Read Job 28
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
28 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 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 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.”
Go Deeper
For many of us, what we treasure is revealed in what we are willing to spend money investing in. Most often, the things that are worth the most, are the treasures we are willing to work the hardest for, regardless of how much money or time is spent in the process. This could be our cars, our clothes, our houses, our food choices, etc. Just take a look at your bank account, and you will see clearly what you treasure and pursue. The equation is simple: We spend money in exchange for possessions, based on their value. However, there are other treasures in life, of the greatest of value, that no amount of money can buy. Job tells us that this great treasure is wisdom, and its rarity is precisely what makes it so valuable. Only a few will come to search it out and find it, because most people don’t even know where to look.
In Job 28 we see that men are willing to go to incredible lengths and even endure danger for the sake of accumulating riches of gold and silver. Job makes the argument that all of these earthly and material treasures don’t come close in value to the unsurpassable worth of wisdom from God. Verse 18 says that, “the price of wisdom is above pearls.” Not only is it of high value, but it’s much rarer and harder to find than any material possession we could search for on Earth. Only God knows fully where wisdom is found, because wisdom is from God.
The chapter ends by telling us that wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and it leads us to turn away from evil. Proverbs 9:10 says something similar, that the “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” If we want to obtain the greatest riches, we must fear the Lord, walk in the right relationship with Him, and this wisdom in our lives will be proven by the way we seek to live a life that turns away from sin and evil.
Today, God is inviting us to quit chasing after more money and more possessions, but rather to chase after things of eternal value, and in doing so we will come to find more of who He is.
Questions
- To what lengths do people go to obtain the riches of the earth in this passage?
- If wisdom is hidden, and “it cannot be found in the land of the living”, then how do we become wise?
- Read James 1:5, what does this verse instruct you to do?
By the Way
With this perspective on wisdom, consider what Mark meant when he described Jesus as being wise in Mark 6:
2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?”
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3 responses to “Job 28”
This chapter serves as a great interlude to the back and forth between Job and his friends.
V28: And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
Those are words I need to shackle to my heart. Praise God!!
Technology is so advanced. People know things that are beyond my brain capacity. It is crazy how far discovery and achievement have come. Yet with all of our advancements we still wrestle with wisdom and understanding.
vs.28 “‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
What is fear?
Yir’ah (יראה): Refers to awe, reverence, and respect. It often describes the “fear of the Lord” (Yir’at haShem), which is interpreted as a mix of profound respect, devotion, and a recognition of Divine greatness, rather than mere cowering.
yirah in a spiritual context refers to a deep respect or amazement that arises from recognizing immense power or holiness, transforming fear into wonder.
My brain computes this to say to have a profound, deep, abiding reverence, respect, devotion and recognize God’s authority, looking in His word, listening for His voice and studying His word to know what it says is where wisdom comes from. Then when I grasp all, some, most, part I turn away from what is “evil” and get the understanding He wants me to have. (I have been known to be wrong, this is what I am learning from this portion of God’s word.)
“Job 28, “What God does not reveal, we can’t know.” That’s as appropriate for Job 28 as it is for the rest of the Bible itself. We must read and study God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit to get to know and understand the great and wonderful Father God who calls us His children. He is our great treasure hidden in a field and our pearl of great price. Everything else that seems to sparkle and shine is little more than twinkly trash.” Angela G.
God thank You for my desire to have a deep, profound, abiding, reverencing, devoted, wonderful, great, amazing, relationship with You. I do not want to keep digging in the hard world for treasure when You are waiting for me to reach for You. God thank You for helping me focus on You, Your word which contains all wisdom, knowledge and understanding about what is, what is to come, and what was. Thank You for having listening ears,(shema hear with obedience to do what is heard) and follow through. God I am beyond words, thankful, grateful and blessed. Thank You for helping keep my eyes focused on You and not this world. God thank You for seeing others through Your love goggles and not my own worldly eyes. Thank You for the grace and mercy that You give me everyday that are new. Thank you for this day and these minutes that I can be, do and say what You would have me to, in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding” (v28).
When we rightly fear God, we flee evil. Too often we fear man and disregard God. Our behavior follows our belief, so may we correctly align our mindset to submit to our holy, righteous God even when our circumstances are hard. He then empowers us to experience the freedom from the destructive power of evil.