Job holds on… and teaches about true wisdom
I stand blameless before God
Job 27
1 And Job took up his discourse again:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
      the Almighty, who has made my life bitter —
3 for while my spirit is still in me,
      and the breath from God is in my nostrils,


“As surely as God lives” = a most solemn oath.  In OT times it was common to stake your reputation on the life of another as pledge.
Job believed in God to the extent that he’d swear an unwavering oath in His name when in the same breath he felt he was being treated unfairly.
4 my lips will not speak wickedness,
      and my tongue will whisper no deceit.
5 I will never declare that you three are in the right;
      until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!
6 I will maintain my righteousness
      and never let it go;
      my conscience will not reproach me
      for as long as I live.
Q: To what was Job referring when he said he would not set aside his integrity?

Q: What were his friends asking of him?
Q: What would it have hurt if he had done what they said?

A curse and a warning?
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,
      my adversary like the unrighteous.
8 For what hope does the godless have when he is cut off,
      when God takes away his life?
9 Does God listen to his cry
      when distress overtakes him?
10 Will he find delight in the Almighty?
      Will he call out to God at all times?
Job calls a curse on all that oppose him to suffer the fate of the wicked.

Four questions that point to the hopeless condition of the unrighteous

The fate awaiting his adversaries
11 I will teach you about the power of God;
      What is on the Almighty’s mind I will not conceal.
12 If you yourselves have all seen this,
      Why in the world do you continue this meaningless talk?
You already know this, but I’ll tell you because it appears you may not understand YOU’VE PUT YOURSELVES IN THE SHOES OF MY ENEMIES!
13 This is the portion of the wicked man
      allotted by God,
      the inheritance that evildoers receive
      from the Almighty.
14 If his children increase — it is for the sword!
      His offspring never have enough to eat.
15 Those who survive him are buried by the plague,
      and their widows do not mourn for them.



Possible additional study: Generational sin
His children and all survivors will continue to pay
Q: Is it fair?  Does it happen?
Q: Might generational sin often be the result of the example of the parents?  Things we either copy or react against.
16 If he piles up silver like dust
      and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,
17 what he stores up a righteous man will wear,
      and an innocent man will inherit his silver.
18 The house he builds is as fragile as a moth’s cocoon,
      like a hut that a watchman has made.
19 He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more.
      When he opens his eyes, it is all gone.
Nothing he has accumulated will be taken with him or passed down.


Nothing lasts

“watchman’s hut” is temporary
20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood;
      at night a whirlwind carries him off.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
      it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself against him without pity
      as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands at him in derision
      and hisses him away from his place.
Night/wind = neither can be seen = terror

Personification  of the wind = as if the wicked man had a rotten performance and was boo’d & hissed off the stage.

Job’s soliloquy on wisdom

The difficulty in the search for the most precious things
Job begins discussing the ingenuity of man then goes on to say that even so true wisdom is beyond man’s grasp and is known only by God.
Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
      and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the ground,
      and rock is poured out as copper

Other mentions of iron: Job 19:24; Job 20:24; Job 40:18; Job 41:27
The “iron age” in the middle east was 12th century BC
Q: How do you think this affects the dating of Job – does it place him in the time of the judges vs. Abraham?
FYI – Iron was in use as early as 1800-2000BC (Abraham’s time) in Africa & India

Q: What about the earliest mention of iron Gen 4:22?
3 Man puts an end to the darkness;
      he searches the farthest recesses
      for the ore in the deepest darkness.
4 Far from where people live he sinks a shaft,
      in places travelers have long forgotten,
      far from other people he dangles and sways.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
      is overturned below as though by fire;
6 a place whose stones are sapphires
      and which contains dust of gold;
7 a hidden path no bird of prey knows —
      no falcon’s eye has spotted it.
8 Proud beasts have not set foot on it,
      and no lion has passed along it.
9 On the flinty rock man has set to work with his hand;
      he has overturned mountains at their bases.
10 He has cut out channels through the rocks;
      his eyes have spotted every precious thing.
11 He has searched the sources of the rivers
      and what was hidden he has brought into the light.
“end the darkness” = manmade light


“dangles and sways” = dangerous but worth the prize


Man’s endeavors are so great the “undergroundscape” is altered for his search




Man goes places in his search that not even the greatest of the animals have trod



Man’s search has led him to taken him to extremes resulting in success!

Wisdom is far more elusive than these

Note the poetic structure that carries through even into English
Where can wisdom be found
Job 28:12-19
12 “But wisdom — where can it be found?
      Where is the place of understanding?
Where does wisdom come from
Job 28:20-28
20 “But wisdom — where does it come from?
      Where is the place of understanding?
13 Mankind does not know its place;
      it cannot be found in the land of the living.
< It’s not in land of the living >
21 For it has been hidden
      from the eyes of every living creature,
      and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.
14 The deep says, ‘It is not with me.’
      And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
<= It’s not with the dead =>
22 Destruction and Death say,
      ‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’
15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
      nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be measured out for purchase with the gold of Ophir,
      with precious onyx or sapphires.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can be compared with it,
      nor can a vase of gold match its worth.
18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made;
      the price of wisdom is more than pearls.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it;
      it cannot be purchased with pure gold.

<= It’s priceless

Why?
Because it

Resides with God alone =>
23 God understands the way to it,
      and he alone knows its place.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
      and observes everything under the heavens.
25 When he made the force of the wind
      and measured the waters with a gauge.
26 When he imposed a limit for the rain,
      and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and assessed its value;
      he established it and examined it closely.

28 And he said to mankind,
      ‘The fear of the LORD — that is wisdom,
      and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ “
This could refer to the revelation God gave to Adam after his fall. He had before sought for wisdom in a forbidden way. When he and Eve saw that the tree was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, they took and did eat (Gen 3:6). Thus they lost all the wisdom that they had, by not setting the fear of the Lord before their eyes; and became foolish, wicked, and miserable. Hear, then, what God prescribes as a proper remedy for this dire disease: The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; it is thy only wisdom now to set God always before thy eyes, that thou mayest not again transgress. (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible; Adam Clarke, LL.D., F.S.A., 1715-1832)

Note the parallels
Fear of the Lord
=
Wisdom
||

||
Shun Evil
=
Understanding


Q: Why do you think Job takes this time to discuss wisdom?

Additional references for wisdom and fear of the Lord:
Job 28:28 And he said to man, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’” (NIV)

Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (NIV)

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (NIV)

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (NIV)

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (NIV)

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD— (NIV)

Isaiah 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. (NIV)

Micah 6:9 Listen! The LORD is calling to the city— and to fear your name is wisdom— “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it. (NIV)
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”