Job 28:23–27

While man is told to seek, this wisdom is not found in nature, nor by human effort. The question is asked: Where is wisdom found? Where does understanding live? Man, frail mortal, does not know it and cannot pay its price, for it is not found in the land of the living. If it were within reach, then some would be able to attain it; some rich man would have the price to pay for it. But it is beyond man. In the bottomless deep, the call for wisdom wakes only one reply: "It is not in me." The wide sea, for all its size, does not hold this priceless treasure. Nature, in itself, is powerless to give even a simple clue to this heavenly, this wonderful good.

If wisdom cannot be bought with gold or precious stones — if the wealth of the universe cannot equal it, and no cleverness of man can discover it — then where am I to turn? where shall I find it?

If destruction and death can only say that they have heard its report, God understands its way and He knows its place. The universe in no degree distracts Him: He looks to the ends of the earth, He sees not only in but under the whole heaven. Nothing is too delicate or too vast for His knowledge and His rule. He gives the winds their weight and measures out the waters. He controls the rain and the lightning. Yet He also laid down the foundation of all righteousness, and this for man on earth to hear. It is to give God His rights.

We turn now from nature to its Author, from creation to God. He knows the way, and He alone can reveal it to man. And it is not merely God as Creator, but as Revealer in the person of His Son — "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." … He has seen wisdom; no, He is that Wisdom.

Yes, in all His creation He knows the way. Much more so in redemption: He is, in the person of His blessed Son, the way to Himself, and in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.

Until God gets His rightful place in a man's mind and heart, he is incapable of viewing anything wisely. His thoughts are out of centre. His beginning is all wrong.

Here, then, is the divine secret of wisdom: "the fear of the Lord." This sets the conscience directly in the presence of God, which is its only true place. Satan's aim is to keep the conscience out of this place. He works to bring it under the power and authority of man … He pushes something in between the conscience and the authority of Christ the Lord. It does not matter what it is. It may be a creed or a confession containing a quantity of truth — it may be the opinion of a man or a set of men — the judgment of some favourite teacher — anything, in short, that comes in and takes over, in the heart, the place that belongs to God's Word alone.

"God understands its way and He knows its place" (v.23). So Job rises high above the speculations of men, who by nature have no idea of wisdom. God alone is the Source of wisdom. He understands it in absolute perfection. He is the One who has established "the ends of the earth" and takes in all that is "under the whole heaven," as no creature can (v.24).

In his days people mined: it may have been a new pursuit then, whether for iron or copper, for gold or silver or gems. They dig down. They turn the underground stream aside. They open paths that the strongest beasts and the sharpest-eyed birds have never travelled. But in all this searching they never find wisdom… Men may discover much, and since Job's day they have discovered far more. But wisdom escapes them.

"For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he gave to the wind its weight." Man discovered that the air has weight many hundreds — yes, some thousands — of years after that. The philosophers of that day never thought of it; they knew nothing about it… God "apportioned the waters by measure," so the sea is never too full, whatever comes.

We turn now from nature to its Author, from creation to God. He knows the way, and He alone can reveal it to man. He is not only God the Creator. He is God the Revealer in the person of His Son — "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."… His all-seeing eye sweeps the heavens. He has given its weight to the unseen air and its set proportions to the water. He sends the gentle rain, and with it He gives the lightning its path. He has seen wisdom; no — He is that Wisdom.

God alone can declare its true nature and value. He "said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"… So until God gets His rightful place in a man's mind and heart, he cannot view anything wisely. His thoughts are off centre. His beginning is all wrong.

"And he said to man" — there is a wisdom above man — "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding." That is exactly what a soul feels when it is converted. He may know nothing more than that. He sees how he has been in almost all evil, and he turns from it.

"He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds." It was many hundreds — yes, some thousands — of years later that man discovered the atmosphere has weight. It did not enter into the philosophy of the philosophers then; they knew nothing about it.

It is wisdom far higher than man's conception that "established a weight for the wind" (v.25). Air weighs nothing. Yet the wind has such tremendous weight that it can break rocks in pieces (1 Kings 19:11). God also "apportions the water by measure." Who could even think of measuring the water of the oceans? Yet our great Creator holds all these things under perfect control. Such mighty works show wisdom, no less than power.

"He weighs the waters by measure," so that no matter what comes, the sea is never too full. The circle of waters is always going on. Waters rise up as vapour, and in vast quantities. The power of the sun acts on the waters, and many tons go up every day. There was a measure for it all, in God's mind.

The average height of land above water is 2,300 feet. The average depth of water is 13,000 feet. God in His wisdom planned the right proportion of land and water. This keeps the true balance of nature. With more land and less water, long drought would have followed. Farmers could not have grown good crops, cattle would have died for want of pasture and water, and the earth would have been scorched. With more water and less land, constant flooding would have been the result.

