Job’s Wisdom Riddle

Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom.

The book of Job is a deep philosophical study about life.

• Is suffering always a punishment for doing wrong?

• Why do we all tend to justify ourselves?

• Is it possible to escape from the frustration?

Much of what happens to us is enigmatic, unfair, paradoxical, and puzzling—a perfect subject for philosophers and poets. Also a perfect subject when considering wisdom.

Job gives a riddle to his friends in chapter 28. Actually it is a double riddle asking why animals miss things that people manage to find and obtain, then asking why men can’t find or get what God has for us. Spoiler alert: it’s the same reason in both cases.

My Mondo version of Job’s riddle

A Mondo poem is two stanzas of Haiku-like terseness. The first stanza is a question posed by a master to the student. The question seems almost unsolvable without deep thinking. The second stanza is the student replying with a deeply thought perspective.

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Q: Men search high and low

for treasures that they value.

Why can’t they find good wisdom?

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A: Resale value counts.

Though rare, it has no market.

We are only day traders.

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Job’s phrasing

Job 28:1-6 (ESV) Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine. Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore.
Man puts an end to darkness and searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness. 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. As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire. Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.

People normally live near a source of water where there is good farmland, so they can eat. But they don’t stay on the farm. They go exploring in areas where no one lives. O look! There are some metals we can use to build tools, machines, electronic gadgets, cities. We could make some of this into glass. And, what do you know! There are precious metals and gemstones that are beautiful and rare. Let’s take them home as decorations. We could sell them and make a lot of money.

People go to great efforts to dig and uncover. They bring light underground to find more. They expend energy to get the goods.

Job 28:7-11 (ESV) That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon’s eye has not seen it. The proud beasts have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it. Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots. He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing. He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

That’s strange! All these wild animals and birds live here, but they don’t seem to know that this valuable stuff is here. The keen-eyed eagles, hawks, and falcons don’t see it. Burrowing animals dig right past the jewels without a second thought.

Let’s not be fools like the dumb beasts. Get all you can. Can all you get. And sit on the can. Now we can live the good life!

Job 28:12-22 (ESV) But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

But, wait! What if there was something more valuable than iron and copper, than silver and gold, than diamonds, onyx, rubies, and sapphires? As Solomon said, “Wisdom is supreme, so in all your getting, get wisdom.”

Who are the real fools here? The animals for ignoring earth’s raw materials for civilization? They have no use for them. They live by their instincts. They can’t process them into something useful. Given their limitations, they are wise to focus on survival issues.

Maybe the biggest fools are the people. Created in God’s image, they can interact with raw materials and create things themselves. So, why do they ignore the most helpful resource for survival? Given their limitations (spiritually) they would be wise to gather and take home for processing all the wisdom they can.

But, sadly, they have no use for wisdom. They live by their instincts, in a way. Though it is more valuable than any of the minerals and precious stones, men and women don’t show any curiosity about its uses. Like buried treasure, it does not lie on top of the ground. It takes ingenuity, effort, focus, and persistence to find.

Could it be that you have to have a smidgen of wisdom to know that you need more?

Maybe, if wisdom sparkled and glittered in their torch lights, they would at least notice it. Or, if they could package it and sell it for a profit, they would consider going into a wisdom business. Almost no one finds—few even search.

Job 28:23-28 (ESV) God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out. And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’

God hid wisdom in plain sight. Of course, it can be found close to God himself. God’s wisdom is the cure for our wrong understanding and our deliberate evil. Therefore, it will be in his back yard, not in ours.

Oh, wait! That idea is now out of date. 1 Corinthians 1:20-31 is the dramatic update. By God’s incarnation into humanity to die on the cross, he delivered his wisdom to our door. “Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

People harvesting food on their farms and gardens is a good thing. Gathering useful and decorative minerals is also a good thing. But, the first thing, the supreme thing, should be the gathering of wisdom that transforms our motivations, our knowledge of good and evil, and our ability to walk in God’s ways.

Join me in an expedition of discovery. Our organize your own in your neighborhood.