Job's Hymn of Wisdom

While Solomon is stated by scripture to be the wisest man who ever lived, Job would have to be a close second. We find tremendous wisdom and truth bound up in this gigantic book of Job. While Solomon's wisdom seemed to have been a gift from God, Job seems to have found and worked for his wisdom. His came from experience.

Job asks a question in verse 12 of the chapter we have read tonight "but where shall wisdom be found?" Where does wisdom come from? I think he asked this question because he was tired of all the patronizing, cliched, and downright wrong answers from his miserable comforters. While Elihu, Bildad, and Zophar thought they were feeding Job pure gold, it turns out they were force feeding him fools-gold, trash.

I'll be honest this is one of my greatest fears as a pastor. I want to wait upon God, I want to study His word until I know what it says, not what I want it to say. I want to say what it says, not speak my own thing. I want to give "apples of gold and pitchers of silver" not fool's gold and trash.

The three men were very knowledgeable they were brilliant, and were obviously thinking people who believed in God, but they lacked wisdom.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "Wisdom is the right use of knowledge, To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as the knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom."

Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.

J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 80.

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have preferred to talk.

Doug Larson.

From <http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/w/wisdom.htm>

Job in this hymn gives us three answers to his question, "Where shall wisdom be found?"

Wisdom Cannot Be Mined (28:1-11) Wisdom Cannot Be Bought (28:12-19) Wisdom Cannot Be Found (28:20-22)

The chapter does not denigrate human wisdom. There are many things that humans can discover by using the minds and ingenuity that God gave them. An example is given in the metaphor of mining, digging into the earth to find what had never before been seen, even by birds and animals (verses 1-11). Humans have brought hidden things to light (verse 11b). There are limits, however, and human beings are wise to accept them and admit that only God knows the way to wisdom.

From <https://www.enterthebible.org/Controls/feature/tool_etb_resource_display/resourcebox.aspx?selected_rid=529&original_id=38>

Wisdom Cannot Be Mined (28:1-11) Job seems to have considerable familiarity with mining methods. Poetically and graphically he portrayed the inaccessibility of precious ores and the extreme measures human beings have taken to extract them.

We are given quite a descriptive lesson on the methods and practices of mining. Precious metals and precious stones are often used in Scripture as symbols of wisdom Prov. 2:1–10; 3:13–15; 8:10–21; 1 Cor. 3:12–23

He gives us the two step process for finding precious metals.

Mining them from the ground Refining them of the ground (gems and precious metals are rarely found unmixed with worthless gravel or work.

The application - Wisdom is like precious silver and needs refining like gold. Job then moves on to lesser value metals Iron and brass. While they may not be as valuable as silver and gold their functionality makes their value almost inestimable. Job seems to be taking us back to Deuteronomy 8:9

A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

Verse 7 gives us two kinds of birds a Raptor and a vulture or perhaps scholars think a peregrine falcon. These are birds with tremendous eyesight.

According to LiveScience - "If you swapped your eyes for an eagle's, you could see an ant crawling on the ground from the roof of a 10-story building. You could make out the expressions on basketball players' faces from the worst seats in the arena. Objects directly in your line of sight would appear magnified, and everything would be brilliantly colored, rendered in an inconceivable array of shades….

Eagles and other birds of prey can see four to five times farther than the average human can, From <https://www.livescience.com/18658-humans-eagle-vision.html>

It talks about Lions - who are tremendous hunters and have amazing eyesight at night But these animals with such great eyesight can't discover what man can. Nor do they see the value in it.

As the falcon rules the skies, the lion rules the land. Yet no lion has ever been down a mine shaft or found wisdom.

Warren Wiersbe writes, "Job describes how men work hard and face great danger to find material wealth. They tunnel through hard rock and risk their lives to get rich. Why will men and women not put that much effort into gaining God’s wisdom? The Word of God is like a deep mine filled with precious treasures; but the believer must put forth effort to discover its riches. It takes careful reading and study, prayer, meditation, and obedience to mine the treasures of the Word of God; and the Holy Spirit of God is willing to assist us. Why are we so negligent when this great wealth lies so near at hand?

Though man can dig deep into the earth and find great wealth, though he can go places where birds and beasts would not dare to go, though he can even find the hidden sources of the great rivers, man cannot find God’s wisdom by mere human efforts. It takes more than courage and native intelligence; it

demands humility and spiritual perception."

Job Begins the next section with the question, "But where shall wisdom be found?" All of man's ability to dig through the earth and bring up enormous wealth, yet they can't dig up wisdom.

Wisdom Cannot Be Bought (28:12-19) So wisdom cannot be mined, now we will see it cannot be bought either.

The list of jewels in this passage of scripure is impressive. It compares only with the list of jewels in the high priest's breast plate found in Exodus 28:17-20 and again in 39:10-13 IN Verses 13 - 14 Job is telling us that we don't know the dwelling place of wisdom it's not on land (one could argue with the Living) nor is it found underwater. Wisdom cannot be found by exploration otherwise it would be for sale, and no doubt at great gains. But wisdom outweighs all earthly jewels and valuables. They all prove worthless in the marketplace of wisdom.

Gold of Ophir no one knows exactly where this is but doing a quick search of Ophir in the Bible it doesn't take long to figure out Ophir was a place laden with Gold obviously a very large and good supply of Gold. Job lists gold five times, silver once and names seven other different precious stones. Yet not one of them nor all of them collectively can purchase the wisdom that Job is talkinga bout. Mankind is always trying to find a cheaper and easier way. Man doesn't realize the true value and price of wisdom and think he can get it cheaply. Proverbs 3:15 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.). Wiersbe, "True wisdom is expensive. It is not received automatically just because you listen to a recording, attend a seminar, or listen to a dynamic speaker."

Wisdom Cannot Be Found (28:20-22)

Humanity cannot figure out where it comes from, where it goes. How to find it or to buy it. Them Job gets down to the root of it and says I think the most profound thing in this whole poem, Wisdom Is with God (28:23-28)

23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Wisdom is the beauty of holiness. James says wisdom is reasonable; flexible; forgiving; peaceful; caring; given to friendly visits, small acts of courtesy, and kind words. It is humble, transparent, simple, gentle, and gracious to the core (James 3:17).

Where can wisdom be found? It comes from heaven (1:5). “Wisdom,” wrote Charles Spurgeon, “is a beauty of life that can only be produced by God’s workmanship in us.”

From <https://odb.org/2013/07/25/where-can-wisdom-be-found/>

From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+28&version=KJV>