65. Whence Cometh Wisdom? (2)

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Hymns: RHC 251 Thy Word Is Like a Garden, 252 The Old Book and the Old Faith, 355 Day by Day

Job 28:20-28

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. 

Whence Cometh Wisdom? (2) 

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)

Continue….

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.

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. 

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”. 

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.

As we look at the futility of this world’s pursuit, Spurgeon observed well Solomon’s lamentations in the Book of Ecclesiastes, “As much as if he said, It is all a weary go-round. This system of things is a perpetual self-repetition – quite sickening… 

  • 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 explaining 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?

20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 

It is not found innately in created beings – 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. 

Meaning the dead that are in the pit of destruction, the grave; not their dead bodies there, devoid of life and sense, and know not anything, but their souls; either the damned in hell, or the saints in heaven… [Gill]

Man lives under the purview of the Creator’s decrees. A mind-boggling to the unbelieving but to the child of God, he learns to subsist under the perfect care of God. This is the secret to true meaning in life. Job understood this. His understanding of God gave him the grace to handle the deep affliction that he was going through. He learns to trust God without knowing the “how” or the “why”. He handed over his life for God to order. This is life with God. A most blessed life.

Matthew 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

The late Rogers observed well, “We have nothing that God needs. Think about that. If I were to give God my riches, I couldn’t make Him richer. He owns everything. If I were to give God my wisdom, I wouldn’t make Him wiser. He is the all-wise God. If I were to give God my power, I couldn’t make God more powerful. He is omnipotent. God wants one thing from His children – our hearts. If we pray to God without giving Him our heart, we are mocking Him. If we preach without giving God our hearts, we are preaching in ignorance. God is saying to us today, “Give Me your heart.” How will you respond?

Luke 9:23-27 And he said to themall, If any manwill come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in hisFather’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.

What are you holding onto that keeps you from fully surrending your life to God? 

For Job, his life was totally given over to Him. It is the reason why God enabled to triumph over every temptation. 

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

Recall Job said in Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: whenhe hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

He explains the way of life with God – Job 23:8-9 Behold, I go forward, but he isnot there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

Although Job does not know the way ahead, He knows where he is going. These were the words given to Israel when they were ushered off into captivity. These include Daniel and his three friends– Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. We will reach our heavenly home in Christ.The Apostle Paul said this in Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Meanwhile, the journey may seem so uncertain, fraught with danger as Job admits. Yet he sought to stay connected with his God.

Job 23:11-17 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips;(a God-fearer’s heart of submission) I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.(a God fearer’s soul yearning to know and be filled with God’s ways and thoughts) 

But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him. For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me: Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou artwith me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The God fearer has no fear in his journey of life. 

 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.

Here the late Rogers observed well, “There are certain things God is not going to reveal. And that is good news. Who wants to believe in a God they can put in a box and completely understand? Not me. You can take a bucket to the ocean and dip out a bucket full of water. Everything in that bucket is the ocean, but all of the ocean is not in that bucket. And with our bucket-size minds, we are never going to know all there is about God. I’m not. You’re not. Nobody is.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belongunto the LORD our God: but those things which arerevealed belongunto us and to our children for ever, that wemay do all the words of this law.

What belongs to God? What belongs to you? What are you doing with the things God has given you?”

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.