WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.219 Thanks very much, Emma. Good morning, everyone. Really good to have you with us, whether you're in person or online. 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:10.859 Are you a survivor or a creator? 00:00:12.280 --> 00:00:21.900 Will your world be one where every achievement is hard won and you're struggling against lots of forces that are beyond your control? 00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:32.219 Or will there be one where you can sort away uninhibited and be as creative and inventive as you want and really express yourself? 00:00:33.519 --> 00:00:43.219 That might sound like the start of a rather bad motivational talk, but I suspect some of you have recognised it's the choice you have to make in Minecraft. 00:00:43.980 --> 00:00:50.780 Minecraft is the most popular online game in the world, I believe, played by millions and millions of people. 00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:55.320 And you build your own world or realm and interact with it. 00:00:55.740 --> 00:01:04.019 And you have a choice to make at the beginning. Are you going to be in survival mode or are you going to be in creative mode? 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:11.799 If you're in survival mode, you start with nothing. You start by punching trees to get some wood and build a shelter and some basic tools. 00:01:12.240 --> 00:01:18.260 And you're constantly on the lookout for adverse forces, mobs and so on that could derail you. 00:01:18.260 --> 00:01:30.320 If you're in creative mode, on the other hand, you can fly, you've got unlimited resources, you're invincible, and you can build and create to your heart's content. 00:01:31.880 --> 00:01:37.420 It's a great game in both forms, particularly if you've got a grandson who can do all the hard work for you. 00:01:37.420 --> 00:01:42.460 And perhaps it has some elements of realism in it. 00:01:42.459 --> 00:01:49.219 I think one of the things we've learned as we've gone through Job, and which will be evident against this morning, 00:01:49.219 --> 00:01:53.079 is that we're all in survival mode. 00:01:53.939 --> 00:01:59.619 That life is tough and there are lots of things that are beyond our control. 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:03.959 And sometimes we do look around and say, well, why is this happening? 00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:07.939 Why do I have to put up with all these things? 00:02:09.299 --> 00:02:14.359 But we also learn, particularly from chapter 28 and subsequent chapters in Job, but we've seen it already, 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:16.099 that there is a creator. 00:02:17.079 --> 00:02:20.719 That there is someone who has that power and that freedom. 00:02:21.859 --> 00:02:28.919 And for us to make the most of life, we need to have a relationship with the creator. 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:34.019 And that's very much what we're going to learn from chapter 28 today. 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:44.259 Life is hard, but if we know God, if we have a relationship with him, we can begin to have wisdom and understanding in it. 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:49.639 Now I'm sure you've noticed if you've been to previous services like this, 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:54.560 that chapter 28 is very different from any other in Job. 00:02:54.560 --> 00:03:01.520 So I think it's worth just taking a couple of minutes to look at the context and to orientate ourselves. 00:03:01.659 --> 00:03:03.300 Now what I'm going to show you is very simplistic, 00:03:03.939 --> 00:03:09.280 but I think it might be helpful in helping us to see how the book of Job is structured. 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:11.960 So I'd like the book of Job. 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.879 It is, as has been said in previous weeks, it's mostly poetry, 00:03:16.539 --> 00:03:20.300 but at the beginning and at the end, there are narrative sections. 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:24.880 And I've called them the prologue and the epilogue. 00:03:25.660 --> 00:03:31.400 So the prologue is about Job's downfall from being wealthy and having a really good life 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:37.880 to ending up in the gutter, all his possessions and family gone and his health gone as well. 00:03:38.540 --> 00:03:44.840 And then at the end of the book, Job is restored to his former greatness and he is fully vindicated. 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:52.640 In between, there are two main sections, which I've called dialogues and monologues. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:57.480 So what we've looked at mostly in the book of Job so far is the dialogues. 00:03:58.340 --> 00:04:00.740 Job has three so-called friends. 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:03.659 We've met two of them, Eliphaz and Bildad. 00:04:03.980 --> 00:04:05.379 There's another called Zophar. 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:11.479 And these three friends, the sum total of their contribution to the book of Job 00:04:11.479 --> 00:04:19.420 is to reiterate again and again that Job must be suffering because of some secret sin in his life. 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:26.819 He is being punished by God because if you suffer, it must be because you've done something wrong. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:30.360 And Job is reiterating again and again, 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:33.660 No, I haven't got any secret sin in my life. 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:35.000 I'm a man of integrity. 00:04:35.400 --> 00:04:38.840 I don't understand why this is happening. 00:04:39.840 --> 00:04:45.220 It's a conflict of kind of theoretical head knowledge and practical experience. 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:49.379 And there are three rounds of dialogues with the friends 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:53.939 and it gets more and more fractious and people are just digging their heels. 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:57.259 And some insights from Job, which we've looked at in previous weeks, 00:04:57.259 --> 00:05:00.079 but basically these friends are saying, 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:03.279 Job is being punished for your sin. 