Job Needs Wisdom

The book of Job is essentially a search for answers. Why has God done this? Why did this happen?

Those are the same kind of thoughts we all have when sorrow strikes. It could be brought about by death, by some natural disaster, by some medical diagnosis, by a difficult relationship, by a financial difficulty, or by someone else’s sin. Regardless of the cause, when intense sorrow comes, we want answers.

For the last three weeks, we saw that Job and his three friends are looking for answers. Job’s friends showed up offering their own answers and their own solutions, but Job knew that their words were false. His friends were unhelpful. They were inadequate. And ultimately, they were wrong. Job knew that.

In this time of extreme suffering, after Job had lost his riches, his health, and his children, none of them could answer Job’s questions from chapter 3—Why didn’t I just die? Why is all this happening?

Now, after three rounds of debate, the book of Job takes a shift in tone. The initial battle of ideas is over, and now we get a break. The wearisome desert of confusion now turns into a refreshing oasis of clarity.

We can’t be certain whether it’s Job speaking here, or if a narrator has stepped in, but in either case, Job chapter 28 is a meditation on wisdom. And for a group of men who are searching for answers, wisdom is an appropriate theme.

Job 28 begins by talking about man’s search for treasures from the earth. I’m going to read the first 11 verses from the chapter. Follow along with me. Here’s what it says:

Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine. [2] Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore. [3] Man puts an end to darkness and searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness. [4] He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro. [5] As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire. [6] Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold. [7] That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon's eye has not seen it. [8] The proud beasts have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it. [9] Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots. [10] He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing. [11] He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

As we work out way through this chapter, we’ll see three components of its message. The first component is a very common observation. It is simply this—Man can uncover great treasure from the earth. Man can uncover great treasure from the earth.

I think we all recognize the value of fancy things, but we don’t always consider just how much work goes into bringing these things into our lives.

My kids have a little book that talks about what goes into making something as simple as a pencil. Somewhere in the world, trees need to be cut for lumber. In another part of the world, graphite is mined, and processed, and also mixed with other ingredients to make the lead. The yellow paint on the outside of the pencil comes from a certain kind of oil made from plants grown in India. The eraser is made of an oil from Indonesia, and rubber from Africa, and pumice from Italy. The little metal piece that holds the eraser is made of brass, which is a mix of copper and zinc that need to be mined and processed. And then, all of these ingredients need to be taken to the pencil factory for assembly. All that work, just to make one little pencil.

This is just one example of human ingenuity. We take things we find in the earth, and we process them so we can use them. The same thing happens to make phones and computers and clothing. Raw materials are extracted and processed. Your phone has gold and silver and glass and lithium and aluminum. All those things have to be extracted from the earth and processed. That’s why they’re not cheap.

The specific example given in Job 28 are materials that were used as jewelry at that time, but also for tools. The chapter talks about silver and gold and iron and copper.

A few of us here might have had the chance to find a diamond ring on the floor, but the reality is that that kind of stuff doesn’t make itself. It’s not like finding a leaf on the ground. These are things that man has sought out and refined and shaped. That’s why they cost so much.

Job 28:3 says those things are found in deep darkness. Verse 4 talks about miners hanging in shafts or tunnels under the ground. It’s like a whole other world underground.

Above the ground, like verse 5 says, we grow crops for food, but deep down, the earth is a mystery, and it’s dangerous. So, why do people go down into the ground? To find precious metals. To extract hidden treasure.

In verses 7 and 8, it says that the animals don’t do this. The birds of the air, with their amazing vision, they don’t see what’s underground. The powerful land animals, they don’t dig deep into the ground. But man digs into mountains to uncover what he can find. This is what mankind has been doing for thousands of years, extracting treasure from the earth. It’s impressing, and it’s scary, and it’s amazing. Man uncovers treasures from the earth.

But there is a second part to the message of Job 28. Let’s just finish the sentence. Man can uncover great treasure from the earth, but he cannot find true wisdom. Man uncovers treasures from the earth, but he cannot find true wisdom.

True wisdom, which is what Job and his friends are after, is more valuable than earthly treasure. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way for them to get it. The treasure of wisdom is the hardest treasure to find. Look at verses 12-19. Job 28:12-29.

But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? [13] Man does not know its worth, and it is not 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 bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. [16] It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. [17] Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. [18] No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. [19] The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.

We know where to find gold. We know how to refine it and purify it for our purposes. But we don’t know where to find wisdom, or how to get it.

Verse 14 talks about “the deep” and “the sea,” which refer to the ocean. The bottom of the ocean is one of the great mysteries of this earth, and it’s still a mystery today. But if the deepest parts of the ocean could speak, they would say, “I don’t know where wisdom is. It’s not here.”

True wisdom is impossible to find on your own.

On top of that, even if someone came to us with wisdom, we couldn’t buy it with the greatest treasures of the earth. That’s the point of verses 15-19.

