Job Chapter 28 could be outlined:
Man’s Search for Wealth. Job 28:1-11
Where is Wisdom Found? Job 28:12-19
Wisdom is in the Fear of God. Job 28:20-28
1 "Surely 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 Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death. 4 He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro. 5 As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; 6 Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust. 7 That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it. 8 The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9 He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. 10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. 11 He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light. Job 28:1-11 (NKJV)
MAN’S SEARCH FOR WEALTH
Man will go to extreme measures to find wealth. They will turn the world upside down. They will go into the wilderness – where no one has gone before – risk their lives to get rich. This is what man will do for wealth.
The common man will also go to extreme measures to get something for free. A store owner will offer a few dollars off of an item or a free item to the first ten people in line on a certain date. People, seeking a “bargain”, will show up at the oddest hours and brave the worst conditions to be among the top ten. I have seen it. I have done it. But remember – those things are temporal. God’s wisdom is much more valuable then earthly treasure.
Barnes on commenting on Job chapter twenty eight shows the lengths that man will go to obtain wealth. Here is an illustration that Barnes used:
“The matrix in which the gold in Egypt was found is quartz, and the excavations to procure the gold are exceedingly deep.
The principal excavation is 180 feet deep. The quartz thus obtained was broken by the workmen into small fragments, of the size of a bean, and these were passed through hand mills made of granitic stone, and when reduced to powder the quartz was washed on inclined tables, and the gold was thus separated from the stone. Diodorus says, that the principal persons engaged in mining operations were captives, taken in war, and persons who were compelled to labor in the mines, for offences against the government. They were bound in fetters, and compelled to labor night and day. “No attention,” he says, “is paid to these persons; they have not even a piece of rag to cover themselves; and so wretched is their condition, that every one who witnesses it, deplores the excessive misery which they endure. No rest, no intermission from toil, are given either to the sick or the maimed; neither the weakness of age, nor women’s infirmities, are regarded; all are driven to the work with the lash, until, at last, overcome with the intolerable weight of their afflictions, they die in the midst of their toil.”
Job chapter twenty eight verses one thru eleven is a lead up to the questions found in verse twelve – “Where can wisdom be found?” And, “Where is the place of understanding?” Wisdom is to be considered more precious than wealth. I would rather be around a poor wise man than a rich fool – how about you?
Proverbs talks much about wisdom – here are two verses to consider:
“For wisdom is better than precious stones, and nothing desirable can compare with it.”
Proverbs 8:11 (HCSB)
“Acquire wisdom— how much better it is than gold! And acquire understanding— it is preferable to silver.” Proverbs 16:16 (HCSB)
Man will literally move mountains to find wealth. I have seen open pit mines. Job in verses one thru four is making a point of how far people will go to find a rock or a stone. We may call the rock gold or copper. The stone may be called a diamond or a ruby – but in reality it is nothing more than a rock. He who has made the rocks and the stones is more precious than all He has made. Which is of more wealth – the painting or the artist? There are things in this world that we get turned around – mixed up – confused – He who has made all is much more precious than all. Give me Jesus above all wealth.
In verses seven and eight Job says man, in his pursuit of wealth, will go to places that birds can not fly nor the fiercest lion dare to tread. Man will risk life and limb in the pursuit of wealth.
12 "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 Man does not know its value, Nor is it 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 purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. 16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. 17 Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. 18 No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. Job 28:12-19 (NKJV)
WHERE IS WISDOM FOUND?
Wisdom is not what you know about the world – but how well you know God. Human reasoning will not make you wise. In Deuteronomy we find that wisdom is based on keeping the Law of God:
“Faithfully obey these laws. This will show the people of the world your wisdom and insight. When they hear about all these laws, they will say, "What wise and insightful people there are in this great nation!" Deuteronomy 4:6 (GW)
If wisdom is about knowing God – I should be respectful when it comes to Godly things. But man does not understand the value of Godly wisdom in this world. This is what Job is telling us in verse thirteen.
