#663 What Gollum Missed

“Surely there is a mine for silver,

and a place for gold that they refine.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth,

and copper is smelted from the ore.

3 Man puts an end to darkness

and searches out to the farthest limit

the ore in gloom and deep darkness.

4 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;

they are forgotten by travelers;

they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.

5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread,

but underneath it is turned up as by fire.

6 Its stones are the place of sapphires,[a]

and it has dust of gold.

7 “That path no bird of prey knows,

and the falcon's eye has not seen it.

8 The proud beasts have not trodden it;

the lion has not passed over it.

9 “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock

and overturns mountains by the roots.

10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,

and his eye sees every precious thing.

11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,

and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

12 “But where shall wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding?

13 Man does not know its worth,

and it is not found in the land of the living.

14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’

and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

15 It cannot be bought for gold,

and silver cannot be weighed as its price.

16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

in precious onyx or sapphire.

17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,

nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;

the price of wisdom is above pearls.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,

nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?

And where is the place of understanding?

21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living

and concealed from the birds of the air.

22 Abaddon and Death say,

‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

23 “God understands the way to it,

and he knows its place.

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.

25 When he gave to the wind its weight

and apportioned the waters by measure,

26 when he made a decree for the rain

and a way for the lightning of the thunder,

27 then he saw it and declared it;

he established it, and searched it out.

28 And he said to man,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28 ESV

This is a beautiful transition poem. What is wisdom like, where can she be found?

2 My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it 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 in integrity, Proverbs 2: 1-7 ESV

Men go to great lengths to obtain silver, gold and precious stones. They dig deep into the earth, exposing things that have not seen the day; they bring light into the darkest reaches to search out precious metals. Men will do this at the risk of life, living far away from the eyes of other men, for these precious things that can be stolen men will prepare themselves for war. Men by their labor, and that of the ox, will take the proper tools, like the plough, breaking up the earth and planting the seed, the earth will catch the rain and yield the wheat that makes our bread. Those that dig deeper will find more treasures still, sapphires and gold. 

Birds of prey and vultures can see for long distances, but men unveil the things that birds cannot see. Men go where lions would not dare nor have interest to see. Men overturn the root of the mountains, change the landscape, build tunnels and tear down heights to get what is hidden underneath. We work hard for these things, and Job has had these things, but he is now coming to the light of this present darkness, that there is something far more rare and precious. Where can we go to mine wisdom?

There is an earthly wisdom, don't stand in front of a falling tree or a moving vehicle, and Job's friends would like to apply that everywhere, including Job's present ruin. It does not define him, does not answer his present question, so where can a man go to find divine wisdom? It is not found naturally in men, it is not found in the deep, and it cannot be understood for value because it cannot be purchased with gold. It is a beautiful use of language, look at the lengths, the depths, the risks that men will take in order to obtain gold and precious stones, but there is something more wonderful, that even death and the destroyer only know as a rumor. 

God is the way to it. Man cannot live by bread alone, by the works of his hands, he has a spiritual side too. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way with sinners, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law does he dwell day and night. God sees you, everything, take rest in this, be assured by it, He knows your present situation as well. Those that think you have lost because you do not have so much of this world's goods; they have put these things above wisdom and discarded the Words of God that didn't fit into their want, they do not rightly divide His truth. Job's friends are more likely to attend church where the pastor has come from the word of faith movement. They would pride themselves on the use of the Bible, but not humble themselves to its context or counsel. It needs to fit their message of prosperity, and if Job is a righteous man then this is a rebuke unto them, if God's strength is made perfect in weakness and if those He loves He also chastens. What would you do to have the wisdom that blows all these earthly notions away? The understanding that we can have here is all found in, as the law is fulfilled in, Christ. 

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for


“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,


“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    

with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,


“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” Romans 10: 5-21