Wisdom...Job 28

To My Daughters,

Though Job had agreed that the wicked suffer, this did not explain why he was suffering...since Job was righteous.  Job asks his friends to consider that maybe God’s wisdom was beyond their understanding. (You think?) That is the theme of this chapter. “The wisdom of God is not gained by natural or theoretical knowledge. What God does not reveal, we can’t know.

The question then at the outset of this study is how do we gain the wisdom of God if it is not gained by natural means?

Verses 1-11 of Chapter 28 is chockful of mining references. Men spend much time and much effort mining for precious things. 

Verses 12-20 of chapter 28 sum it all up:

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.

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.’”

Did you get that? No amount of effort on a human being's part will yield God's wisdom. It can't be valued or found in the world. It can't be bought and neither the living or the dead can find it.

Wisdom can only be found in God. The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. Solomon the wisest man on earth searched out this very matter...here is his conclusion.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

 Fear God and keep His commandments, 
For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, 
Including every secret thing, 
Whether good or evil.--Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

True wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:7; 9:10; 15:33; 19:23). When we honor Him and seek to please Him, He teaches us His wisdom and His way

James tells us that if we lack wisdom we are to ask God for it. He will give it liberally and without reproach. 

Paul tells us that the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus Christ. (Colossians 2:3)

I discovered this very thing at the moment of my salvation. A veil was lifted off of my eyes and I understood that the true wisdom I needed...the true wisdom I had desired for so long...would be found in Him. All we need for life and godliness is in the Scriptures. Everything we need to know to get through this day and the next can be found in our God. Stand in awe of Him, girls.  Talk to Him and walk with Him. He is awesome. He is gracious. He is good and He will become whatever you need.  Begin and end each and every day with Him. Be desperate for Him. Search for Him and you will find the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.--Deuteronomy 29:29

Love

Mom