Jul. 22, 2026

Job 28:11 "How Great is Our God"

with "God's Wisdom Cannot be Sought"

*God’s Wisdom Cannot Be Sought- Job 28:1-11

Job begins by using several illustrations of things that are "sought for." 

Job 28:1 “Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined.”

Job 28:2 “Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore.

Job 28:3 “Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.”

Job 28:4-11 “He breaks open a shaft away from people;In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro. 5As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; 6Its stones are the source of sapphires,
And it contains gold dust. 7That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it. 8The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. 10He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. 11He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light.”

• God’s Wisdom Cannot Be Bought- Job 28:12-19

Job 28:12-15 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. 14The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ 15It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price.”

Verse 15 says that wisdom "cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price.”

Job 28:16-19 “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. 17Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. 18No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.”

In this chapter alone, Job mentions gold five times, silver once and names seven different precious stones.

• God’s Wisdom Must Be Taught- Job 28:20-28

Job 28:20-23 “From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? 21It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air. 22Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’ 23God understands its way, And He knows its place.”

So where does wisdom come from? How do we attain wisdom?

Verse 23 says, "God understands its way, and He knows its place.” Wisdom must be received from God!

Job 28:24-28 “For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, 25To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure. 26When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, 27Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 28And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
And to depart from evil is understanding.”

Verse 28 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

Psalm 111:10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.”

To fear the Lord is not to be paralyzed by fear, but to be energized by fear.

The main thought is this: Have a proper and respectful attitude toward God. In humility seek counsel from His Word. Become a student of God's truth and allow Him to become your teacher.

• CONCLUSION

*Our Knowledge of God - A Whisper- Job 26:14

Job 26:14 “Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

• Our Knowledge of God - A Wonder-Romans 11:33

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” 

Psalm 139:6: "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it." 

• Our Knowledge of God - Worship- Isaiah 55:8-9

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

True worship occurs when we realize the true greatness of God with all of its mysteries.

Our God is great and worthy to be praised!!