Job Chapter 28 Wisdom

Job 28:1-28

1916 - He kept us out of war. Wilson

Problem: Wisdom is unattainable

Effect: But we need it

Solution: Wisdom is given

Problem: Wisdom is unattainable

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?

1. Problem: Wisdom is unattainable

Humans do great things, none of them are worthy of wisdom

We are skillful and great in mining for truth, for ingenuity, and creativity, but none of them are able to get to the greatest treasure. That is outside our ability, that is outside our creativity.

We must be shown the goodness, we must be shown and granted access to wisdom.

Job could not have found wisdom on his own, he had to be shown the stark reality of it.

I met with someone this week, and he is dealing with suffering in a great way. My encouragement to him was this “see death as a clarifying moment, not a fearful one. Death clarifies in ways that I don’t know, you have a better view of priorities than I do, because thats the gift that death brings”

The problem with much of our lives is we think we are capable, when in reality, wisdom is never really at hand without God.

Our strength and our ability is nothing compared with God’s ability and wisdom.

Its really arrogant to think that we can fix and solve and understand a lot of our world. Success is the problem we have, we succeed and think we are good. God needs to give us trouble so as we do not get too big for our britches.

Here are three ways we think we have attained wisdom

Exploration: “I will do all the things” this is my generations gift to the world. Experience as much as you can in life, and you never know anything until you have done it. The old saying is...don't knock it until you try it. Well, I have never tried sticking my finger in a light socket but I know I wont like it. Wisdom is not in the accumulation of experiences. World travel doesn't make you more interesting...it makes you more traveled but not wiser. It makes you have stories but not wiser. I have meet a lot of people who have a lot of experiences in life, and you know what I have noticed...a lot of them have more regrets than they do wisdom. Resolution: “I will achieve intelligence, I will climb the ladder to greatness" We believe that the smarter we are, the more well read we are, the better off we are, the wiser we are. I think I can simplify this down to a few things. 1. Reading doesn't make you wise, it makes you well read, which is good, but its not best. Inspiration: “natural ability and gifts, people who are inspirational” natural ability, hearing stories of hero’s before us. That doesn't make you wise. Inspiration doesn't do that. Because you know why...do you know who is being labeled a racist now. Who according to our standards is no longer a hero that we should aspire to? Abraham Lincoln. Now, it is true, Abe did not want black people to have voting rights nor inner marry with whites. He said so in a speech, but he freed a country from slavery. And now we say....oh that racist Lincoln. Wait a moment. Do you see the problem. Inspiration is generational, just like all of these. They are temporary. Wisdom lasts forever.

2. Effect: But we need it

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.

Wisdom is priceless, its better, more glorious, and grander than anything you can possess.

The other problem we have with wisdom, is that we think we can buy it.

We believe that we have the ability to buy wisdom with our flash, our money, our charm, our industry.

Hook…Peter Pan says, I know how to solve this. And gets out his check book. Hook denies him, thats not the price you must pay for it. There is not enough money in the world.

We think, ok, to gain wisdom I can buy a new book, or listen to a new leader, or add a new item, or take away a new item.

That is just shuffling furniture on the Titanic.

We need wisdom, because its the only hope we have to live well. Because, you will fail morally, what do you do when you cannot follow rules anymore? Because you will fail relationships, what do you do when you hurt someone? Because you will fail in your job, what do you do to rebuild it.

Wisdom isn’t a list of to do’s, its more valuable than that.

When you start off at a job, you follow the leaders, you are an apprentice, you would not trust the budget finalization to a first year associate. You can do a list of actions, follow this, follow that…but wisdom is something that is gifted, to know how to make the list of to-do’s.

Its the most precious gift we can receive as Christians. The first is salvation, the second is wisdom.

Wise people are slow to speak, slow to anger, abounding in love and grace.

Wise people are cutting like a surgical knife to the soul, they help heal you.

3. Solution: God has given us wisdom

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 r 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.

Here is something that we must first realize.

