Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s Bible study on Job 28 – Job’s discourse on wisdom. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Job took place approximately before 2100 B.C.
I encourage you to turn to Job 28 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Job 28 with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scriptures that you find highlighted in purple in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Job 27, we read about Job maintaining his integrity. Job 28, is a continuation of Job’s discourse from Job 27. Here, Job gives a discourse on wisdom and understanding.
Without any further delay, let us read and see what is Job Chapter 28 about, shall we?
Man Searches Out Earth’s Metals And Mines It
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.
In Verses 1-4 of Job 28, Job talks about how a man discovers earth’s hidden treasures. There are alloted places on the earth for mining and refining valuable metals such as silver and gold. Besides, man extracts iron from the earth and smelts copper from its ore. Man brings with him a light or a torch and searches every dark, seemingly unreachable recess in the rocks to search for ore and metals. He contructs a mine far away from the land where people dwell to search out earth’s treasures and does not give up easily.
Man Brings Earth’s Hidden Treasures To Light
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.
In Verses 5-11 of Job 28, Job talks about how bread(food) comes from the earth, however underneath the earth there is fire. The earth holds precious stones such as sapphires and contains gold dust. No bird’s eye, including the piercing gaze of the falcon, have found the hidden paths of the earth. Even the proud and fierce lions haven’t yet set foot on the hidden paths of the earth.
However, man puts his hand on the flinty rock and tears it apart and overturns mountains. He cuts out channels and pathways in the middle of rocks. His eyes see every precious hidden thing that the earth has (He has dominion over it more than any creature that God had created – Genesis 1:26-28). He is able to search out the earth’s treasures which no bird or animal can find. He constructs dams for the streams and he brings to light the hidden places and treasures of the earth.
Wisdom Is Harder To Search Than Earth’s Hidden Treasures
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.
In Verses 12-19 of Job 28, Job questions where could a man find wisdom and understanding on the earth. Man does not know the value of wisdom and understanding. He simply could not search it out as he searches out precious stones and metals. One cannot find wisdom among the living nor the dead nor the deep nor the seas. Besides, man cannot weigh wisdom in equal measure for exchange of gold or silver.
A man cannot buy wisdom with gold or silver or onyx or sapphires, crystals or with fine gold jewelry. The price of wisdom is higher than the price of precious rubies, topaz and pure gold. Man can search out all the precious stones on the earth and make all the fine jewels that he wants but he cannot search for wisdom in any place on the earth nor exchange it with the metals and stones that he mined.
The Fear Of The Lord Is 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.’ ”
In Verses 22-28 of Job 28, Job asks from where does wisdom and understanding come? Wisdom does not come from the earth or from God’s creations on the earth. It hides itself from the living, from the birds and from the dead. Only God understands the way of wisdom. He knows its place. He looks to the ends of the earth and sees under the heavens to establish the weight of the winds and a measure for the waters with wisdom. God, in his infinite wisdom, made a law for the rain and a path for the thunder. He saw wisdom and declared it and He prepared it and searched it out. Finally, God said to man – The fear of the Lord is wisdom and to depart (flee) from evil is understanding.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the bible study lesson on Job 28. To have wisdom and understanding is immense wealth. It is more precious than the finest precious stones and jewels of gold. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey.
If you have any comments or questions for me, kindly leave them in the comments box below. I highly appreciate it. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until Next Time!