JOB, A SERVANT OF GOD Job _KEITH SIMONS_ Words in boxes (except for words in brackets) are from the Bible. This commentary has been through Advanced Checking. CHAPTER 28 JOB’S POEM ABOUT WISDOM _Chapter 28_ This chapter is very special. In this chapter, Job described many wonderful things. H... [ Continue Reading ]
All metals were precious when Job lived. Men seemed to make metals from ordinary rocks. But the process needed great skill. The workmen had to search for the right rocks. Then they would burn the rocks in the hottest fire. In the end, they would produce a tiny quantity of pure metal. V3 A man carri... [ Continue Reading ]
In fact, the rocks that men needed to make metals were special rocks. To find these rocks, a man would have to go underground. The man would squeeze his body through cracks in the ground. He would enter a cave. He would descend further on ropes. (That is, strong strings that men tie together in orde... [ Continue Reading ]
The soil where plants grow seems so ordinary. But nothing is ordinary underground. A man needs a torch to see anything. But, with his torch, the man may find precious things.... [ Continue Reading ]
Animals do not live in such places. But men have learned the skills to go there.... [ Continue Reading ]
But the man is not gentle when he enters this special place. He is like a thief. He breaks the rocks. He takes away everything that is precious. He destroys everything so that he may become rich. V12 But the man does not discover wisdom. He does not know how to be intelligent. V13 He does not eve... [ Continue Reading ]
This man has many skills. But he is still a fool. He may discover gold and silver. He may become rich. But wisdom is better than gold or silver. If the man does not learn to be wise, that man is stupid.... [ Continue Reading ]
This man does not appreciate wisdom. And he does not care about wisdom. He only thinks about his own wealth.... [ Continue Reading ]
The man will not discover wisdom underground. Other men dive into the sea to find precious things (verse 18). But they will not find wisdom there, either.... [ Continue Reading ]
Some things matter more than money. A wealthy man cannot buy wisdom. And a poor man may be very wise.... [ Continue Reading ]
Wisdom is precious. Wisdom is perfect. And wisdom is valuable. In other words, wisdom is much better than anything else. Job was emphasising the importance of wisdom. V19 In the distant country called Ethiopia, there is a precious stone called topaz. But topaz is not as good as wisdom. Even the r... [ Continue Reading ]
The country called Ethiopia was a long way from where Job lived. And the precious stone called topaz was very, very rare. And so it was very expensive. But it is better to be wise, than to own much topaz. V20 But people need to discover wisdom. They have to know how to be intelligent. V21 But no... [ Continue Reading ]
Topaz (verse 19) may be beautiful. But it is not useful. God and silver (verse 15) are valuable. But money cannot teach us how to trust God. So wisdom is better than all these things. But wisdom is not something that you can just discover. In fact, wisdom does not even belong in this world.... [ Continue Reading ]
In verse 21, Job spoke about things that are alive. In verse 22, he spoke about people who are dead. Neither life nor death can teach you how to be wise. V23 Only God understands wisdom. He alone can teach you to be wise. V24 Only God sees the whole earth. Only God knows everything. V25 He esta... [ Continue Reading ]
You may think that it is impossible to learn such wisdom. But wisdom is God’s gift to people (James 1:5). God wants everyone to learn to be wise (Proverbs 1:5).... [ Continue Reading ]
These verses are similar to Proverbs 8:22-31. God himself used wisdom when he created the world. V27 God saw wisdom! God declared wisdom! God prepared wisdom! God tested wisdom!... [ Continue Reading ]
Wisdom is not merely the thoughts of human minds. And wisdom is not clever ideas, like the ideas of Job’s friends. God chose wisdom as a quality that people need. God recognised that wisdom is important. God made sure that wisdom is good. Then, God recommended wisdom to us. So God used a carefu... [ Continue Reading ]
This is a very important verse. It explains how we can be wise. Like Job, (Job 1:1) we must: • respect God, and • refuse to do evil things. See also Proverbs 1:7 and Proverbs 3:5-6. This was also Jesus’ message in Mark 1:15. He told the people to believe God’s message. In other words, he told th... [ Continue Reading ]