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:05.939 And Job says, No, that can't be right. 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:11.659 What we're going to be looking at over the next few weeks is a slightly different one. 00:05:11.719 --> 00:05:13.539 It's a series of monologues. 00:05:14.180 --> 00:05:18.399 First by Job, then by an angry young man called Elihu, 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:23.480 and finally by God himself who responds to everything that's happened. 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:26.579 And the key question has really moved on. 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:30.500 It's not, is Job being punished for sin? 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:37.079 It's why is Job suffering, even though he's not a worse sinner than other people? 00:05:38.500 --> 00:05:42.419 Elihu has many of the faults of the others whom Job interacts with, 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:48.039 but he has the helpful insight that suffering can have a purpose beyond punishment. 00:05:48.719 --> 00:05:51.819 That God can use suffering for our good. 00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:53.699 And of course, we learn a lot of that in the New Testament, 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:56.939 and Graham will be talking to us about it next week. 00:05:57.659 --> 00:05:59.819 And then at the end, God comes in, 00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:02.099 and he basically says to Job, 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:05.000 Who are you to question me? 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:10.860 But at the end, he vindicates Job, and he condemns his friends. 00:06:11.819 --> 00:06:15.920 So we have these two main sections, dialogues and monologues. 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:20.379 And then we have chapter 28, which is what we're looking at today, 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:23.480 which I've said is about the pursuit of wisdom. 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:25.079 Now what are we to make of it? 00:06:25.339 --> 00:06:27.879 It doesn't talk explicitly about suffering. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:29.040 It's about wisdom. 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.500 How does it fit in with the book? 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:34.620 Well, not everyone agrees on this, 00:06:35.080 --> 00:06:38.980 but I think that the most straightforward way to look at this chapter 00:06:38.980 --> 00:06:44.700 is to think of it as being a commentary by the narrator of the book of Job, 00:06:44.920 --> 00:06:47.780 rather than the words of Job himself. 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:52.200 It's very different from where Job is at this point, 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:56.740 in his mindset and in his understanding. 00:06:56.740 --> 00:07:01.100 And I think it's best viewed as the writer of the book 00:07:01.100 --> 00:07:04.840 preparing us for the next section of monologues that's to come, 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:08.759 and particularly preparing us for what God has to say 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:11.259 a few chapters down the line. 00:07:12.259 --> 00:07:14.040 In other words, he's saying to us, 00:07:14.379 --> 00:07:17.340 let's take our eyes away from the gutter where Job is, 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:19.600 and we've got this silly argument going on 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:22.019 about whether Job's a bad sinner or not. 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:24.620 Let's lift our eyes to God 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:26.740 and recognize his greatness, 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:30.980 and let's prepare for the overwhelming response 00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:34.639 that God will give in a few chapters to Job. 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:38.579 So it's a kind of positioning chapter in the book. 00:07:38.899 --> 00:07:40.560 If you're familiar with Hebrew poetry, 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:44.899 you know that quite often the core of a poem is in the middle. 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:47.800 That's where the core truth is shown, 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:49.959 and then the rest expands on it. 00:07:50.019 --> 00:07:52.800 Something similar, I think, happening here. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:55.579 But what about the chapter itself? 00:07:56.360 --> 00:08:00.180 I think the best way to orientate through chapter 28 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:02.759 is through two key verses, 00:08:02.960 --> 00:08:06.060 which are verse 12 and verse 20. 00:08:06.660 --> 00:08:09.860 They look the same, but they're not quite the same. 00:08:10.840 --> 00:08:13.780 So in the first 11 verses, verses 1 to 11, 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.319 we've got what I've called the search for wealth. 00:08:17.780 --> 00:08:21.180 This thing about mining for iron and gold and copper and so on, 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:22.180 we'll come back to that. 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:27.420 But it is saying to us that human beings put a lot of effort 00:08:27.420 --> 00:08:30.639 into getting things that they consider valuable. 00:08:31.900 --> 00:08:33.460 And then you have verse 12. 00:08:34.139 --> 00:08:36.419 And in verse 12, the key question is, 00:08:36.740 --> 00:08:38.620 where can wisdom be found? 00:08:38.700 --> 00:08:39.779 Where can wisdom be found? 00:08:39.860 --> 00:08:42.220 Where does understanding dwell? 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:44.539 You can dig into the earth, 00:08:44.539 --> 00:08:48.939 and you know that at some stage you'll get minerals and rocks 00:08:48.939 --> 00:08:52.019 and gold and silver and so on. 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:54.120 People know where they are. 00:08:54.980 --> 00:08:58.179 But where can we go to find wisdom? 