Job 28 – The Treasure of True Wisdom!

After all the debates and discussions and sermons between Job and his three friends we find a chapter on Wisdom that is like an interlude before the next book continues. Commentators tell us that this is like a stand-alone chapter in Job, yet it doesn’t take away from the story in any way but rather adds some great insights, especially concerning ancient mining and refining practices. In fact whilst reading through the list of precious commodities in vv.1-19 I was reminded of one of our favourite family board games: The Settlers of Catan. Plus we had played the computer game together: The Age of Empires, and knew that there was a lot involved in production from the basics such as food, stone, wood, gold, etc.

Men will go to great depths just to find rare and precious jewels and minerals. I was also reminded of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, and “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”, whilst reading through this chapter.

But as precious as those things are that men excavate from the earth, or that grows on it, how much effort has been put in to the search for wisdom? According to Job, and his words parallel things we read in the Book of Proverbs (raising the question as to which came first and if one writer borrowed from the other), about how the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (See Prov.1:7 etc).

There is natural and supernatural wisdom (See Jas. 3:13-18), but truly the greatest wisdom is what God reveals to us about Himself (See Matt.11:25-27; 16:13-17). And Jesus told His disciples that Eternal Life was to know God the Father and Jesus whom He has sent (John 17:3).

According to Paul, ‘Christ is the wisdom of God’ (1 Cor.1:24), and that is who wise men really need to know! But Jesus reveals these truths to those whom He wishes, and no amount of seeking or asking will gain that Wisdom, without God first revealing Himself to an individual.  Believers have received God’s Wisdom in the Person of Christ.

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Michael Robson