Where Can Wisdom Be Found? (Job 28:12, 20) – The Important Question Job Asked During His Trials

“Where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?" is the important question Job asked his friends during his trials. This is the same question we should ask. https://youtu.be/UwPuCF51mMQ “Where can wisdom be found?" (Job 28:12). This is the important question Job asked during his trials. We should ask the same question. Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?Family Worship Guide for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?Sermon Notes for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?Lesson 1: do we pursue wisdom?Lesson 2: wisdom is hidden.Lesson 3: wisdom belongs to God. Sermon Lessons for Where Can Wisdom Be Found? Lesson 1: Do we ____________ ____________? (Job 28:1-12; Pro 3:15). Lesson 2: Wisdom ____ ____________ (Job 28:13-22; 1 Cor 2:7; Matt 11:25; Luke 8:9; Matt 13:10-17). Lesson 3: Wisdom ______________ to ______ (Job 28:23-28; Rom 1:19-20; Ecc 12:13; Pro 9:10; Psa 110:10). Family Worship Guide for Where Can Wisdom Be Found? Day 1: Read Job 28:1-12 and Proverbs 3:15 and discuss: Why did Job’s friends think he suffered? Where did Job say wisdom is NOT found? What do you pursue the most in your life, in other words, where do you invest the most of your time, energy, talents, etc? What do you pursue too often? What should you pursue more? Day 2: Read Job 28:13-22, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Luke 8:9, Matthew 11:25, 13:10-17 and discuss: Why can’t we find wisdom in creation? Why did Jesus speak in parables? Who is wisdom hidden from? Who is wisdom revealed to? Why is wisdom so valuable? Day 3: Read Job 28:23-28, Romans 1:19-20, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 110:10 and discuss: Where can wisdom be found? What reveals wisdom, or what serves as a demonstration of God’s wisdom? Why is the fear of God associated with wisdom in the Wisdom Literature? Sermon Notes for Where Can Wisdom Be Found? Go ahead and open your Bibles to Job 28. This sermon is going to serve as a foundation for next Sunday’s sermon. A few weeks ago I told you I wanted to have a series on wisdom, but from a different perspective. I wanted to focus on the wisdom needed to navigate through trials. Fittingly, the man in Scripture most associated w/ trials – Job – also has one of the most profound chapters in Scripture about wisdom. My Moody Bible said, “Job 28 is regarded rightly by many scholars as the theological and literary heart of the entire book.” Even though the first two chapters and the last few chapters get the most attention, maybe this chapter should receive the most attention! Let me share a quote w/ you that came to mind as I studied this chapter… On February 12, 2002, Donald Rumsfeld, who was serving as the US Secretary of Defense, said… “There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know.” The statement became the subject of much commentary including a documentary film titled, “The Unknown Known,” and Rumsfeld named his autobiography, Known and Unknown: A Memoir. Although Rumsfeld was speaking militarily when he made the statement, I think it works regarding trials b/c they fall into all three categories: We know God brings forth good from trials. This is a known known.We know we’ll experience trials in the future, but we don’t know what the trials will be. This is a known unknown.God is doing many unknown things through trials. John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” The 9,997 are unknown unknowns. By the time we reach Job 28, Job and his friends have been debating his trials, but they don’t think anything is unknown. To them it’s all known knowns. They think they have it all figured out and it’s as simple as Job is terribly suffering b/c he’s a terrible sinner. But to Job, he doesn’t think he’s been terrible, and he knows some righteous people suffer terribly, and some unrighteous people seem to lack suffering. To him it’s a known unknown. The actual truth is an unknown unknown to Job and his friends, b/c they didn’t know about the exchange between God and the devil at the beginning of the book… Job 1:8 and 2:3 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” The truth was the opposite of what they were saying: Job was suffering b/c he was so righteous. He’s like the tree that rose above all the others and ended up being struck by lightning as a result. By the time we reach Job 28, Job has grown weary of the clichés and platitudes his friends have been giving him in the name of wisdom. He wanted real wisdom. Look at: Job 28:12 “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?Job 28:20 “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? This is the theme of the chapter: Where is wisdom? First, we’re going to look for it deep in the earth. Look at verse 1… Job 28:1 “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. Man digs into the darkest parts of the earth to mine silver, gold, iron, and copper…but he doesn’t find wisdom. Job 28:4 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. When it says they hang in the air and swing to and fro, it’s describing man descending w/ ropes and swinging back and forth. Man risks his life diggin deep shafts – or tunnels – where nobody lives or travels, and in places people have forgotten about…but he doesn’t find wisdom. Job 28:5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire. Bread – which is really to say grain and wheat – comes up out of the earth, but when you go down into the earth there’s fire, referring tomolten rock and lava. Job 28:6 Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold. Man finds precious stones – such as sapphires – and gold…but still no wisdom. Job 28:7 “That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon's eye has not seen it. Man searches out places no bird has ever flown or seen…but still no wisdom. Job 28:8 The proud beasts have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it. Man searches out places the most powerful animals – such as the lion – haven’t even gone. Job 28:9 “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. Man breaks open large rocks and overturns mountains in the sense of cutting tunnels into them. He finds every precious thing that could be under them…but still no wisdom. Job 28:11 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? Man creates dams to stop rivers so he can search out riverbeds. If there’s anything valuable hidden in the dark, he brings it to light. He has looked, searched, and dug everywhere, but he doesn’t find wisdom…and there are two reasons he doesn’t. One reason is in verse 13… Job 28:13a Man does not know its worth, This is a strong criticism… Man doesn’t find wisdom, b/c he’s not looking for it, and he’s not looking for it, b/c he doesn’t how valuable it is. He’d rather find riches and gold, but… Proverbs 3:15 [Wisdom] is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Man will look everywhere for wealth w/o looking for wisdom…even though wisdom is more valuable. This should cause us to ask how much we value wisdom…and this brings us to lesson 1… Lesson 1: do we pursue wisdom? There’s an interesting irony w/ the verses we read… On the surface, they sound like they’re commending man’s ingenuity: He faces great danger to explore the earth and the skyHe works hard to build tunnels and caves through rock and under mountainsHe brings light to the darkest and farthest places But these verses are actually a criticism, and here’s why… Man won’t put forth the same effort to gain wisdom…even though it’s much more valuable than everything he’s looking for. This should cause us to ask if we value wisdom, and we can see how much we value wisdom, by how diligently we pursue it. We’re all pursuing something in that we’re all investing our time and energy in something. We pursue what we value. If we value wisdom we’ll invest time and energy in gaining it. I told you there were two reasons man can’t find wisdom. The first reason is he doesn’t value it, and the second reason is in the rest of verse 13… Job 28:13b and it is not found in the land of the living. There’s no place in all the world that we can find wisdom…and this brings us to Lesson 2… Lesson 2: wisdom is hidden. If you look at the end of verse 11 it says the thing that is hidden he brings out to light. Man might bring many hidden things to light, but there’s one hidden thing he can’t bring to light and that’s wisdom. The above verses make the point that man can’t find wisdom in creation Man can search everywhereHe can dig out mines in the earthHe can open shafts where nobody livesHe can look high in the air where birds fly But he can’t find wisdom b/c it’s hidden. Multiple places in Scripture present wisdom as something hidden: 1 Corinthians 2:7 But we impart a secret and HIDDEN WISDOM OF GOD, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.Matthew 11:25 Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,...