64. Whence Cometh Wisdom?

Posted on Posted in Sermon Notes, Prayer Meeting Tagged with , , , ,

Hymns: RHC 338 Show Me Thy Way, O Lord; 351 He Leadeth Me; 387 I Need Thee Every Hour

Job 28:1-11

1Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. 2Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. 3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. 4The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men. 5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire. 6The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold. 7There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen: 8The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. 9He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. 10He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. 11He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. 12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? 13Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. 14The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. 15It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. 16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. 17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. 18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold. 20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. 22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. 23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. 24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; 25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. 26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: 27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. 28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. (Job 28:1-28 KJV)

Whence Cometh Wisdom?

OUTLINE

(1)  Not Found in This World’s Wealth (v1-11)

(2)  Valued above This World’s Wealth (v12-19)

(3)  From God and His Fear (v20-28)

INTRODUCTION

Wisdom comes from the fear of God. The fear of God is a deep reverence for God for Who He is as He reveals Himself in the Scripture![1]And the true practice of it enables man to live a life of holiness, delighting to obey God’s commandments, turning away from evil. This was the power of God’s fear in Job’s life which he articulated. It enables him to maintain his ways before God in steadfastness of faith. This the great gain of godliness. It receives true blessing, God’s blessing.

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

This Job reveals to us, the secret of deep-water faith that undergirded his life especially during the time of this trial. 

For Job, it enables him to live in submission to God’s leading in his life without him knowing the deep mechanics of it as Matthew Henry articulated, “The knowledge of the reasons of state in God’s government of the world is kept from us, and we must neither pretend to it nor reach after it.” In this Job’s friend erred in claiming to be able to trace the mechanics of God’s working in Job’s life concluding that his adversity is a result of his sin.

The blessing of the God-fear is a boldness in spirit trusting God, well articulated by the psalmist in psalm 112. 

Psalm 112:1,8. Praise ye the LORD. Blessedisthe man thatfeareth the LORD, thatdelighteth greatly in his commandments. … He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart isestablished, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desireupon his enemies. 

Jesus explains why God is to be feared and how the fear of God brings the God’s care and comfort into reality in our life when He said in Matthew 10:26-31 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness,thatspeak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, thatpreach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

This wisdom orginates from God and is traced to Him. He is the Author of true wisdom – 23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. Man appropriate it by a holy reverence for God (v20-28).

And man ought to seek God’s wisdom for the price of wisdom is far above rubies (v18), it’s value far exceeds the material things of this world. Or the choicest treasure on this earth cannot be compared with it (v12-19).

True wisdom is not found seeking to obtain this world’s weath (v1-11).

  • Not Found in This World’s Wealth (v1-11)

1Surely there is a vein (Source, place of existence)for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. 2Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. 

Indeed, the material treasures of the earth are found beneath the earth. It has to be painstakingly mined. 

A gold rush or gold fever is a new discovery of gold, sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rae earth materials, that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, South Africa and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere. Gold rushes occurred as early as the times of the Roman Empire and probably further back to ancient Egypt.

Job guides us to understand that finding true wisdom is more profitable than mining the best earth metals.

Solomon made this comparsion in Proverbs 2:1-11. We ought to be diligent in seeking the things of God, God’s wisdom, because these are things that count and last for eternity. What we do now has repercussions and implications that last for eternity for ourselves and our loved ones! God has made us an eternal being! Life does not end when this earthen vessel perish. The decisions and the paths we take in this life has eternal consequences. We are faced with choices daily! To choose to go here or there, this way or that way! 

How do we know what is the right choice? How can we walk in the path of God’s blessing? Proverbs 2:5 says if we diligently search the Scriptures we will understand “the fear of God and find the knowledge of God”. 

It is my prayer that the fear of God and the knowledge of His will help guide our choices. The fear of God is most lacking today in this world before our Lord returns. May we go back to basics and be connected with the mind of our Creator. 

The fear of God will keep us from evil (Proverbs 16:6), the knowledge of God will speed us on to the path of safety and we shall be quiet from the fear of evil (Proverbs 1:33). 

3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. 4The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

Man will spare no effort to seek for himself the wealth of this life. He will go the furthest way to be the first millionare. He will move himself into the deepest cravices of the earth to find these precious metals.

 5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire. 

These precious metals has been in man’s history a store of value — As a preserve value for purchasing power to buy the “necessities and luxuries” of life.

  • Intrinsic value — Valuable in itself. 
  • Durable — Cannot be corrupted, it must be able to weather wear and tear. It is non-perishable unlike perishable commodities like meat and vegetables. 
  • Divisible — Can be broken down into small units, allowing smaller denominated values. 
  • Widely recognised — Can be used across countries and regions. 
  • Limited in supply — It is precious. An unlimited supply will totally diminish its value. In the history of man, gold and silver have always been the medium for money. Gold is the first metal mentioned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:12) for its shining beauty. The ratio of gold and silver mined from the earth is 1:16. 
  • Easy to carry around. 

Precious metals like gold and silver are the best forms of money in the history of mankind because they fulfil the above seven functions. 

6The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold. 7There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen: 8The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. 9He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. 10He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. 11He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

Man’s effort to mine precious metals is tremendous. Sapphire is a precious gemstone, 

typically blue, but natural “fancy” sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colours; “parti sapphires” show two or more colours. It is hid beneath the depths of the earth and require great excurvation work to obtain it.