Wisdom is not a possibility to anyone outside of faith. Now, wait you say, there are a number of wise people that are not of faith, let me explain. Wisdom is mistaken for sage, or for intellect, or for cunning...because the passages of scripture tell us that it is impossible without God to be wise. Look at 28:28 ....He...the LORD said to the human race. Now, do you know what the phrase means in the Hebrew? It means...all humanity, at all times, in all places. It’s total. It means....human race.

Notice, it doesn't say, to you Israelites, to you Assyrians, to you Americans, to you Greeks...it says, to Humanity.

Now, why should this concern us.

Because wisdom is something that we all want, that we all need.

Wisdom in the Bible is the thing to which we are to aspire. Wisdom is the thing that makes all other things clear.

You can have zero training, zero formal education, and be the wisest person in the building.

You see, wisdom is the thing that Solomon wanted, a pillar of the Bible. The wisest man alive and whose leadership lead to Israel flourishing.

Wisdom is the thing to which Christ says later, he is the fulfillment of.

The NT talks about wisdom being fulfilled in Christ, the wisest thing that ever has happened is Christ on the cross. It’s foolishness to the world, but wisdom to which everything else is necessary to.

Without wisdom you cannot see Christ, he is fullest example of wisdom. There is nothing better than him crucified for wisdom, and yet the BibleR calls it, the foolishness to those who are perishing.

True wisdom, not smarts , not intellect, not education...that is our goal.

Now a few comments on how Christ is the fulfillment of wisdom.

This means that...for those of us who are of faith...it means this...let me apply this to your bible study. It must mean that when we say, well there is a new study, or you have to understand, the people of the Bible were old and stupid and uneducated, and we are so much more educated, the authors of the Bible, they just need to see things how we see things today. If by today you mean, with the cross in mind, than sure, but if you mean we can know more today than they did, and we are so much more advanced and they had so many things wrong...then you are missing this key verse. Job, who had no formal education, did not have a library of knowledge, did not have the history we have...In the book of Hebrews it says, God had spoken in many ways, but finally he has spoken in Christ. Meaning this...CHrist is final, is authoritative, and absolute. There is no other wisdom to gain expect in him. Do you know why this is encouraging...becuase we have the final exam answers. They are in our hand, we have the test key. THe test of life, the test of faith,we have the final answers. He is the ultimate and nothing else compares. As you study, dont try to overthink, sincerely....We get to study well, we get to understand, but I urge you...dont say, well today we are more educated and know more and understand more than those back woods CHristians. They were like the first people, sure, round of applause. Dont say, well I have studied this extensively. ANd you know. What...the Bible has it all backwards on this subject. Pause and maybe...I encourage you, to think that our education may not be the great advantage that you think it is. We as Christians do a great job overthinking things at times. As a matter of fact, that is I believe why we have abandoned orthodoxy and instead have grabbed on to other thoughts on aspects of faith. This is why...the Bible says that elders should not be leaders who are given into fads here and there, should not be those who hear a new thing and think...oh yes, that’s wild, thats interesting...I must believe it, and then the following week, they believe a new thing....why? Becuase the truths about God have always been and always will be, and never will change. The wisdom is timeless. IF you are not a Christian, here is what it means to find wisdom in Christ alone. It means this...do you know there is a new literary thing that has happened in the last thousand years. There is a problem, there is an anti hero who crushes and has doom coming onto everyone, and there must be someone who dies to save the people they love. Star Wars follows it, Marvel follows it, every good story follows it...do you know when that story arch, when it come to pass...after Christ. Before Christ, those stories didn’t exist. The strong man always won. The morality didn’t matter. The hero’s arch..thats what is every good story ever written has...its why we love Marvel and why we love saving private Ryan for us older folks. IF you are not a Christian, hear this...the death of Christ isn’t a myth of a legend...that sort of legend didn’t exist before CHrist. Why is this important...becuase, it means this...The Christ story of death to save is completely and utter and confoundingly against our natural desires. Normall the strong man wins, he stands on the mound and says, I AM BESTED THE ENEMY. BUt CHrist says, take my life, let me die, so others can live. AND THEN STORIES WERE WRITTEN FOREVER AFTER THE FACT AS SUCH. Even if Christ is a lie, which he is not, what this means is that every single human heart wants him to be true, becuase we have been writing stories about his act ever since he came to die for us. HIS WISDOM IS BETTER THAN ANYTHING WE HAD BEFORE AND WILL HAVE EVER.