00:08:58.379 --> 00:09:01.339 That is the question that Job is about to address. 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:04.000 So the next few verses are not the search for wealth, 00:09:04.459 --> 00:09:06.399 they're the search for wisdom. 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:08.360 Where can we find it? 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:14.759 And a reiteration of just how much more valuable wisdom is than wealth. 00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:16.639 And then we have verse 20. 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:19.179 And verse 20 says to us, 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:22.159 where does wisdom come from? 00:09:23.159 --> 00:09:24.019 So it's slightly different. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:26.379 It looks at first as just a repetition of verse 12, 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:27.079 but it's not. 00:09:27.659 --> 00:09:29.879 Verse 12 says, where can wisdom be found? 00:09:30.379 --> 00:09:31.799 So go out and look for it. 00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:36.019 Verse 20 says, where does wisdom come from? 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:39.639 And then the rest of the chapter is telling us that. 00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:42.740 It is talking about the source of wisdom. 00:09:42.819 --> 00:09:46.079 And of course, the source of wisdom is God himself. 00:09:46.319 --> 00:09:48.539 And it goes up to the words of the Lord at the end. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:50.720 The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:54.539 And to shun evil is understanding. 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:58.100 So that I think is a simple way of looking at this chapter. 00:09:58.579 --> 00:10:01.340 It moves from the search for wealth to the search for wisdom, 00:10:01.620 --> 00:10:04.600 and from the search of wisdom to the source of wisdom, 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:09.920 and ends up with God himself as where we find true wisdom. 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:13.080 Let's just take a few minutes to go into a little bit more detail. 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:15.139 This is a difficult and deep chapter. 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:17.720 We're only going to scrape the surface this morning. 00:10:17.940 --> 00:10:20.540 But let's just dig a little bit into it. 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:25.800 So in the first 11 verses, we have this mining analogy. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:28.519 Let's go back to Minecraft for a second. 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:34.419 If you're in survival mode in Minecraft, you can achieve a certain amount above ground. 00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:37.120 You can cut down trees and build things. 00:10:37.220 --> 00:10:38.259 You can grow crops. 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:40.179 You can kill animals for food. 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:42.059 But you're quite limited. 00:10:43.259 --> 00:10:45.600 The real treasure, and this is why the name is Minecraft, 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:48.799 the real treasure is when you dig underground, 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:55.179 and you find these rocks and precious stones and so on below the dirt that's on the surface. 00:10:56.579 --> 00:10:59.000 Here's my big tip if you ever play Minecraft. 00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:02.879 If you dig down, don't dig straight, 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.539 because you just end up in a hole you can't get out of. 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:07.279 That's the voice of experience for you. 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:11.559 But it's actually not irrelevant to this chapter. 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:14.719 Because the first few verses actually are saying, 00:11:15.099 --> 00:11:18.479 men do wonderful things to get things from the ground. 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:20.839 They don't just dig down and look around hopelessly. 00:11:21.579 --> 00:11:24.459 We're looking at very, very old technology here. 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:28.459 But we are looking at people who are clever and inventive. 00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:31.339 And the writer in this chapter isn't saying, 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:34.979 humans don't have intelligence, or they're not ingenious. 00:11:35.599 --> 00:11:37.639 He's saying, actually, they are clever, 00:11:37.919 --> 00:11:40.939 but they're still not always wise. 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:43.239 We can maybe identify with that. 00:11:43.719 --> 00:11:46.579 We have a world where all sorts of wonderful things 00:11:46.579 --> 00:11:48.539 that the writer here couldn't possibly have imagined 00:11:48.539 --> 00:11:50.079 have been done and created, 00:11:50.619 --> 00:11:52.019 and yet we've messed up our climate. 00:11:52.699 --> 00:11:53.659 We're very clever. 00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:56.479 We're not necessarily wise. 00:11:57.419 --> 00:11:59.799 So the writer in talking about people being clever, 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:03.019 he talks about them swinging on ropes around beneath the ground. 00:12:03.719 --> 00:12:05.519 He talks about them using fire. 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:07.779 Not sure whether that fire is for light 00:12:07.779 --> 00:12:12.799 or possibly to kind of get access into the more precious metals and so on. 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:15.379 He talks about following the course of rivers. 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:17.659 It's possible that means they actually divert rivers, 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:18.980 sometimes for their own ends, 00:12:19.339 --> 00:12:21.259 to help them to get to things better. 