October 19
Reading: Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold that they refine.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted from the ore.
3 Man puts an end to darkness
and searches out to the farthest limit
the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
4 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
they are forgotten by travelers;
they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6 Its stones are the place of sapphires,
and it has dust of gold.
7 “That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon’s eye has not seen it.
8 The proud beasts have not trodden it;
the lion has not passed over it.
9 “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
and overturns mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12 “But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above pearls.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23 “God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.'”
Job 28 continues Job’s teaching from chapter 27. The first point in Job’s little sermon was in Job 27:13-23, that God will finally judge the wicked man.
Now we read points 2, 3, 4, and 5 delivered by Job in poetic verse.
Point 2: The world is full of mysteries and hidden treasures. (vss. 1-8) Deep in the ground are gold, silver, iron, and gems. The birds and the beasts travel paths that no one knows about. Water travels under the ground and above ground and in the sky in ways that we do not understand. This all remains true today. We know a little more about all these things, but still they are mysteries.
Point 3: The source of wisdom is the greatest mystery of all. (vss. 9-22) So great is the mystery that, not only can people not find it, people do not even know what they are looking for. People do not even understand the worth of wisdom. Even the dead do not know where it is.
Point 4: God knows wisdom, its worth, and where it is hidden. (vss. 23-27) God displays wisdom in all that He does. His creation reveals His wisdom and in His wisdom He commands the history of the world and the fate of every man.
Pont 5: The best that we can do is to listen to God. (vs. 28) He says to fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This verse, as with all of Job, was written long before the Psalms and Proverbs and is reflected in all of Scripture. In this statement Job lays the groundwork for all the wisdom literature to follow. You can find echoes of it throughout.
“Make your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:2-6)
“The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
“Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and turmoil with it.” (Proverbs 15:16)
“By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6)
Of the Messiah, Isaiah writes, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear.” (Isaiah 11:2-3)