Word of Salvation – Vol. 54 No.5 – January 2009

 

The Eye of the Storm: Where is Wisdom Found?

 

A Sermon by Rev Leo Douma on Job 28

Sermon 7 of 9, on Job

 Scripture Reading: Job 28

 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

In recent times we have seen the devastating power of hurricanes, like the one in northern Queensland that destroyed the banana crop. As a result, having a banana was like having gold in your lunch box. The thing about hurricanes is that while their winds are ferocious and devastating, the eye of the storm is completely calm. I mention this because, in a sense, that is what we have here in Job 28.

We can say a storm has been raging between Job and his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. We have seen a bit of what their interaction has been like when we looked at Chapters 4-9. We saw Job complain bitterly to God about his terrible suffering, the loss of all his property, all his kids, his own health. He just wanted to die and he cursed the day of his own birth.

First Eliphaz took him to task, speaking from his mystical experience, saying that if Job was suffering he must have sinned big time, because only the sinner suffers. Bildad, from his conservative, traditional position said the same sort of thing – “confess Job, you must have done real bad to be suffering so bad; because God is always just in what he does.”

The third mate, Zophar, does and says the same sort of thing from a commonsense position. They all keep hammering him: God is righteous, you are suffering, so you must have done wrong. Confess and all will be well. But each time Job protests his innocence. He has been righteous; it was God who had been harsh to him.

Speech after speech no one budges from their position and right up to Chapter 27 the argument continues: Eliphaz has a go, and Job replies; Bildad has a go, and Job replies; Zophar has a go, and Job replies. So it keeps going for three rounds. The arguments get hotter and blunter. The three friends talk past Job. At no stage do they actually listen to what he is saying. In the end, on the third round, Bildad in disgust only has a five verse speech and Zophar doesn’t even bother.

Note the bluntness with Bildad in Chapter 25 [READ] . In other words Bildad says to Job, mate you are a maggot, a worm. Only God is righteous, even the moon and stars are dim in comparison, so how can you, a maggot, have the guts to say you are righteous before God! Note the sarcasm as Job replies in Chapter 26:2-4 [READ] . The tension between Job and his friends is terrible. In the rage of the argument no one has convinced the other of anything. The friends have not managed to bring one iota of wisdom to Job’s situation.

And now, all of a sudden, here with Chapter 28 we find ourselves in the eye of the storm. All is calm. It is like a commercial in the dramatic moment of the TV movie, an intermission at a turning point in the play. Here the writer of Job stops the drama. The voice here is not that of Job or his three friends. It’s the writer asking the all-important question that neither Job nor his friends have gotten a handle on. We have here a majestic hymn to wisdom, and the vital question is seen twice in the refrain (28:12 & 20), “Where then can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?” It’s like the writer says: “it’s time to take a step back and cool off, time for some objective reflection here fellas, time to think clearly.”

Chapter 28 provides a breathing space between the cycle of speeches between Job & his three friends, and a new cycle between Job and a new character Elihu and then a cycle with God. In this pause the writer begs the question: where is wisdom in all this?

When we speak of wisdom, we do not mean simply being intellectually smart, getting good marks at uni. You can be a maths genius but be socially inept. Wisdom in the Bible is practical knowledge. It is understanding what life is really all about, what is most important, how to get the most out of life. This is because wisdom taps into the principles and patterns of creation. Wisdom is based on how the world operates, because it is God’s world, and so how best to live in the world. In other words, wisdom depends on obedience to God.

Our text, Chapter 28 of Job, is a search for wisdom that is compared to a search for precious metals and stones. The writer in the first part of this beautiful poem acknowledges the genius of mankind. He does so by admiring the skill of the miner. In verses 1-6 there is reference to the refining of silver and gold, the digging of iron ore, the smelting of copper, the mining of sapphires. The writer shows the persistence and ingenuity of human beings as they can get to these precious metals. Verse 3, “Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses of ore in the blackest darkness.” If the writer of Job were writing his book today he would speak of the skills we have in modern surgery, our communication technology with mobiles, satellites, the web etc; our ability to put someone on the moon.

The author goes on to show (vss 7 & 8) how human skill and knowledge goes way past that of the animals. Even the keen sight of the falcon and the courage of the lion fail to match the skill and courage of the miner digging treasures from deep in the ground. What courage and stubbornness, knowledge and sheer ingenuity humans have to be able to display to go to the very roots of a mountain and get the hidden treasures (vss 9-11).

Human beings are indeed marvellous creatures. And so they should be, having been made in God’s image! Bildad’s assessment in Chapter 25 that a man is a ‘maggot’ , a ‘worm’ , is not right. God has given human beings the ability to research and investigate, to dream and design, to be creative in art and music. Our status and abilities in the creation are of the highest order.

