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Job Continues
Gold and Silver Are Mined
1Gold and silver are mined,
then purified;
2the same is done
with iron and copper.
3Miners carry lanterns
deep into the darkness
to search for these metals.
4They dig tunnels
in distant, unknown places,
where they dangle by ropes.
5Far beneath the grain fields,
fires are built
to break loose those rocks
6that have jewels or gold.
7Miners go to places unseen
by the eyes of hawks;
8they walk on soil unknown
to the proudest lions.
9With their own hands
they remove sharp rocks
and uproot mountains.
10They dig through the rocks
in search of jewels
and precious metals.
11They also uncover
the sources of rivers
and discover secret places.
Where Is Wisdom Found?
12 But where is wisdom found?
13 No human knows the way.
14Nor can it be discovered
in the deepest sea.
* 15It is worth much more
than silver or pure gold
16or precious stones.
17Nothing is its equal—
not gold or costly glass.
18Wisdom is worth much more than
coral, jasper, or rubies.
19All the topaz of Ethiopia
and the finest gold
cannot compare with it.
20Where then is wisdom?
21It is hidden from human eyes
and even from birds.
22Death and destruction
have merely heard rumors
about where it is found.
23 God is the only one who knows
the way to wisdom;
24he alone sees everything
beneath the heavens.
25When God divided out
the wind and the water,
26and when he decided the path
for rain and lightning,
27 he also determined the truth
and defined wisdom.
28 God told us, “Wisdom means
that you respect me, the Lord,
and turn from sin.”
Reflect
In the midst of Job’s despair comes this “jewel” of a poem about wisdom.Stop and think for a moment about the most beautiful jewellery you have ever seen, perhaps in a museum. Think about how much these jewels are treasured. For centuries men have tunnelled underground to bring these things to light. Savour the description of vv 1-11.
Imagine! Even the most precious jewels can’t compare with wisdom.
There are different kinds of wisdom. There’s human wisdom, and you can probably think of people who have this kind of astuteness, whether in some practical sense, or in understanding the world around them, or in dealing with people. Then there’s true wisdom, which comes only from God. The people who have it are truly humble.
There are myriads of books on success, and how to become successful quickly. Wisdom is different, and it doesn’t come quickly.
Joni Eareckson Tada wrote that the Bible “mandates us to search, as though mining hidden treasures, as though prospecting for precious metal. The wisdom is down deep in there; but God wants to know that we take Him and His commandments seriously, and so He requires that we study, search and seek him out. Prudence and discernment, understanding and knowledge, insight and wisdom don’t come casually or lightly. They come by hard and earnest effort.”
It’s a mystery, but wisdom often comes like jewels, from our experience of the depths of darkness.Joni Eareckson knows this. She is a quadraplegic as the result of a diving accident. The wisest people are often those who have suffered the most. If this includes you, pray that your hardest times will not lead to bitterness, but to a profound understanding of God and his ways.
Respond
Father God, we praise you for the wisdom with which you created the world. Thank you for the amazing wisdom of Jesus Christ. We pray for the wisdom that comes from you. If it comes through suffering, help us as we learn through difficulty to grow more and more like our Saviour.
Annabel Robinson
Annabel was born in Kew, near London, England. She committed her life to Jesus Christ at a Scripture Union camp when she was 16, and immediately found joy and peace. At Oxford she was active in the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, where she met her husband, Reid. They emigrated to Canada in 1965, where she taught Classics at the University of Regina until 2007. She has two children, Heather in Oslo and Alasdair in Calgary.