This past week I made a trip to New Mexico to participate in the nineteenth annual Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range. There were over four thousand participants in the event this year. Runners and walkers from every state in the union were there along with representatives from several other countries. The opening ceremony was very patriotic. A huge flag flew above all of us. We stood in respectful silence at the posting of the colors and the national anthem was sung. Everyone in the crowd had their attention fixed on paying respecting our nation. However, a few minutes later the invocation was given. As the chaplain prayed my attention was fixed on giving honor to God. However, I noticed that this was not the case among the crowd. As respect for our country was given – you could hear a pin drop. During the invocation there was movement and whispering. Should not more respect be honored to He who has set the nations in place? Man in this world does not understand the importance Godly things.
Job says wisdom “cannot be purchased for gold or silver.” Wisdom cannot be found in the land of the living. It is not in the deepest places of the earth or of the sea. It cannot be purchased for gold or silver. It is more valuable then the gold of Ophir, onyx, sapphires, crystal, coral, quartz, rubies, topaz or pure gold. Jewelry made from the finest materials – gold and silver – inlaid with precious stones cannot compare to the value of wisdom. Job knows that the wealth of this world cannot equal the value of God’s wisdom.
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 Destruction and Death say, ’We have heard a report about it with our ears.’ 23 God understands its way, And He knows its place. 24 For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, 25 To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. 26 When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, 27 Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 28 And to man He said, ’Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ " Job 28:20-28 (NKJV)
WISDOM IS IN THE FEAR OF GOD
Two questions are asked in verse twenty. They are the same questions that were asked in verse twelve.
1. Where does wisdom come from?
2. Where is the place of understanding?
Job tells us in verse twenty one that wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all the living. Even the birds – which have keen eye sight – have not seen it. Destruction and death have heard about it – but they have not seen it either.
God understands wisdom! He knows where it is! (v. 23) Why shouldn’t He? He sees everything – all of earth – everything under heaven. (v. 24) Job then exposes the power of God:
1. He establishes the weight of the wind.
2. He has measured out every drop of water on the earth.
3. He has set the rules for rain.
4. He has established the path of the thunderbolt.
The following are excerpts from Clarke’s commentary on Job 28:25:
“God has given an atmosphere to the earth, which, possessing a certain degree of gravity perfectly suited to the necessities of all animals, plants, vegetables, and fluids, is the cause in his hand of preserving animal and vegetative life through the creation; for by it the blood circulates in the veins of animals, and the juices in the tubes of vegetables. Without this pressure of the atmosphere, there could be no respiration; and the elasticity of the particles of air included in animal and vegetable bodies, without this superincumbent pressure, would rupture the vessels in which they are contained, and destroy both kinds of life. So exactly is this weight of the winds or atmospheric air proportioned to the necessities of the globe, that we find it in the mean neither too light to prevent the undue expansion of animal and vegetable tubes, nor too heavy to compress them so as to prevent due circulation.”
“He has exactly proportioned the aqueous surface of the earth to the terrene parts, so that there shall be an adequate surface to produce, by evaporation, moisture sufficient to be treasured up in the atmosphere for the irrigation of the earth, so that it may produce grass for cattle, and corn for the service of man. It has been found, by a pretty exact calculation, that the aqueous surface of the globe is to the terrene parts as three to one; or, that three-fourths of the surface of the globe is water, and about one-fourth earth. And other experiments on evaporation, or the quantity of vapours which arise from a given space in a given time, show that it requires such a proportion of aqueous surface to afford moisture sufficient for the other proportion of dry land. Thus God has given the waters by measure, as he has given the due proportion of weight to the winds.”
Clarke goes to great lengths in his commentary to explain the pressure of the atmosphere. Yet as much as he has gone to explain it – it is only a fraction of understand. God’s power is beyond or comprehention.
God alone has seen wisdom and proclaimed it. He has surely prepared wisdom. He knows where it is – it is not hidden from Him. And He said to man, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom. To depart from evil – that is understanding.”
“Blessed be the name of the Lord. May I seek Your wisdom. May I find Your wisdom. May I walk in understanding.”
