September 4 Thought for Today – “Gold Dust…or Wisdom?” “People know how to mine silver and refine gold…to find sapphires and gold dust. But do people know where to find wisdom?” Job 28:1, 6 & 12 The Book of Job – said to be the oldest book in the Bible – is perhaps one of the most studied of the Old Testament books. Scholars, secular and religious alike, have mined its passages analyzing the dialogues of Job and his three friends, God’s response to Job, and the glimpses Job gives into early knowledge of the earth and universe. Centuries before men proved that the earth was round and not flat, Job spoke about “the circular horizon” (Job 26:10). In chapter 37 he describes God’s hand in generating violent storms. He mentions God’s hand in making “the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south” in chapters nine and thirty-eight. But in Job 28:12-27 is one of the most eloquent passages in the Bible concerning wisdom. It is so excellent I have reproduced it here for your enjoyment. 12 “But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? 13 No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living. 14 ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean. ‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea. 15 It cannot be bought with gold. It cannot be purchased with silver. 16 It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli. 17 Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold. 18 Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies. 19 Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold. 20 “But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity. Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it. 22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’ 23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom; He knows where it can be found, 24 for He looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. 25 He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. 26 He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning. 27 Then He saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. In chapter 28:1-11, Job acknowledges man’s abilities to mine deep in the earth, to build dams and tunnels, to do most anything they set their minds to. But for Job – and for us – the real issue is the question Job poses in 28:12, “Do people know where to find wisdom. God’s answer is clear and plain: 28 This is what God says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’” Job 28:12-28 New Living Translation Selah! copsonthestreet
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 10:46:01 +0000
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