precious metals to wisdom...There are mines for silver and iron and different ores...These metals are found in mines...So go looking for silver and you know that different metals can be found in certain mines...But where is wisdom found, and where does wisdom come from?...Who started wisdom?...
We learn from Job, that man was mining even in the ancient days...And from the "olden days" of mining I would bet the miners were much in the dark, while they worked and searched for stones and metals...Darkness represents fear, evil, and death...Yet, from the darkness and from the depths of the earth comes unexpected treasures...Up from the shafts of mines, comes many precious metals and stones, including silver, gold, iron, copper, sapphires, and different ores...Man has tunneled through rock and below the earth for thousand of years to find earth's treasures...How did man learn to mine and what gave these metals value to them?...Are metals a great treasure for man, or is there something else?...
Man searches and works hard to find different treasures...Man worked hard to get these precious metals out of the deep earth...Wisdom is another one of man's greatest treasures, is not found below the earth...Wisdom is quite different from the precious metals...Wisdom cannot be bought with even the most precious stones found in the mines that are being discussed...Like the precious stones and metals, wisdom must be searched for and it takes hard work to find and get wisdom...
Jesus teaches us that we should not fear the one that can destroy the body, but fear the One that can destroy the body and the soul (Matthew 10:28)...Your soul is your immortality...It is your eternal connection to God...People have no ability to destroy your soul...Some people take care of their body, through proper eating, exercising, and proper checkups with their doctors...But we learn from Jesus that the soul is what that is important...To live a long life with a healthy body and not have a soul unhealthy is not a good life at all...It maybe a long life, but it is not a good life...We must take care of our soul better than we take care of the body...The body will wear out and be gone, while the energy of your soul will live eternally forever...God can not only kill the body, but also send the soul into the eternal hell (Luke 12:5)...God is the One we must fear...We must respect our Father...He created the earth and all mankind...There is not anything He cannot do...
Like Jesus, the author of Proverbs teaches us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7)...
Wisdom is found only in God...True wisdom is to fear God and to shun evil...
Job's friends understand this, but in their wisdom, they still cannot figure out the mystery of God...It is because God is far above us in knowledge, wisdom, and in all things...Man is one thing and God is Another...The Prophet Isaiah says man is like grasshoppers (Isaiah 40:22)...How could a grasshopper write a thesis on man and explain man's knowledge and wisdom?...How then can Job or any of us expect to describe our Father Almighty?...