Job 28 - The Wisdom of God

The Wisdom of God

Is the thing that is the most valuable in life the most difficult to find? This chapter reveals the greatness of God and His ways once again as we listen to Job ask life’s most defining question: “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (KJV)

What could a man achieve if he had true wisdom and understanding? What limitless possibilities there must be for the wise and understanding man or woman of God! Solomon had one thing right for certain – he asked God for wisdom. And he got it! Praise the Lord. What would the world look like today if everyone had godly wisdom and understanding? Let’s see what the Lord will reveal to us in our chapter today…

Heavenly Father;

I come before You to give You thanks and praise for Your awesome presence in our lives! Thank You for loving us; mere mortals made of the dust of the earth – a set of fleshy bones who are totally dependent on our Creator. Lord I ask You to reveal Your plan and will in this for each and every person who will study it. May Your word proceed through my mind and hands, unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or my flesh. May your purpose in this be accomplished in Jesus name! Amen.

Yesterday we saw Job take a stand on his integrity and he defended his faith in God – both what God stands for and what this man Job stands for in Him. He is a man of faith and he is still in awe of Almighty God. Today we see him further expound on the fact that though men may seek diligently for what the world considers precious, going places not even animals have tread before, there is still one thing he cannot seem to find – wisdom and understanding. What is wisdom anyway?

WISDOM, noun 

1. The right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them. This is wisdom in act, effect, or practice. If wisdom is to be considered as a faculty of the mind, it is the faculty of discerning or judging what is most just, proper and useful, and if it is to be considered as an acquirement, it is the knowledge and use of what is best, most just, most proper, most conducive to prosperity or happiness. Wisdom in the first sense, or practical wisdom is nearly synonymous with discretion. It differs somewhat from prudence, in this respect; prudence is the exercise of sound judgment in avoiding evils; wisdom is the exercise of sound judgment either in avoiding evils or attempting good. Prudence then is a species, of which wisdom is the genus.

WISDOM gained by experience, is of inestimable value.

From what we just looked at, it appears more than obvious that wisdom brings great benefits to the human life. What does the Bible say about wisdom? Let’s look at a few verses…

Exodus 28:3

So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest.

In this verse we can see that God gifted people and gave them a spirit of wisdom so they could make Aaron’s priestly garments for his service to God.

Deuteronomy 4:1-6

“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.

“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

Observing God’s commands would be the Israelites way of showing the on looking outsiders what God had done in them and how He caused them to obey and follow after His ways. This would take wisdom and understanding of all that the Lord was calling them to do through His spokesperson Moses.

1 Kings 3:1-28

Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem. ² Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. ³ And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

⁴ Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

⁶ And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷ Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. ⁹ Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

¹⁰ The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹ Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, ¹² behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. ¹³ And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. ¹⁴ So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

Solomon’s Wise Judgment

¹⁶ Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. ¹⁷ And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. ¹⁸ Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. ¹⁹ And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.²⁰ So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. ²¹ And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”

²² Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”

And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”

Thus they spoke before the king.

²³ And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” ²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵ And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”

²⁶ Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”

But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”

²⁷ So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”

²⁸ And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

The above passage is probably one of the strongest examples given to us in all the Bible of the benefits of wisdom and understanding. Because Solomon was young when he became king, he knew it was going to be way over his head when it came to ruling the people of the land. Imagine that! A child to be the king of a land and to pass laws and give commands and keep peace and order in their country. Anyone who follows politics even just a little knows that the highest offices of the lands carry a heavy weight of responsibility when it comes to handling the people they have authority over. Who wouldn’t be overwhelmed if they stepped into the oval office in Washington and tried to fill our president’s shoes for a day? The very thought is alarming.

2 Chronicles 9:1-12

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. ² So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not explain it to her. ³ And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, ⁴ the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.

⁵ Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶ However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard. 

⁷ Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

⁹ And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. ¹¹ And the king made walkways of the algum wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah.

¹² Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

This is enough to make any person stand back and scratch their head! Who but God could make a person so brilliant and wise? The queen brought Solomon hard questions and he didn’t fail to give just the right information in each and every situation. His wisdom was so great that the queen called him blessed by God. The Lord doesn’t give us wisdom so that we can walk around thinking we are so smart and ‘all that’. He gives it to bring glory to Himself and to bless His people. He gives the wisdom so that we can obey Him and prosper in all we do. Prosperity in every form is absolutely the plan and perfect will of God for every human being. He never wanted people to suffer lack, and be broke or sick. All of that came with the curse. But Jesus came to give us back what we lost in the fall.

Sadly, too many people, and I am talking about Christians here, do not believe it. They think it is wrong to have nice things and be a Christian at the same time. Well if that were the case, it would make what the Lord is telling us in the Bible a lie, and God is not a man that He can lie. People have listened to non-church going, non-Bible reading people hand down some really goofy and fabricated ideas over the centuries, and for many it has become their gospel, albeit totally off base. That is so SADD-U-CEE!

Solomon desired more than silver and gold and fame the one thing that actually was used by God to bring those things forth in his life. It reminds us of the very strong and basic word in this verse…

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

What Solomon did was ask for the one thing that would open doors for him he could never have imagined. Wisdom brought him a way to handle every situation he would be faced with. As a result of that wisdom, he didn’t make wrong decisions. When he was ordering people to do things, he was ‘spot on’ every time.