Man goes through great pain, hard work often risks to their lives to find material wealth.

What about God’s wisdom? 

  • Valued above This World’s Wealth (v12-19)

12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? 13Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. 14The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. 15It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. 16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. 17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. 18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

Material wealth is the solution to all of man’s problems. If a man has the wealth of this world, he is accomplished for life. This is not true as Job explains. Man values the spiritual as inferior over the physical. Onyx is other precious stone which has parallel bands.

Solomon like Job teaches otherwise when he said in Proverbs 2:

1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, andapply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, andliftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as forhid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

This is what we call a condition of reality. If we do accordingly to God’s instructions given in verses 1-4, the result follows logically and naturally from it. There are three “ifs” that we have to carefully consider that is given to us in verse 1, verse 3 and verse 4. When we study diligently the word of God, personalizing the lessons with much prayer, it will build in us a spirit of self-control, a restraining spirit, a resolute spirit to do what is right in the sight of God (keeping Sabbath). It internalizes for us the reason for doing what we do, so that it becomes a part of our way of life, a godly habit and a godly heritage we pass to our children. It also internalizes for us the consequences of what we should not do giving to us that godly instinct to respond correctly each time when we are faced with a choice, that we may choose the fear of God (Proverbs 1:29). 

How are we to receive this mind of God? Verse 1 tells us that we are to do so by receiving our heavenly Father’s Words as a filial son, “my son, if thou wilt receive my words”. 

This “if” is a big “if”, if our hearts are not quiet and hushed before Him to listen to His still small voice. The voices of this world, its care and demands are often so overwhelming. Coming to camp is one good choice we have all made to be quiet before Him. It is my prayer that we will shut out all distractions and focus our hearts on the deep meditation and study of His Word.

Therefore we must begin on the right footing, with a heart prepared, ready and still before Him, to receive His teaching. 

And not only must we receive the Father’s words but we are to “hide” it in our hearts. There is the saying the half of knowledge is to know where to find it, but I say to us lovingly, the fullness of knowledge is to have it deeply ingrained in our hearts. 

The word “hide” means to “treasure up”. Practical wisdom for the purposes of life, must be carried about with us, and be ready for use anytime.  When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he was physically, mentally, and emotionally strained. When we are in this condition, we often lose our sense of self-control, we let our tiredness take over and we compromise for want of self-control and sense of mind. But it is not so for our Lord. 

May the Lord help us so that God’s instruction for our life be written in the tables of our heart. 

When the Word of God stands written in the heart, we are able to use it at the call of the moment.

  • From God and His Fear (v20-28)

20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. 22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. 23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. 24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; 25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. 26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: 27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. 28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. 

God frames the world and He is also sustaining in by His wisdom. The winds and the waters and the rain are all under His purview. He is the Maker and by His decrees all things come to pass.

In our Lord Jesus’ time on earth, He stilled the storm and calmed the waters demonstrating that He is God.

Dennis Gibson said well our text, “The Goal of Wisdom: is to know the true God (Jn. 17:3) and fear Him (Proverbs 2:5). It’s possible to have knowledge without wisdom, but it’s not possible to have wisdom without knowledge. Here is a threefold way by which you and I may know God better.” 

We must:

a. Respect God as our Instructor: God is also the Master Teacher. For the Lord giveth wisdom; knowledge and understanding (v.6). Human terms are used to reveal God to us. God communicates from His mouth to our ears through His Word. In Christ, God assumed flesh, and said I am the Truth. People were astonished at His doctrine, teaching and authority (Lk. 4:22). Yet, when He seasoned them with salt, their mood changed, as they tried to cast Him out of their city (Lk. 4:23-30). Will you also cast Him away? Still He calls us to learn of Him (Mt. 11:29), for in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom.

b. Receive God as our Saviour: He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (v.7a). The word sound wisdom is interesting but rare. It’s primary idea is soundness or firmness, leading to health and salvation. Paul may have this in mind when he spoke of sound doctrine (1 Tim. 1:10). The context requires the sense of security, and transfers the idea to wisdom as the means to that security. Here the Greek OT has soteria, salvation, and it is the Scriptures that make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15). To those who are called, Christ is – the wisdom of God. Here is sound wisdom for the righteous. This saving Wisdom is revealed through our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:18,24).

c. Rely on God as our Protector: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly (v.7b). This is the picture of God’s keeping power as seen in the Scriptures (Gen 15:1; Ps. 33:20). When we walk in obedience to God’s truth, we will know daily protection. The path of the believer is fraught with dangers, and beset with temptations. Foes lurk on every hand. We live in a perilous, polluted world, where the forces of destruction are constantly at work. We need a defense, and that God promises for His saints (Ps. 84:11, 89:18)! The word buckler is a shield. It is not merely that God holds the buckler, or has the buckler, but that He himself is the buckler. Rely on that shield. The enemy must strike through Him to get to you. Kept by the power of God. Hallelujah! We can rely on that, can we not?

CONCLUSION

Let us search the Scriptures and seek to obey it for His honour and glory granting us needful strength in every trial and overcoming every temptation. Amen.

[1]Westminster Shorter Catechism question 4: What is God? What is God? God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and changeable in His Being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.