Job chapter 28 reminds me how crisis causes change. When things are going well, we simply do not think about diseases or bankruptcy, or rebuilding. That can change in a minute. After a tragedy, many things take on a new level of importance. This chapter seems out of place until we think about the aftermath. After the storms of life hit, we search for answers to questions we never asked before. Job begins by discussing how man will search high and low for treasures.”There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined… Iron is taken from the earth… he searches the farthest recesses… Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft … sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold“. It is amazing that treasure hunters are found at the bottom of the sea, in the frozen tundra and in deep inside mine shafts. No obstacle is too great, “Man’s hand assaults the flinty rock… He tunnels through the rock… He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light“. With gusto we pursue our quest for the prize. It seems like Job stops mid-thought and asks, “But where can wisdom be found?“. After that late-night phone call or lab result or loss we think, “Where does understanding dwell?“.
After the stunned shock, comes the “why” questions. We don’t always properly recognize the value of relationships and far too often we scramble to readjust. Job considers where man can find wisdom. I believe he is talking to himself, rather than answering his critics. Crisis makes us introspective. We contemplate things inwardly before we can consider others. Job says, “Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living“. Maybe he is thinking about how much time he has wasted when he says, “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’“. He knows that wisdom is not something you can buy, “It cannot be bought with the finest gold… Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it… the price of wisdom is beyond rubies“. He repeats his questions to himself, I think because he is sincerely searching. “Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?” I think we have to come to a place of sincerely searching to become open to God’s truth. This give insight into Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also“.
I have heard people say that they spend time with God by enjoying the beauty of His creation. Although I agree His creation contains beauty and reflects the intricate design of its Creator, I don’t think is an acceptable substitute for worship. Job Says wisdom “is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air“. Even crisis does not bring understanding; it just prepares the way, “Destruction and Death say, ‘only a rumor of it has reached our ears’“. Job closes with a new understanding, “God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells for He views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens“. God dwells outside of His creation, “When He established the force of the wind and measured out the waters“. Job concludes what many men of God have also learned, “The fear of the Lord that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding“. This means we must acknowledge God is Holy and we are not. Psalm 5:5 says, “The arrogant cannot stand in Your presence“. Are you looking for answers? Hebrews 4:15 tells us not only where to find understanding, but how. “Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need“.