"God understands its way and He knows its place" (v.23). So Job rises high above the speculations of men, who by nature have no idea of wisdom. God alone is the Source of wisdom. He understands it in absolute perfection — He who has established "the ends of the earth" and contemplates all that is "under the whole heaven," as no creature possibly can (v.24).

How sad it is to see men of vast knowledge and deep reasoning powers. They gaze into the glorious heavens and fail to find God or wisdom there. They analyse the dust of the earth, yet do not perceive Him who "worked by weight and measure." The words of the apostle state the solemn fact: "the world did not know God through wisdom" (1 Corinthians 1:21). How blessed it is then to have the true wisdom — "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." We come to know Him through that cross, which sets aside all of man's pride, his wisdom and his righteousness.

He appointed the wind its weight — a remarkable thought and word for these days. He measured out the waters. He controls the rain and the lightning. Yet He also laid down the foundation of all righteousness, and this for favoured man on earth to hear. It is to give God His rights. "The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding." It is to be subject morally to God as Master.

His all-seeing eye sweeps the heavens. He has given its weight to the invisible air, and its appointed proportions to the water. He sends the gentle rain, and with it gives a course to the lightning's flash. He has seen wisdom; no — He is that Wisdom.

"He made a law for the rain" (v.26) — a law fixing how and when God releases it, and exactly where. Man has no power at all to change that law. Nor does man understand why God holds back the rain at certain times and places. Nor does he understand why God sends too much rain at times and places of His own choosing. All of it follows the laws of nature that God has set up. "A path for the thunderbolt" shows that thunder is not random, but always under wise supervision. All of this declares God's wisdom (v.27). He prepared wisdom, He searched it out, and left no part of how it works without His fullest consideration.

It was many hundreds, yes, some thousands of years after Job's day when man discovered that the atmosphere had weight. It never entered the thinking of the philosophers of that time; they knew nothing about it. "He weighs the waters by measure," so that no matter what comes, the sea is never too full.

How accurate these ancient Scriptures are about science. They speak of vapours gathered from the ends of the earth — a worldwide area. They speak of the tendency of those vapours to rise. They speak of electrical discharge, which turns the vapour into many waters in the heavens. It is indeed most striking! People have often said that the Scriptures were not given to teach science; but when they do touch on science, they make no mistakes.

The universe does not distract Him in the least. He looks to the ends of the earth. He sees not only in but under the whole heaven. Nothing is too fine or too vast for His view and rule. He gave the winds their weight — a remarkable thought and word for these days. He measured out the waters. He controlled the rain and the lightning. And He still laid down the foundation of all righteousness, and He did this for man on earth, whom He favoured, to hear.

They dig down, they divert the underground stream, they cut paths where the strongest beasts and the sharpest-eyed birds have never walked. But in all this searching they never find wisdom... Men may discover much, and since Job's day they have discovered a great deal more, but wisdom eludes them.

The only reason that wisdom eludes people is that "there is no fear of God before their eyes," so that they have no heart to depart from evil. The fear of the Lord is not terror, but a wholesome reverence that gives Him the place of supreme honour.

And that is exactly what a person feels when he is converted. He sees how he has been in almost all evil, and he departs from it. The fear of the Lord and departing from evil are what stay, even when souls are not taken up with their evil and talking about it.

Suppose it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the heavens. Suppose destruction and death can only say that they have heard a report of it. God still understands its way, and He knows its place. The universe does not distract Him in the least. He looks to the ends of the earth. He sees not only in but under the whole heaven. Nothing is too delicate or too vast for His sight and His rule.

In all this God declares His wisdom (v.27). He prepared wisdom, He searched it out, leaving not one part of its working without the fullest consideration. Does this not fill our souls with wondering admiration?

"He weighs the waters by measure," so that no matter what comes, the sea is never too full. The circle of waters is always going on. Water rises as vapour in vast quantities, because the power of the sun acts on the waters. Many tons go up every day. There was a measure for it all, in God's mind.

Man discovered that the atmosphere had weight many hundreds, yes, some thousands of years later. But it did not enter into the philosophy of the philosophers then; they knew nothing about it.

"God understands the way to it." Yes, in all His creation He knows the way. Much more so in redemption: in the person of His blessed Son, He is the way to Himself. In Him all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge are hidden.

This is a very solemn thing! True wisdom and true understanding are not found in the earth at all! It comes down from heaven. It is found only in Christ.

What an unspeakable mercy for someone who really wants to walk with God, to know that there is a way for him to walk in! God has prepared a pathway for His redeemed. In it they may walk with all possible certainty, calmness and steadiness.

"And He said to man" — there is a wisdom above man — "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding." That is exactly what a soul feels at conversion. He may know nothing more than that. He sees how he has been in almost all evil, and he departs from it. A real sight of Christ is enough to do that, by the Spirit of God and the fear of the Lord.