Good morning, I can’t believe how quickly we are turning pages. Today, we will discuss what we read in Job 28-30.
Some mornings I have to dig and research and contemplate to find the message God wants me to share. Not so today.
Chapter 28 opens with the statement, “There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.” (Job 28:1, NIV)
My wife is a silversmith. She makes jewelry from silver and gold.
On most Saturday mornings, you will find us at an art market selling her creations to people who pay her for her craftsmanship.
She has been doing this for over twelve years. Therefore, I have made it a point to learn about silver and gold.
But this chapter is not about precious metals. It asks us to examine what we find value in.
Matthew 6:21 states, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NIV)
We will look at three lessons from chapter 28: What we will do to get the things we treasure; How wisdom is better than this treasure; Where we can find veritable treasure.
Is it Worth the Price?
Whenever I make a significant purchase, for instance, buying a guitar, I think about how many hours of work it took me to earn that amount of money.
I need to measure the benefit of owning another guitar. What will it provide versus what it required of me to earn that money?
We read in the opening part of chapter 28 of all the ways people will search for, work for and struggle, to gain silver, gold and precious gemstones like lapis lazuli.
They will dig deep into the earth. Burrowing through rock with picks and shovels. In those days, they didn’t have drills or tractors.
The first job I had when I moved to Wyoming was building a piece of equipment called a dragline. This was like a backhoe. It had a bucket that would remove dirt.
But, it was so large it had to be built on site. They weigh as much as thirteen thousand tonnes.
With one bite, they can remove as much as two hundred and twenty cubic yards of overburden. This is the dirt that is hiding the coal, or precision metals, below.
These massive machines move mountains.
That is surface mining, also called open pit mining.
None of that was possible in Job’s time.
He would have been referring to tunnelling into the mountain (v28:10). This is hard work and very dangerous.
Even with all the safety advancements, we still hear of mines collapsing and miners being trapped or killed. According to the CDC, NIOSH Mining, in 1907 there were nine hundred and thirty-four fatalities in mining accidents. (1)
This is a danger people will accept for a piece of shiny metal.
Add to this the cost in hours of labor, even for those who pan for gold in rivers (v28:11).
Comparative Value
Now, compare the value we have placed on this type of treasure with the glory of knowing God.
Wisdom is the most valuable treasure we have. With it, we can have fellowship with the creator of the universe!
Without it, we stumble around in darkness (v28:3).
Job asks, “Where is wisdom to be found?” (v28:12).
That is the question we must explore.
He replies, “It’s not in the land of the living.” (v28:13)
Nor can we can’t buy it. (v28:15).
Seek One Who Knows It
“God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells.” (Job 28:23, NIV).
We must check what we value. Are we giving up time with God to seek distracting earthly riches?
Jesus asks, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36, NIV)
We lose time with loved ones, we deny ourselves, and hold back our tithes. All because we lose understanding of what is valuable.
Wearing Ourselves Out
Because we pursue earthly treasures, we work harder than ever. Often feeling like a hamster on a wheel, never reaching the end.
We’re too tired to enjoy what God has blessed us with.
Our priorities get out of order and we compromise our integrity to get greater wealth.
Meanwhile, our Bible sits on the table gathering dust.
Wisdom was available to us if we had only made better choices.
If we had valued wisdom over silver and gold, we could have had contentment. Instead, we have strife.
Solomon asked for wisdom and received both. (see 1 Kings 3:5-15)
Wealth is never enough (see Ecc. 5:10).
We lose sight of the truth when we focus on the wrong treasure.
Instead, we must listen to the last verse in chapter 28. God tells humanity, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” (NIV).
Where are your priorities?
How hard are you working for a treasure that will one day rust?
Tomorrow, we will read Job 31-33
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NIOSH-Mining/MMWC/MineDisasters/Count