Week 33 Job
A lot of the time a bible reader is reading so he can collect bible data; be bible-informed. But the bible’s a religious book so you can’t figure on getting just raw information all the time.
Job 28 is one of those places where there’s more-than-just data. Not that 28 begins that way. The first eleven verses discuss the topic of mining – silver gold iron copper precious-stones. The idea is that a thing of value takes work and skill and effort to get…but then you’ve got it!
Wisdom is the opposite.
Job asks: do people know where to find wisdom? And he replies: no one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living.
Job asks again: do people know where to find wisdom? He says: it is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.
A diamond is rock-solid material and if I look hard enough I’ll find it.
But wisdom isn’t a thing I can find. It’s as immaterial as the temperature of the air.
Job says that the Lord: saw (wisdom) and measured it. So it was visible to the Lord; measurable to him. But not to me. So it sounds like a futile search. But Job doesn’t give up. He finishes by saying: the fear of the Lord is true wisdom.
A direct search for wisdom is a wild goose chase.
I have to find wisdom indirectly – by fearing the Lord.
Note: quotes from Job 28:12-13, 27, 28 (NLT)