00:12:21.819 --> 00:12:25.600 People are clever when they put their mind to it. 00:12:26.699 --> 00:12:29.100 But actually, the key message of these verses 00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:32.860 is that if we think something is really valuable, 00:12:33.379 --> 00:12:37.100 we will go to an awful lot of effort to achieve it. 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:40.000 And what the writer is saying here is, 00:12:40.420 --> 00:12:42.920 look at how much effort people go to 00:12:42.920 --> 00:12:47.940 to get gold and silver and precious stones and so on. 00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:52.920 They go into the furthest recesses of the earth. 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:55.640 They go into the blackest darkness. 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:59.340 They go where no self-respecting animal or bird 00:12:59.340 --> 00:13:00.680 would even think of going 00:13:00.680 --> 00:13:04.000 and deprive themselves of all sorts of things 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:07.580 just to find these physical treasures. 00:13:08.520 --> 00:13:09.880 And that's still true, isn't it? 00:13:10.300 --> 00:13:13.920 We're not really a mining country in the UK anymore. 00:13:14.020 --> 00:13:15.560 That went in the 1980s. 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:19.779 But mining around the world is still very important. 00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:23.379 Eleven years ago this weekend, 00:13:23.779 --> 00:13:26.099 we first heard of the Chilean miners. 00:13:26.939 --> 00:13:29.939 A group of miners in Chile digging for copper 00:13:29.939 --> 00:13:32.739 and the mine collapsed behind them. 00:13:33.719 --> 00:13:36.679 And on Sunday the 8th of August 2010, 00:13:37.239 --> 00:13:40.239 we woke up to the news there'd been a further collapse 00:13:40.239 --> 00:13:42.879 and the situation looked dire. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:47.200 Well, two weeks passed and with frantic effort, 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:49.080 they managed to locate the miners 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:52.820 and amazingly found they were all still alive. 00:13:52.899 --> 00:13:54.179 They'd survived for two weeks 00:13:54.179 --> 00:13:56.899 on two days' worth of emergency rations. 00:13:57.539 --> 00:13:58.820 It was over two months 00:13:58.820 --> 00:14:01.960 before they were able to bring them to the surface. 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:04.860 And does a terrible experience like that, 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:06.320 albeit with a happy ending, 00:14:06.679 --> 00:14:08.100 mean that people no longer go 00:14:08.100 --> 00:14:09.700 and take these risks under the ground? 00:14:09.700 --> 00:14:11.040 No, it doesn't. 00:14:11.620 --> 00:14:12.900 And we hear again and again 00:14:12.900 --> 00:14:15.100 of similar things in China and elsewhere, 00:14:15.500 --> 00:14:18.440 not always ending so positively. 00:14:19.660 --> 00:14:21.180 When we treasure something, 00:14:21.620 --> 00:14:24.780 we will go to great steps to get it. 00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:27.700 We will put ourselves to great inconvenience 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:30.820 and even to great danger. 00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:34.960 And that is the message of the first 11 verses. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:39.320 It's about physical wealth and the search for it. 00:14:40.280 --> 00:14:43.220 And then the writer switches without any real warning 00:14:43.220 --> 00:14:44.200 and he says, 00:14:44.360 --> 00:14:45.560 OK, this is all very well, 00:14:45.980 --> 00:14:47.820 but what about wisdom? 00:14:48.920 --> 00:14:49.160 He says, 00:14:49.280 --> 00:14:52.540 actually, wisdom is a lot more difficult to find 00:14:52.540 --> 00:14:56.259 than gold and silver and precious stones. 00:14:57.060 --> 00:14:59.220 You go to the places where you find 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:01.259 in these precious things 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:03.240 and imagine asking them 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:03.720 and they say, 00:15:04.059 --> 00:15:04.860 no, not here, 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:06.539 not under the ground, 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:07.899 not under the sea. 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:11.080 It is really difficult to find. 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:13.259 But he says also, 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:16.240 it's really, really valuable. 00:15:16.379 --> 00:15:18.879 You can't buy it with these most precious things 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:21.939 that humans spend so long looking for. 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:25.379 It is much more valuable than that. 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:26.500 And the book of this section 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:27.720 is taken up 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:30.040 with this praise of wisdom, 00:15:30.160 --> 00:15:32.940 this thing that is beyond compare. 00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:36.379 But I think that something is very important here 00:15:36.379 --> 00:15:38.600 before we move on to the last section. 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:40.259 And that is 00:15:40.259 --> 00:15:42.340 that we can't find wisdom 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:44.040 without effort. 00:15:44.980 --> 00:15:46.139 We can't get wealth, 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:47.060 physical things, 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:47.759 without effort. 00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:50.240 We can't really become wise 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:52.500 unless we work at it. 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:55.220 We are not innately wise. 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:56.460 Yes, we have intelligence, 00:15:56.460 --> 00:15:57.440 we have judgment, 00:15:57.920 --> 00:16:00.820 but we don't have true wisdom. 00:16:01.680 --> 00:16:03.200 And to achieve true wisdom, 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:06.960 we need to be willing to do hard work. 