WHERE CAN WISDOM BE FOUND?

Job 28:1-28 / Keywords 28:28

And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.

 

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

28:1 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[a] 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[b] 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.”

Footnotes

a. Job 28:11 Septuagint, Aquila and Vulgate; Hebrew They dam up

b. Job 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon

1. In this chapter, Job takes a break from his arguments to give a profound poem about wisdom. He starts by describing how skilled people are at digging out silver, gold, and precious stones from the earth, even though they are hidden in dark places far below the ground. Working hard, people can dig deep into the rock and extract all kinds of valuable materials (1-11).

 

2. Wisdom can similarly be seen as a hidden treasure, and our spiritual search for wisdom is like digging or mining. But wisdom is much more valuable than any earthly treasure (15-19), and also more difficult to find (20-22). Because sinful people do not understand its value and only seek material wealth, wisdom is rarely seen in this world (13).

 

3. True wisdom comes from God. The created world shows us the vastness of God’s wisdom (23-27). We cannot attain to the level of God’s wisdom. But God said that for us human beings, real wisdom is to fear him and to shun evil (28). If we think we are wise, we have missed the wisdom God intended for us. But if we humbly acknowledge that we are not God and live before him in reverent fear, then our lives are on the right track. The wisest people are the most humble.

 

Prayer Father, thank you for displaying your awesome and unfathomable wisdom. Help me have the right kind of wisdom by fearing you.

One Word The fear of the Lord is wisdom