And yet, despite all that, the author asks in verse 12, “But where is wisdom to be found? Where does understanding come from?” Here he reflects on what might almost be the main theological question of the book of Job. Where can wisdom be found? Despite all the great technical genius and research skills no one knows where wisdom has its abode. How sad that is! Says verse 13, we don’t even understand its worth. The deep powers of creation don’t know (vs 14). Wisdom cannot be bought or exchanged, no matter what precious metals and jewels you have (vss 15-19).

The answer to the question: “Where does wisdom come from?” (vs 20) escapes us human beings because, you see, true wisdom is not of this world. Note verses 21-22, “It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, ‘Only a rumour of it has reached our ears’.” Says the writer of Job, the reality is that only God knows the way to wisdom (vs 23) because he sees everything under the heavens. The source of wisdom lies in the God who is all-knowing (vs 23), all-seeing (vs 24), and all- powerful (vs 25). It is the wisdom of the creator (vss 26-27). It is the Word of his will, the revealed know-how of the One who knows how. God knows how because he gave everything its how.

So the writer of Job says in the final verse (vs 28), “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” In other words, when you know God, love Him, relate with Him, fear Him, obey Him, then you get wisdom, then you get a real handle on life, then you see life’s true point and purpose. This makes sense doesn’t it? If God has created everything, he, more than anyone, should know what is wise and what is foolish. Only God can truly know the best way to live in his creation.

The best way to negotiate this life is by living in reverent submission to the One who made us. “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom.” In other words, true wisdom is a gift from God. It is a gift of grace. It is not something we find by ourselves. It is given us when we come to God through Jesus Christ. All other skills – even the marvels of mining, to say nothing of the orthodoxy of Bildad or the theology of Eliphaz, or even the innocent, upright character of Job himself – they are as nothing without the fear of the Lord. With Christ you have everything, even if you lose all. Without Christ you have nothing, even if you have everything.

So what does all this say to Job? What has this got to do with his terrible suffering and all the questions he has been struggling with, his struggles with God? Well, basically this. There is more to life than we can understand through our life experiences, through our senses. There is more to wisdom than even the greatest of human skills, much more than we can go with the best of our science, technology, philosophy or whatever.

There is a different way of looking at everything. And that different way is to look at things from God’s perspective, the perspective of the Creator. God sees everything ‘under heaven’, whereas we only see a (very small) part. There is more to Job’s predicament than Job himself will ever know. What is needed is a new beginning to our knowledge.

Job 28 emphasises the idea that true wisdom is not a matter of knowing why suffering happens. Rather true wisdom is a matter of knowing the God who knows why suffering happens. The appropriate way to approach suffering is not to seek an explanation for it, but to seek to know God better through the experience. Because knowing God is infinitely better than not suffering. If I have never suffered, but don’t know God, I am so much worse of than if I have suffered, but through it have come to know God.

What we have in this final verse of Chapter 28 is not only the climax of the chapter that has been asking “Where does wisdom come from?” It is also THE lesson of the entire book of Job. The book revolves around the idea that if we want to live life to the full, it is not a matter of knowing why things happen. It’s not about getting all our questions answered, like why do the innocent suffer? To truly live life, it’s a matter of knowing the God who knows why things happen.

Fear of the Lord – that is wisdom. Knowing God, trusting him, living in obedience – to shun evil is understanding. The wise person cannot necessarily explain why everything in life happens. But the wise person is in a right relationship with God.

So Chapter 28 stands as a warning to any further speculations and speeches from Job’s three friends. Getting a true insight to Job’s suffering, does not come from below, from Eliphaz or Bildad’s ideas, from their experience or tradition, nor the common sense of Zophar. It must come from above as a gift from God; which, we as New Testament folk can see, serves to highlight the importance of Jesus Christ.

It’s through Jesus that we can most fully know God. Not only that, but Jesus is himself the revelation of God’s wisdom. Especially in his crucifixion do we see the wisdom of God. In defiance of all worldly wisdom God chose to save people, and bring them to himself through the suffering of Jesus. Through the suffering of a truly innocent man, through a suffering that makes even Job’s suffering pale into insignificance, God has brought the way of reconciliation.

In Christ we are brought into God’s family, and with that everything that is his is ours. In Christ, we have everything we need to know for life, real life. In Jesus we understand that in the fear of the Lord is wisdom. In Jesus we know God and his intentions. Everything God does stems from his grace and is for the ultimate well-being of his children.

Amen.