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:09.120 Now, how do we get wisdom? 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:11.000 Well, we're going to look later on 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:12.300 and we get wisdom primarily 00:16:12.300 --> 00:16:14.019 by knowing our Creator 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:15.960 and fearing Him. 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:18.180 And we can have a living relationship with God. 00:16:18.280 --> 00:16:20.139 We can have the Holy Spirit guiding us 00:16:20.139 --> 00:16:23.460 and helping us to live our lives wisely. 00:16:23.460 --> 00:16:27.200 We also gain wisdom through this book. 00:16:27.820 --> 00:16:30.240 The book that is full of God's wisdom 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:32.480 and that says to us the things 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:35.400 that God wants us to know. 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:37.420 And that's where a lot of the effort 00:16:37.420 --> 00:16:38.879 needs to come in. 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:41.560 It's great at church on a Sunday morning 00:16:41.560 --> 00:16:42.960 to read the Bible together 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:44.639 and to think about it. 00:16:45.460 --> 00:16:47.780 It's great to spend time each day 00:16:47.779 --> 00:16:49.240 reading the Bible 00:16:49.240 --> 00:16:52.819 and taking devotional thoughts from it, 00:16:52.899 --> 00:16:56.039 letting God speak to us through it. 00:16:56.860 --> 00:16:58.939 But to get the best treasures, 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:02.339 to really get the value that is in the Bible, 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:04.139 is going to take study 00:17:04.139 --> 00:17:07.099 and it's going to take hard work. 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:09.960 And we need to be prepared for that. 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:13.420 There's a book I found really helpful in that. 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:16.039 We don't usually have book reviews at our services, 00:17:16.539 --> 00:17:17.740 but this one is on theme 00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:19.380 and it's an exceptional book. 00:17:20.060 --> 00:17:22.200 It's called Dig Deeper 00:17:22.200 --> 00:17:25.200 by Nigel Bennion and Andrew Sack. 00:17:25.840 --> 00:17:26.360 And what it is, 00:17:26.380 --> 00:17:28.320 is quite simply a toolkit 00:17:28.320 --> 00:17:31.279 for mining spiritual things. 00:17:31.340 --> 00:17:32.480 We're going into the Bible 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:34.480 and for understanding it. 00:17:35.320 --> 00:17:36.539 So among the tools, for instance, 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:37.840 are some we've used this morning. 00:17:38.340 --> 00:17:41.000 We've used the context tool for Job 28. 00:17:41.100 --> 00:17:42.340 We've used the structure tool. 00:17:42.339 --> 00:17:43.679 We've used the repetition tool 00:17:43.679 --> 00:17:44.559 with these two verses 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:46.399 that were quite similar. 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:49.159 There are lots of tools in this book 00:17:49.159 --> 00:17:50.359 that will help us 00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:52.539 as we seek to understand God's Word 00:17:52.539 --> 00:17:55.039 and to dig deeper into it. 00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:55.599 It's simple. 00:17:55.779 --> 00:17:56.459 It's easy to read. 00:17:56.500 --> 00:17:58.299 It's got lots of examples and exercises. 00:17:58.859 --> 00:18:00.319 I thoroughly recommend it, 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:02.299 though only if it results 00:18:02.299 --> 00:18:03.519 in you going to read your Bible. 00:18:03.639 --> 00:18:05.000 It's not a substitute for the Bible. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:05.959 It's something to help us 00:18:05.959 --> 00:18:07.399 to get into Scripture. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:09.899 But we need to put a bit of effort 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:11.519 into getting the wealth 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:13.600 that God wants us to have 00:18:13.600 --> 00:18:17.160 and to gaining wisdom through Him. 00:18:18.320 --> 00:18:21.560 So that was the search for wisdom. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:25.700 Let's move on then to the source of wisdom, 00:18:25.820 --> 00:18:28.519 which is from verse 20 onwards. 00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:30.360 So we've looked down 00:18:30.360 --> 00:18:31.420 and we've been down the sea 00:18:31.420 --> 00:18:32.100 and the earth, 00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:32.880 and the writer says, 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:34.120 you can't find wisdom there. 00:18:34.220 --> 00:18:35.500 Wisdom is very elusive. 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:37.100 It's very difficult to find. 00:18:37.560 --> 00:18:40.860 So where then does it come from? 00:18:41.340 --> 00:18:43.300 Where does understanding dwell? 00:18:43.420 --> 00:18:44.460 And he re-enters again 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:46.160 how difficult it is. 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:47.400 Living things, 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:48.460 birds don't see it, 00:18:48.540 --> 00:18:50.000 distraction and death personified. 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:51.160 Say, yeah, we've heard of it, 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:54.540 but we don't really know too much about it. 00:18:55.560 --> 00:18:56.300 And then he says, 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:59.800 the way to wisdom is through God. 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:02.579 Being wise in life 00:19:02.579 --> 00:19:04.980 is having a relationship with God 00:19:04.980 --> 00:19:05.859 that is right 00:19:05.859 --> 00:19:09.720 and recognizing Him for who He is. 