Job Chapter 28

Chapters 26 through 31 is Job’s parable or discourse in response to his friends accusations.

In Chapter 26 Job taught there is much more to God’s creation than we can see and what we have heard about. (V26:14)

In Chapter 27 Job compared himself to the wicked and the hypocrite. He built upon what he said in Vs 21:14-15 about them.

In Chapter 28 Job spoke about man’s failed attempt to gain wisdom and understanding through their wealth.

In Chapter 28 Job returned to speaking of God and His creation. This chapter begins by telling tells about what God put in the earth for man to find.

V28:1-11 God placed things in this earth for man to find.

The “they” and the “he” in these verses must be identified.

V1 The “they” are men who purify (fine) gold, silver, iron ect from where God placed them.

The “he” View #1: Many believe that the “he” in these verses is the Almighty because only God can overturn mountains (V9).

·       Problem with this: In V3 and V11 it seems that “he” must search to find or see what is hid. Dose God have to search to see what He has hidden in the earth? 

The “he” View #2: Men searching in the earth for what God has hidden in the earth for them to find.

V1-2, 5-6 Food is produced from the top soil of the earth. Gold, sliver, iron, brass, sapphires, rubies, ect. can be found in specific places where God placed them in the earth for man to find them and fine them. When the under earth is turned it seem to be on fire with the shinning of precious things.

****God is not surprised by the actions of man The Holy Spirit inspired Job to describe the great lengths men will go to find the wealth God has hidden within the earth

V3, 4, 7-8 ( Mine shafts) He is willing to go to the end of darkness to find the wealth hidden within the earth even willing to do the darkness and shadow of death.  

·       V3 the stones of darkness: gold, silver, coal, gems, salt, ect, found in the dark tunnels dug deep into the earth and have been death traps for many.

·       V4 Often when a rock wall was penetrated water would gush out and flood the mine; the water would have to be dried up before the mining operations could be continued.

v   Sometimes artesian wells would be found and the mine was abandoned but the water was also a treasure hidden within the earth.

·       V7&8 The tunnels of mind shafts are paths the birds and animals have never known:, where no animals are found.

V9  (Strip Mining) He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. The tops of mountains are taken and the mountain is removed down to it’s roots to find coal, granite, ect. Than the top of the mountain is put back to fill the hole.  off first to get to the coal, then the tops of the mountains go into the bottom of hole to fill it in.

V10 Seems to describe hydraulic mining where vast amounts of water was forced on sides of mountains washing away the dirt and rocks to expose the wealth hidden beneath.

V11 A river diverted exposes the river bed and all that is hidden below the water. Rivers have been diverted and dams built to keep water from flooding tunnels and the pits where minerals were being removed.

***In these verses the Holy Spirit inspired Job to describe the great lengths men will go to find the wealth God has hidden within the earth for them to find. God is not surprised by the actions of man. We must understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong with searching, finding, and gathering what God put within the earth for man to find.

Starting in verse 28:12-19 Job makes an abrupt change in what he was teaching about what God hid in the earth for man to find, to the search for wisdom and understanding.

**Job’s conclusion: Wisdom and understanding can not be bought; they are far more valuable than all the wealth God has hid in the earth. They are not to be found in the depth of the earth or in the sea.  Note: V18a with V26:5 Dead things formed under the waters

·       Pr 3:13-15; 8:1-36 Why is wisdom and understanding referred as “she”?  

V20-21 Job did not speak of earthly wisdom and understanding. The wisdom and understanding spoken of can not be found because God has hid them from the eyes of all living. They are based upon God.

V22 Destruction (abaddown: Rev 9:11) and death Satan and the devils that followed him had knowledge but wisdom and understanding were not possessed by them. 

V23-27 God knows the path to wisdom and understanding. The place of wisdom and understanding begins with the knowledge of God starts with knowing Gen 1:1 with Rom 1:20.   

V28 Wisdom of knowing Gen 1:1 can only come throuth the fear of the LORD that will lead to departing from evil.

In Ch 27 Job concentrated on the wicked (27:7-8) and the hypocrite (27:16) whose silver they heap up that will be divided between those left after they die. They are those Job spoke of in 21:14-15 who feel thee do not need the Almighty.  They are men who put their trust in the wealth of silver and gold they fine.

·       Opposite of Job 31:24

The “they” of V1: Men who have prospered from the riches God hid in the earth for them to find, whose wisdom is “look what we have found without the help of the Almighty!” They consider having wealth greater than having wisdom and knowledge of God. 

·       Rom 11:33-34