ESOCS Devotional 15 September 2023 – Wisdom is More Than Jewelries
MEMORY VERSE: “No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls for the price of wisdom is above rubies”. Job 28:18
TEXT: JOB 28:12-28 (KJV)
But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Ruby is a clear, deep red extremely hard precious gemstone. A really fine ruby is so rare that it is worth more than a diamond of the same weight. However, Job in our text presents something worth more than ruby-wisdom.
Wisdom is an accumulated knowledge or the quality of being prudent or sensible. The price of obtaining it is high; it does not come as a result of age attainment or wealth accumulation. Since nothing on earth can be compared to it … gold and crystal cannot equal it, and it can never be exchanged for jewels (vs 17). This implies that no amount of body decoration or adornment can be replaced for wisdom (see Prov. 3:15-18).
The big question then is where wisdom can be obtained. Does education offer wisdom; do riches offer wisdom, or popularity? And where is the place of understanding (Job 28:12, 20b).
The writer makes it clear to us that the only source of wisdom is God. When you have him, you have everything and that includes wisdom. No matter how wealthy and famous a man is, without the knowledge of God, his wealth and fame equal to vanity, and he can at best end up like the foolish rich man who laid up treasures for himself and not towards the things of eternity (see Luke 12:16-21). Such a man lacks understanding in these days when God has given men the privilege all over the world to know him.
Don’t be more excited in knowing the trending news in the society, latest fashion, latest cars, and latest qualifications more than you know the world of God, His ways and his acts.
Verse 28 states the type of wisdom God gives to His children; and unto man he said, behold the fear of the Lord is that wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding (see also James 3:13).
You are wise when you have the fear of God in you, which keeps you away from committing sin; whether in the public or in private irrespective of what is happening in the society-that is the fear of God (wisdom).
- Are you wise like Job, or do you still play with sin thinking it does not matter?
FURTHER READING: Proverbs 14:7-34; Luke 19:11-27; 1 Corinthians 5:50-end; James 3:13-17
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ESOCS Devotional 15 September 2023