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:11.519 And we have a bit of a preview 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:12.240 in these verses 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:13.960 of what we'll see in much more detail 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:15.720 in two or three weeks' time 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.359 as we see God responding to Job 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:20.419 and just presenting His majesty 00:19:20.419 --> 00:19:21.480 and His greatness 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:24.639 and how superior to us He is. 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:26.659 And the writer says, 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:28.299 where is wisdom? 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:29.639 It's in the Creator. 00:19:29.799 --> 00:19:30.279 It's in the one 00:19:30.279 --> 00:19:31.899 who made this wonderful world, 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:33.000 who made all of us 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:35.240 and who has complete understanding 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:37.099 of everything. 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:39.259 And so at the end, 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:40.000 the last verse 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:41.559 is another key verse in the chapter. 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:42.519 God says, 00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:44.000 the fear of the Lord, 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:44.899 that is wisdom 00:19:44.899 --> 00:19:46.919 and to shun evil 00:19:46.919 --> 00:19:48.919 is understanding. 00:19:49.879 --> 00:19:50.919 The fear of the Lord 00:19:50.919 --> 00:19:51.980 in this context, 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:52.599 I believe, 00:19:52.740 --> 00:19:55.180 means recognizing God's greatness 00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:57.220 and how superior to us He is 00:19:57.220 --> 00:19:59.299 and putting our trust in Him, 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:01.140 recognizing that He knows 00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:02.059 what He's doing 00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:03.620 and that what He does 00:20:03.620 --> 00:20:05.980 is always right. 00:20:07.220 --> 00:20:08.299 If we just get a little bit technical 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:08.860 for a minute, 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:11.220 when it talks about wisdom here, 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:13.100 it's a slightly different phrase 00:20:13.100 --> 00:20:14.500 from what's used earlier in the chapter. 00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:15.299 Earlier in the chapter, 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:16.900 it talks about the wisdom. 00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:18.839 So verses 12 and 20, 00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:19.799 we say the key verses, 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:20.920 it really says, 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:22.839 where can the wisdom be found? 00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:23.959 Where can this thing 00:20:23.959 --> 00:20:26.379 that is called wisdom be found? 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:27.699 In this verse, 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:28.500 there's no articles, 00:20:28.679 --> 00:20:30.119 it's just that is wisdom. 00:20:30.699 --> 00:20:32.199 And really what the writer is saying 00:20:32.199 --> 00:20:33.959 is the same as the Proverbs say 00:20:33.959 --> 00:20:34.939 several times, 00:20:35.159 --> 00:20:36.480 that the fear of the Lord 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:38.339 is the beginning of wisdom. 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:39.359 Fearing the Lord 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.819 is a wise thing to do. 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:43.519 So in other words, 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:44.199 you don't, 00:20:44.339 --> 00:20:45.399 as soon as you fear God, 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:46.579 you don't suddenly become 00:20:46.579 --> 00:20:48.699 all wise and God-like. 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:51.039 But it is the starting point. 00:20:51.900 --> 00:20:53.340 Unless you recognize God 00:20:53.340 --> 00:20:54.319 for who he is 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:56.080 and trust in him, 00:20:56.420 --> 00:20:57.720 then you will never get 00:20:57.720 --> 00:20:59.400 to the heart of wisdom. 00:21:00.380 --> 00:21:01.860 So you start with your trust in God 00:21:01.860 --> 00:21:02.740 and then that's where 00:21:02.740 --> 00:21:03.740 the hard work starts 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:05.000 we were talking about earlier 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:06.700 as God leads you 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:09.420 further into wisdom. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.400 Let's go back to Minecraft to end. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:16.420 In Minecraft, as I said, 00:21:16.620 --> 00:21:17.440 you have a choice 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:18.500 of whether you're in 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:20.039 a survival mode 00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:21.980 or in creative mode. 00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:22.900 And if you've got 00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:23.620 a group of friends 00:21:23.620 --> 00:21:24.299 playing together, 00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:25.519 they've all got to be 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:26.279 in the same mode. 00:21:26.360 --> 00:21:27.160 You're either survival 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:29.279 or you're creative. 00:21:31.059 --> 00:21:32.600 In the real world, 00:21:33.120 --> 00:21:34.740 the thing that truly 00:21:34.740 --> 00:21:36.420 demonstrates God's wisdom 00:21:36.420 --> 00:21:38.380 is that the Creator 00:21:38.380 --> 00:21:40.200 came into the world 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:41.920 of survivors. 