Why? Becuase when suffering hits us, when joy hits us, when anything hits us....it should tell us, this....the complete wisdom of God is wrapped up in a man dying on a cross so that you and I would never taste true death.

That should excite you.

It should rapture you.

Here are some practicals for you.

Everything you encounter in life should be pressed through the filter of this, Christ death on the cross is the first and the last answer to why and what you are struggling with. You should see, that the ultimate wisdom is death of a savior, he thought sacrifice was the most beautiful gift ever. Why wouldn’t you want to be part of the process that Christ thought was the greatest gift ever? Trouble is not to be seen as God’s hatred for you, but rather his joy in seeing wisdom and gaining the things that he loves. What sorts of things do you love that others join you in, not because they love those things, but because they love you? Wisdom is the goal, the method is a tutor. Life and struggle is a tutor to show you the greatness of Christ. We should always and forever, try to answer this question...in what ways am I being faced with what Christ thought the most glorious thing. Sacrifice. What am I being asked to sacrifice at the alter, just as Christ did? Your preferences? Your opinions? Your leadership? Your power? Your money? Your time? Do you see...when we face trouble and it confronts us with the fact that we may have to become less...thats wisdom. That’s glory. That’s goodness. Church, losing yourself is not loss...it’s literally the way Christ thought the greatest gift to humanity would come, wisdom. Full and complete. As you face a difficult situation, know this...dont run from it. Have audacity to face it. It’s easy to say, this is too much, I am out. Imagine if Christ was flippant with it. Imagine if community was too hard for Christ, and he left? Imagine if death was too much for CHrist and he chose not to? Imagine if becoming less was too much for CHrist, and stay in heaven? You and I would never know full and complete wisdom. So...dont run, dont hide, have the audacity to face it with the same faith Christ did. Becuase, its God’s full and complete revelation that his children become sacrificial in order that others have life. HOw are you becoming less so others may become more?

COMMUNION

Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy Supper which we are about to celebrate is a feast of remembrance, of communion, and of hope.

We come in remembrance that our Lord Jesus Christ was sent of the Father into the world to assume our flesh and blood and to fulfill for us all obedience to the divine law, even to the bitter and shameful death of the cross. By his death, resurrection, and ascension he established a new and eternal covenant of grace and reconciliation that we might be accepted of God and never be forsaken by him.

We come to have communion with this same Christ who has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the world. In the breaking of the bread he makes himself known to us as the true heavenly Bread that strengthens us unto life eternal. In the cup of blessing he comes to us as the Vine in whom we must abide if we are to bear fruit.

We come in hope, believing that this bread and this cup are a pledge and foretaste of the feast of love of which we shall partake when his kingdom has fully come, when with unveiled face we shall behold him, made like unto him in this glory.

Since by his death, resurrection, and ascension he has obtained for us the life-giving Spirit who unites us all in one body, so are we to receive this Supper in true brotherly love, mindful of the communion of saints.

Communion

The minister shall declare the Words of Institution.

The Lord Jesus, the same night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it

The minister shall break the bread

and gave it to them, saying,

“Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of me.”

Lifting the cup, the minister shall say:

After the same manner also, he took the cup when they had supped, saying, “this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

In partaking of the bread it shall be said:

The bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ.

In partaking of the cup it shall be said:

The cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ.

Communion Thanksgiving

Brothers and sisters, since the Lord has now fed us at his Table, let us praise God’s holy name with heartfelt thanksgiving! Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and do not forget all his benefits

who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the Pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion for his children,

so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him,

who did not spare his own Son,

but gave him up for us all,

and will also give us all things with him.

Therefore shall my mouth and heart show forth the praise of the Lord, from this time forth forevermore. Amen