In The Word
Read: Job 28-29
Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures
28 “Certainly there is a mine for silver
And a place for refining gold.
2 Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.
3 Man puts an end to darkness,
And to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
4 He sinks a shaft away from inhabited areas,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing, away from people.
5 From the earth comes food,
And underneath, it is turned over like fire.
6 Its rocks are the source of sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.
7 No bird of prey knows the path,
Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.
8 The proud animals have not trodden it,
Nor has the lion passed over it.
9 He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the base.
10 He carves out channels through the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.
11 He dams up the streams from flowing,
And brings to light what is hidden.
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12 “But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Mankind does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold.
18 Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of wisdom is more valuable than pearls.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is this place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature,
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
23 “God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth;
He sees everything under the heavens.
25 When He imparted weight to the wind,
And assessed the waters by measure,
26 When He made a limit for the rain,
And a course for the thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28 And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
Job’s Past Was Glorious
29 Job again took up his discourse and said,
2 “Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;
3 When His lamp shone over my head,
And by His light I walked through darkness;
4 Just as I was in the days of my youth,
When the protection of God was over my tent;
5 When the Almighty was still with me,
And my children were around me;
6 When my steps were bathed in cream,
And the rock poured out streams of oil for me!
7 When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat in the public square,
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
9 The leaders stopped talking
And put their hands on their mouths;
10 The voices of the prominent people were hushed,
And their tongues stuck to their palates.
11 For when an ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when an eye saw, it testified in support of me,
12 Because I saved the poor who cried for help,
And the orphan who had no helper.
13 The blessing of the one who was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a headband.
15 I was eyes to those who were blind,
And feet to those who could not walk.
16 I was a father to the poor,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.
17 I broke the jaws of the wicked
And rescued the prey from his teeth.
18 Then I thought, ‘I will die with my family,
And I will multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root is spread out to the waters,
And dew lies on my branch all night.
20 My glory is ever new with me,
And my bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 “To me they listened and waited,
And they kept silent for my advice.
22 After my words they did not speak again,
And my speech dropped on them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
And opened their mouths as for the late rain.
24 I smiled at them when they did not believe,
And they did not look at my kindness ungraciously.
25 I chose a way for them and sat as chief,
And lived as a king among the troops,
As one who comforted the mourners.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
To his friends, Job described the magnificence of God’s wisdom as having value much higher than anything on earth and depth far greater than any creature could fathom. The most wonderful part of God’s wisdom is that He desires to share it with you so that it can guide your path in life toward God’s will where love, peace, and joy are found. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6).” Because God has made his wisdom available, He says you should desire it like immeasurable treasure.
So how do you gain this priceless wisdom? As God revealed to Job, it begins with the fear of the Lord. “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ (Job 28:28)” The word fear in this verse means a deep awe, reverence, and respect by placing God as Lord of your heart and submitting every part of your life to Him. God had twice described Job as “fearing God and turning away from evil(Job 1:8, 2:13)”. Thus, Job was one who could speak well about God’s wisdom.
The second step to gain God’s wisdom is to ask Him for it. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)” God will reveal His wisdom to you through His Word and your subsequent obedience.