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:44.059 That the Lord Jesus, 00:21:44.340 --> 00:21:44.920 who is the one 00:21:44.920 --> 00:21:45.880 who made everything, 00:21:46.420 --> 00:21:47.180 who is responsible 00:21:47.180 --> 00:21:48.720 for our whole universe 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:49.500 and the way 00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:50.880 in which it works, 00:21:51.580 --> 00:21:53.140 he chose to take on 00:21:53.140 --> 00:21:53.920 the limitations 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:55.980 and the frustrations 00:21:55.980 --> 00:21:57.779 and the sufferings 00:21:57.779 --> 00:21:59.299 of being part 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:00.580 of creation. 00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:03.240 He even allowed himself 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:04.220 to be rejected 00:22:04.220 --> 00:22:05.120 by a mob 00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:07.539 and put to death. 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:09.840 And that is the ultimate 00:22:09.840 --> 00:22:10.180 demonstration 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:12.920 of God's wisdom. 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:14.779 I think the great passage 00:22:14.779 --> 00:22:16.119 of wisdom in the New Testament 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:19.680 is in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:21.319 And a key verse 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:21.920 is the one 00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:23.519 that is on the screen now. 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:25.980 God chose the foolish things 00:22:25.980 --> 00:22:26.799 of this world 00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:28.680 to shame the wise 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:31.740 and chose the wise things 00:22:31.740 --> 00:22:32.440 of the world 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:34.599 to shame the strong. 00:22:36.059 --> 00:22:37.379 In other words, 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:39.440 what God did 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:41.099 was totally against 00:22:41.099 --> 00:22:42.240 human wisdom. 00:22:42.639 --> 00:22:44.379 He sent his son 00:22:44.379 --> 00:22:45.519 into the world 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:47.279 to die on a cross 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:48.599 and Paul says 00:22:48.599 --> 00:22:49.719 that's a stumbling block 00:22:49.719 --> 00:22:50.259 to Jews 00:22:50.259 --> 00:22:51.779 and it's foolishness 00:22:51.779 --> 00:22:53.219 to the Gentiles. 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:55.119 It's something 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:56.679 that is utterly degrading 00:22:56.679 --> 00:22:58.299 or appears utterly degrading 00:22:58.299 --> 00:22:59.319 for the creator 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:00.339 to do 00:23:00.339 --> 00:23:02.579 and such a stupid thing 00:23:02.579 --> 00:23:04.819 to be involved in. 00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:06.659 And yet, 00:23:07.259 --> 00:23:08.079 it's in the cross 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:08.619 of Jesus 00:23:08.619 --> 00:23:10.659 that we truly see 00:23:10.659 --> 00:23:11.639 the wisdom 00:23:11.639 --> 00:23:13.000 of God. 00:23:13.899 --> 00:23:14.539 That we see 00:23:14.539 --> 00:23:15.099 what God 00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:16.139 is really about 00:23:16.139 --> 00:23:17.799 and how he 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:19.200 has this 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:20.299 all-wise 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:20.980 view 00:23:20.980 --> 00:23:22.079 of creation. 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:23.960 He's not 00:23:23.960 --> 00:23:24.639 a God 00:23:24.639 --> 00:23:25.379 who just sits 00:23:25.379 --> 00:23:26.460 and soars above us 00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:27.079 the creator 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:28.579 and looks on all of us 00:23:28.579 --> 00:23:29.460 as pawns 00:23:29.460 --> 00:23:30.399 and things 00:23:30.399 --> 00:23:31.500 just to be moved around 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:32.960 and things happen to us 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:34.639 for his pleasure. 00:23:35.819 --> 00:23:36.500 Rather, 00:23:36.639 --> 00:23:37.319 he's a God 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:38.419 who recognized 00:23:38.419 --> 00:23:39.319 our suffering 00:23:39.319 --> 00:23:40.859 and recognized 00:23:40.859 --> 00:23:41.919 the consequences 00:23:41.919 --> 00:23:43.419 of our sin 00:23:43.419 --> 00:23:45.579 and chose to come 00:23:45.579 --> 00:23:47.539 and be part of that 00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:49.299 through Jesus. 00:23:50.659 --> 00:23:52.119 And as we go through Job 00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:53.200 and we've not talked much 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:54.200 about suffering this morning, 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:55.099 we'll be back to it 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:56.519 in future weeks. 00:23:57.159 --> 00:23:58.159 But as we see 00:23:58.159 --> 00:23:58.819 the suffering 00:23:58.819 --> 00:24:00.240 of Job, 00:24:00.819 --> 00:24:02.159 we need to think also 00:24:02.159 --> 00:24:03.099 about the suffering 00:24:03.099 --> 00:24:04.740 of the Lord Jesus. 00:24:04.819 --> 00:24:06.619 that the one 00:24:06.619 --> 00:24:07.799 who was the creator 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:09.399 chose to suffer 00:24:09.399 --> 00:24:10.599 in ways 00:24:10.599 --> 00:24:11.939 which we can never 00:24:11.939 --> 00:24:14.159 fully understand. 