True wisdom is more than priceless because it’s not that we don’t know how much it would cost; it’s that it’s you can’t even use money to measure its worth. The treasure of wisdom is in a whole other category compared to the treasures of this world.

Just think about all the money people spend on education and medicine. It’s not always a bad thing, but the best that will get you is a temporal benefit. They don’t lead to true wisdom.

And so, verse 20 repeats the questions of verse 12—From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

Verse 21 continues—It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. [22] Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

Besides the ocean floor, another great mystery of this life is death and the afterlife. But even they, when asked about wisdom, say, “We don’t know. We’ve only heard rumors about it.”

Man can do so much to extract the great, hidden treasures of the earth, but he cannot find the treasure of wisdom.

Thankfully, the final portion of this chapter has an answer for us. This is the final element of today’s message. Number 1: Man can uncover great treasure from the earth. Number 2: But he cannot find true wisdom. And number 3: True wisdom comes only from God. True wisdom comes only from God.

Verse 23 tells us—God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.

God is the One who made this world. He is the Creator. He knows everything there is to know.

Verse 24—For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

God sees what none of us can see. He designed the universe. He knows every secret.

Look at verses 25-27. There’s some beautiful imagery there. Job 28:25—When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, [26] when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, [27] then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out.

The book of Job, just so you know has some amazing scientific truths in it, that would not have been known in Job’s day. Back in 26:7, Job says that God hangs the earth on nothing, which is true scientifically or astronomically. The earth is floating in empty space.

Here is verse 28, Job talks about the wind having weight, which is true from a scientific perspective as well. The atoms and the molecules that make up the air have weight. They can be measured. God made that.

God measured out exactly how much water He wanted on the earth. God designed the hydrological cycle and the atmospheric principles that give us rain and lightning. And in ordaining all of that, God has also ordained how we can find wisdom.

God wants us to know. Here’s the conclusion of the chapter. Job 28:28—And he [God] said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’

The path to wisdom and understanding is to fear the Lord and to turn away from evil.

Does that phrase sound familiar to you? If you were here for the beginning of Job’s story, it might. Those are the words used in chapters 1 and 2 to describe Job. He was a righteous man who feared God and turned away from evil.

What does it mean to honor God in times of great suffering? What is the path that gives us wisdom? We fear God, and we turn away from evil. We don’t give in to the messages and the influences of the world, we trust in God.

And what does trusting in God look like, practically? It means we study His word, and we put it into practice. This is such a simple message, but its so profound. It’s what this world is missing. It’s a simple message, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy one.

And this is a message that applies to all of us, even if we aren’t going through some intense trial. What you and I need more than anything else is wisdom. What you and I need to learn to value more than anything else is godly wisdom.

Whether you’re a child, or a teenager, or a young adult, or a parent, or a grandparent—this world is pushing things onto us telling us that those are the things that will make our lives better.

There are things you and I are convinced will give you joy and happiness—things that will improve your health and your marriage and your family—things that will enhance your relationships. Hear this from the Lord—there is no treasure greater than wisdom. And to walk in wisdom is to fear God and turn away from evil.

Psalm 1 reminds us that God’s blessing doesn’t come to those who sit with scoffers, who surround themselves, and who fill their minds with the things of this world. God’s blessing comes to those who delight in His law and meditate on it day and night.

Proverbs 2 tells us that we need to make our ears attentive to God’s commands because that’s how we get wisdom. That’s how God leads us.

Whatever else in this world you think is going to make your life worth while, recognize that it cannot compare with the wisdom that God gives.

So, how do you get that wisdom? You’re doing it now, by being in a church that teaches the Bible. You do it during the week by reading your Bible. You do it by connecting with brothers and sisters and encouraging one another. And you do it by praying for it.

In the first chapter of James, writing to people who are suffering trials and being oppressed by the rich, James says: [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [8] he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

In other words, don’t ask God for wisdom, and then doubt what He’s going to tell you in His word. If God commands something, you do it. You come with humility and in submission.

And really, that is the starting point to true wisdom—a heart of surrender and trust. To truly come to God is to reject the wisdom of this world and accept the message this world regards as foolishness, that the Son of God came to this world to pay the price of sinners and reconcile them to the Father. This is the message of the Bible.

In 2 Timothy 3:15 Paul says that the sacred writing give wisdom that leads to salvation. That is the salvation made possible only through Jesus Christ who died and rose again.

Colossians 2:3 says that in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. If you really know Jesus, you have access to God’s wisdom.

First Corinthians 1:24 says that Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And verse 30 says Christians are in Christ, and He became to us wisdom from God.

After we dismiss with a song, I’m going to be up here after the service. If you want to know more about what it means to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, I’d love to talk to you about it. And so would any other member of our church. Today for you can be the beginning of a lifetime of growing in true wisdom from God Himself.