Job 28:1 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
3 He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
4 The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.
7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen:
8 The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
9 He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
11 He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
Job continued his rebuttal of these three men that assumed they were so wise that they had to come and seek to straighten him out. They are all singing from the same song book. Job began this chapter with looking at some material things that illustrate the need to seek after God’s Wisdom.
When a prospector or a geologist sets out to find silver, they look for a place where there is much silver. As Job stated, they look for a vein that has much silver. Even in Job’s day, someone searching for silver would want to find an abundance of silver. They would be excited if they found a vein of silver, rather than just a single nugget.
The same is true for gold. A person would lay a claim in the hopes that there would be much gold in that area. They learn what to look for and they search in those types of areas. Job also stated that iron and brass are taken from the earth. There is a process in getting them, but it all comes from the earth.
In contrast to the foolish talk of the evolutionist, these raw materials were put there by God. They did not just simply show up accidentally. There is an order to things and that is why the true geologist can focus his attention on certain areas based on what they see in the soil samples.
The same God who put the metals in their places, also sets a limit to darkness. Every day we have daylight. Genesis 1:3-5 tell us that God created light and He divided the light from the darkness and called the light, day and the darkness, night.
The point here again is that God set the depth of these metals. Some are closer to the surface and some are further down. Some are easier to reach and others will require much more work.
Darkness and death are often intertwined. Those who are saved, can rejoice when a saved loved one leaves this earth and goes to heaven. However, there is still a sadness there and there can still be darkness as the void is created by that person suddenly being gone. The saved can recover from that quicker and can look at that loss in a different light than the lost do, but there is still a void that has been created.
Again, we learn that when a person is seeking for these hidden treasures, death may come in the process. A tunnel could collapse and kill those working in it. Age could overtake the miner and his life ends. Death may come before he realizes his goal.
In verse 4 Job pointed out that in mining sometimes, a major water vein is also breached. A mine shaft can be flooded as the miner digs in search of that precious metal. This creates another challenge for the miner to have to deal with. In these first verses Job is building a case for the fact that wisdom does not just drop out of the sky either. There is some effort involved in getting wisdom. There is also a source for wisdom. That source is the same as the source for minerals and metals. That source is God.
Let us continue on here. In verse 5 Job reminded these men that bread also does not just fall from the sky. We know that during the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel, God gave them bread from heaven every day, six days a week for forty years. They called it Manna. They did not till the ground to get it. It fell miraculously from heaven every day and the people simply needed to go and gather it. There was none on the seventh day, but there was enough for all the people the other days and on the sixth day they could gather twice as much and it would not spoil on the seventh day. God provided this for them out of His goodness.
The normal process is that the farmer tills the land and sows the seed and watches the crop grow to maturity and then takes off the crop and prepares the seeds for the making of bread. It is a process that begins with sowing the seed into the soil. It requires the rain from God to cause it to grow properly. God designed the seed to be able to produce a plant.
Interestingly, the same earth that provides the soil needed to grow the crop that will provide for the bread, also provides the minerals and metals needed, to be refined by the miner. In verse 6 we read of other precious stones that come from the earth. It is amazing how the earth can hold all these things.
In verse 7 we are reminded that there are minerals and precious stones that the miner can find that the fowl cannot see. The eagle has very good eyes and can see its prey when it would seem impossible, but the eagle cannot see the gold or silver that is hid under the earth. The vulture hunts for the dead animal that is laying on top of the ground, and may be able to smell that rotting meat, but it cannot find that silver that is under the earth. The same is true for the lions. They cover the ground in search for their food, but they do not go looking for gold or silver or sapphire. The miner needs to put in some effort to find these precious items under the soil.
In verses 9-11 we see further that the miner goes to great lengths at times to try to find the hidden treasure. We see also in those verses that God helps the miner at times by sending an earthquake that breaks the rocks apart and all of a sudden it reveals the treasures that are within. God also puts the rivers in specific places and over time the waters move the silt around and it accumulates in certain areas.
When we look at the Grand Canyon in the U.S. or other major places like that, we do not agree with the evolutionist who says that the Colorado river has meandered along for millions of years and cut through the many layers that are there. We understand that after Noah’s flood the nature of the “trash” that settled out of the water caused that canyon. As the waters on one side of an earthen and rock dam would recede, eventually the mass of earth and trees and rock could not hold the pressure of the water on the other side of that mass and it would break open and the rush of the water is what cut that canyon quickly. After the abundance of water rushed to its place, the Colorado river is what was left to flow steadily over the years and carry silt and other fine particles along. Those particles would get caught up as the river takes a sharp turn or as it flows over some rocks, etc.
Job noted all these things were there to see and understand if a person walked in the fear of God. When the saint studies God’s Word carefully, he can find the treasures that others never see. The lesson that God is bringing to bear here is that His wisdom is precious but not always easily accessed by man. Lost people are like that bird that flies over and cannot see the treasures beneath the surface. Lost people cannot see the necessity of knowing God and studying His Word. They believe it is a waste of time. What could possibly be gleaned from a book that is “so outdated and written by people from another time?” They do not want to understand that God is the author of the entire Bible. It is not outdated because He is not outdated. It is not irrelevant because man has not changed. There are things that Job’s friends needed to know, and we need to know them today as well.
Our governments would be wise to stop and find some godly men to show them the truth. If they would accept the truth, they would not be pursuing a carbon tax in the hopes of slowing the “warming of the planet”. They would understand that God is in charge of the climates and the weather. They would not have stolen millions of dollars from hard working people and given it to wicked people who were trying to develop a foreign material that would sicken and kill millions of people. They would not be so foolish as to believe that our world is over populated and they need to eliminate large numbers of people. There are many things that would be different if people would just acknowledge that there is a true God and that His ways are always right.
The good news is that God has given each individual the opportunity to listen to Him and be saved and pursue godliness. We are like sheep and we tend to follow a leader. We often do not have much discernment in choosing a good leader. That is obvious by the current leadership in this country. That is also obvious by the numbers of people that support the many false teachers who spin their religious philosophies which make zero sense and yet people follow them.
God’s wisdom is available. He does not throw His pearls to the swine. The lost do not recognize the pearls, but the saved should and they can help others to see the blessing of receiving God’s pearls. If you are chasing after things that don’t really matter, why not listen to a God-fearing preacher who will show you what is truly important. If you will take the time to listen and accept the truth, you will be amazed at what you will discover. Job’s friends were not interested in truth. Pilate was not interested in truth. Hitler was not interested in truth. Many in our country are not interested in truth. That does not mean you need to be like them and bury your head in the sand. You can know the truth and be blessed in doing so.
Pastor Bartel