In our passage above we can see that the queen looked around and saw everything in order. All the servants were well dressed, the table was well dressed, and people were happy. How is that for a dose of prosperity? Who wouldn’t want that? What if you wanted to open a business with all the right people working for you, with all the right products and all the right equipment? What would you need more than money to get that business going? You guessed it – wisdom. Without that my friend, we would fail miserably.

Everything has to start on a solid foundation in order to succeed. If it is not started right and built correctly, it is sure to fail. What does the Bible say about seeking wisdom and the lack thereof? The book of Proverbs starts out talking about it and when I looked at Bible Gateway in the New King James Version, I found no less than 52 verses that talk about the subject of wisdom. Do you suppose that God wants us to seek His wisdom?

Proverbs 1:1-7

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

² To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding,
³ To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity;
⁴ To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion—
⁵ A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles.
⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

And who alone can give a person true wisdom. The answer is plain…

Proverbs 2

¹ My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you,
² So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
³ Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding,
⁴ If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;
⁵ Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
⁸ He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.
⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

¹⁰ When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
¹¹ Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you,
¹² To deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things,
¹³ From those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness;
¹⁴ Who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked;
¹⁵ Whose ways are crooked, and who are devious in their paths;
¹⁶ To deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words,
¹⁷ Who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.
¹⁸ For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead;
¹⁹ None who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life—
²⁰ So you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness.
²¹ For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
²² But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

When we look at verse 4 about seeking wisdom like a hidden treasure, it swings us right back to Job’s discussion today, doesn’t it? The first several verses show us that no matter how deep down in the darkness a man may dig for the precious stones, wisdom and understanding is hidden even further. Smart people will want it, but foolish ones will give up looking fairly quickly. Only God knows where wisdom and understanding is at and only He can give it. But the good news is that it is something that we can ask Him for…

James 1:5-8

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

We must tie verses 5-8 together. James is making one statement about asking God for wisdom. If we do not ask in faith, it is pointless even opening our mouths. We do not receive from God when we do not ask in faith. Job asked where wisdom and understanding were at. He said it was hidden from the eyes of every living person. But one thing he knew. Look at verse 23 in our chapter. Job knew that God knows where it is at. And the very last verse of the chapter actually shows us that God was speaking right through the mouth of Job when He said…

Job 28:28

And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.’”

The most precious things of God are hidden in His heart. Only a serious man or woman of God will search them out…

Proverbs 25:2

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

How much trouble would we avoid if we sought God for wisdom and understanding every day? When I look back on the mistakes I have made in my life, it boggles my mind to think of all that I could have avoided in pain and heartache for myself and many others if I had sought God’s wisdom and His understanding. He tells us plainly in His word that if we seek Him with all our heart we will find Him. He says that His word is the way of peace…

Proverbs 3:13-18

¹³ Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;

¹⁴ For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold.

¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹⁶ Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor.

¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.

A person could dig to China and never find what can only be found in God our Savior. When we look again at the benefits of wisdom captured within these verses, having long and pleasant paths of peace, it makes one stop and think, “Who wouldn’t want that?” Instead of hurting myself and a whole lot of people, I could have been a great blessing to many, many people. Oh but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. He has caused these dead and dry bones of mine to live – hallelujah! Only God can restore what was lost and damaged from our past. By His grace and mercy we leave it all behind, like Paul wrote and while we forget what lies behind we can press on to reach the mark of His high calling, without turning back.

Philippians 3:13-14

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I may not have been seeking God’s wisdom on how to handle the issues of life before, but I am determined to do so now. With His help you and I can be filled with His wisdom and understanding so we don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over. He can take what was dead and breathe new life into us. He can give us the wisdom we need to make every decision a right decision. Even Job said the dead had heard about wisdom. Look at what the Lord did in this example…

Ezekiel 37:1-15

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. ² Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. ³ And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

⁴ Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”

Without God and His wisdom and understanding, we are dead and dry – without hope. Only He can breathe life into us – we cannot manufacture it on our own.

Only the Lord can restore you and me to life and help us to walk uprightly as we keep our gaze firmly fixed on Him. In everything we have to deal with, from buying a car to what groceries to buy, we need His wisdom. He alone has it and He alone can give it. What about you? Have you been looking to the Lord for His wisdom in handling your affairs lately? God is good and He is faithful. Whatever you need help with, just take a moment and ask Him. Then be ready to listen for the answer. He will come through for you every time. He is a good God and He is our God! Let’s trust in Him saints, amen!

Questions:

What did Job say that man digs for in this chapter?

What is the most important question that Job asks in our study today?

What answer did he give us to that question?

Where is the only place we can find wisdom or understanding? 

How have you been seeking God’s wisdom and understanding in your circumstances lately?

Proverbs 20:15

There is gold and a multitude of rubies,
but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

         

There are three main points to consider from today’s study…

There is nothing in the earth as precious as God’s wisdom

Having God’s wisdom and understanding brings a peaceful life

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for showing us the way to live long and live right through Your wisdom and understanding. Lord, I am asking You now according to Your word for wisdom and understanding in the issues I am currently facing. Name them here. Without You I cannot handle the issues of life correctly. I am seeking Your wisdom now and I believe already that I have received it. Thank You in advance for the answers Lord in Jesus name. Amen. 

What situation do you need God’s wisdom to handle right now?  

And God Said… You fill in the blanks.

     1 Corinthians 1:18-31

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”