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:16.419 And he is wise 00:24:16.419 --> 00:24:17.460 and wisdom 00:24:17.460 --> 00:24:18.460 is to be found 00:24:18.460 --> 00:24:19.539 in him. 00:24:20.500 --> 00:24:21.599 And we can only 00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:22.159 be wise 00:24:22.159 --> 00:24:23.000 in this world 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:24.259 if we have that 00:24:24.259 --> 00:24:24.879 relationship 00:24:24.879 --> 00:24:25.859 with the living God 00:24:25.859 --> 00:24:26.700 that recognizes 00:24:26.700 --> 00:24:28.299 he is in control, 00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:29.539 he has done 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:30.859 everything that we need 00:24:30.859 --> 00:24:31.919 to have a relationship 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:32.660 with him 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:34.200 and to be wise. 00:24:34.840 --> 00:24:36.360 But we need to fear him. 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:39.539 We need to trust him. 00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:41.240 Our prayer this morning 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:42.039 as we finish 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:44.039 is that everyone here, 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:45.480 everyone who's watching 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:46.600 on YouTube, 00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:48.140 that we will come 00:24:48.140 --> 00:24:48.759 to know 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:49.860 and to fear 00:24:49.860 --> 00:24:50.660 and to love 00:24:50.660 --> 00:24:51.720 the Lord, 00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:53.000 to recognize 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:54.100 his sufferings 00:24:54.100 --> 00:24:54.720 and that only 00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:55.519 through them 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:56.940 can we have 00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:57.660 forgiveness 00:24:57.660 --> 00:24:59.359 for our sins 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:01.259 and when we suffer 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:03.180 to keep our trust 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:04.059 in him 00:25:04.059 --> 00:25:05.279 and retain 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:06.059 our confidence 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:07.119 that he 00:25:07.119 --> 00:25:08.720 is wise. 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:10.460 That is wisdom 00:25:10.460 --> 00:25:11.519 for us 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:12.940 to know God, 00:25:13.259 --> 00:25:14.180 to love him 00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:15.759 and to obey him. 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:17.279 Let's pray together. 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:19.519 Father, 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:19.960 we thank you 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:20.759 for your word 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:21.299 to us today. 00:25:21.399 --> 00:25:21.819 We thank you 00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:23.099 for this great chapter 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:24.819 extolling the value 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:25.440 of wisdom 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:26.980 but particularly 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:28.319 pointing us to you 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:29.940 as the true source 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:30.980 of wisdom. 00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:32.180 We thank you 00:25:32.180 --> 00:25:32.519 for the way 00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:33.079 your wisdom 00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:33.819 is displayed 00:25:33.819 --> 00:25:34.799 through the coming 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:35.599 of the Lord Jesus 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:36.480 into the world 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:37.660 and his death 00:25:37.660 --> 00:25:38.359 on the cross 00:25:38.359 --> 00:25:39.299 for us. 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:40.859 Help us all 00:25:40.859 --> 00:25:41.799 to make sure 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:42.940 that we have 00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:44.399 the starting point 00:25:44.399 --> 00:25:44.819 of wisdom 00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:45.440 which is coming 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.299 to put our faith 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:47.599 in the Lord Jesus 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:49.000 entering into 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:50.039 a living relationship 00:25:50.039 --> 00:25:51.799 with the God of heaven. 00:25:52.619 --> 00:25:53.460 And then help us 00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:54.759 when we go through 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:56.200 all the difficulties 00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:57.419 that surviving 00:25:57.419 --> 00:25:58.759 in this world entails 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:00.440 that we may 00:26:00.440 --> 00:26:01.200 nevertheless 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:02.680 retain confidence 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:03.899 in you 00:26:03.899 --> 00:26:05.279 and recognise 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:05.740 that although 00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:07.059 we may not see it 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:08.659 you have a purpose 00:26:08.659 --> 00:26:09.799 in everything. 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:10.659 Thank you 00:26:10.659 --> 00:26:11.259 for your presence 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:12.180 with us this morning. 00:26:12.659 --> 00:26:13.599 We pray for your blessing 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:15.019 on us as we part now. 00:26:15.019 --> 00:26:16.059 in the name 00:26:16.059 --> 00:26:16.859 of the Lord Jesus. 00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:18.359 Amen.