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Text: Job 28
This is part of Job’s ninth defense of himself to his accusers.
Comparison of wisdom and treasure
- Everything of value has a place of origin and a price.
- Value of wisdom
- Treasure in the earth (vss 1-12)
- Treasure in the sea (vss 13-19)
- Treasure out of heaven (vss 20-28)
- Place of wisdom
- Treasure in the earth (vss 1-12)
- Treasure in the sea (vss 13-19)
- Treasure out of heaven (vss 20-28)
- Concerning wisdom: Where does it come from? What is it worth?
Definition of wisdom as the fear of the Lord
- Fear of the Lord is wisdom (28:28)
- Concerning wisdom, where did it come from? What is it worth?
- Wisdom is likened to a terrible storm that causes people to shrink down and evacuate.
- Where does it come from? People look up and consider their ways. Wisdom begins when you start to ask the question, what does God think about this? What did the Lord say about this? Wisdom is everywhere the fear of the Lord is. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:
- What is its value? Depart from evil that is understanding: such as a hurricane evacuation.
Applications of the fear of the Lord
- Leadership – 2 Samuel 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
- Solomon inherited the kingdom as King David’s son. Solomon says the job is too big for him and turns to the Lord for wisdom. The Lord responds by making Solomon wise.
- Wise leadership is provided when the leadership defers to the Lord God in their decisions, organization, delegation, service, instruction, and integrity.
- Value of wise leadership? People aren’t led into evil.
- Knowledge – Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
- Knowledge is where you accept what God said about what you want to know about.
- God knows about your sin. Do you?
- These things have I written unto you that ye may know ye have eternal life.
- God knows about parenting.
- God knows about marriage.
- Value of knowledge? You avoid running headlong into evil. Like in a storm, some foolish teacher says, I teach my kids not to worry about warning signs. I teach them no one every really gets hurt in a hurricane and if anyone tells you different they’re just trying to scare you with religious nonsense.
- Knowledge is where you accept what God said about what you want to know about.
- Refuge – Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
- What is the value of refuge?
- And where is the place of refuge? It’s where the parents look up and say Lord, wherever you want me that’s where I’ll be.
- But not for you only, for your children!
- The result is that the children will be able to find refuge.
- Life – Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
- What is the value of life?
- And where is the place of life?
- Efficiency – Proverbs 15:16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
- What is the value of efficiency?
- And where is the place of efficiency?
- Satisfaction – Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
- What is the value of satisfaction?
- And where is the place of satisfaction?
- When a person can say, I don’t need anything else.
- Rest – Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
- What is the value of rest?
- And where is the place of rest?
- Serving God – Hebrews 12:28-29 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Inevitability of the fear of the Lord
- Inevitable – Proverbs 1:24-31
- Conclusion of the matter
- Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
- Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
