Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: Where can wisdom be found? Question, where can it be found? And where is the place of understanding? I mean, who can obtain wisdom, who can give it to you? Only God can give you wisdom. He's the only one.

And how does wisdom come? Through reading the Bible, studying God's word. He speaks to your heart.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio, the Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. We're beginning a new week in our verse-by-verse study of Job, a man with deep-rooted spiritual devotion in the face of profound suffering.

As Raul explains Job's understandable despair in the loss of his family, wealth, and reputation, he'll show us how God remained unwaveringly faithful even when Job couldn't feel it. Through this simple truth, we too can have assurance that the Lord will never abandon us. Today's lesson will be taken from Job chapter 28. Here's Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: Job has been going like so many people through these valleys that are really dark valleys. And a lot of times when you're going through a trial or you're facing situations within your life, sometimes you feel like you're not going to be coming out of that valley.

But as we've been talking about Job, way down the road there's this little hole of light. And we call that hope of light that is coming in his own personal life. And while he's going through these things and his friends have turned against him and have said many things against Job, Job continues to trust in the Lord.

But in the middle of this whole situation here in chapter 28 of the book of Job, if you have your Bibles, something interesting happens. I was kind of blown away when I read it. And he now begins to talk about all these precious metals that are in the earth that nobody has ever seen but they've been discovered now.

And I was thinking how Job had this great wisdom that God had given to him, and yet as he faced these trials that he was going through, these dark valleys, yet God never abandoned him. And God never abandons us, even though we feel like we've been abandoned.

Look how he begins the chapter. It's pretty amazing here because he's, remember, he's moving forward and he's in a place of despair. He says, “Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.” I mean, how did he know that at this particular time?

He says, “Iron is taken from the earth and copper is smelted from ore. Men puts an end to darkness and searches every recess for in darkness and the shadow of death. He breaks open the shaft away from people, in places forgotten by feet. They hang far away from men and they swing to and fro.” Imagine that.

Here Job is taking this great chapter and he takes us very deep into the earth where brave men go and actually they're miners. And I guess this is what was happening at that particular time too. He talks about these miners and how they find these precious metals in the earth that God has put there, like gold and silver. He says ore and smelted and copper and all these things.

And yet notice Job here as he's talking about that, that at the same time the word of God is like a deep mine where we're searching and looking and when we find the nuggets of the word of God, they're very valuable to us as Christians.

And many times when people are facing deep situations, the world can't really give you any peace of mind. But how God always comes through in my life and in the life of people that I have seen stressed out. Where you feel like, “I don't think I can make it this time through this thing that I'm facing today,” and yet God is with you. And he'll take you through the valley.

But imagine how wonderful that is. That even though I'm down and out, because maybe some of you are like that tonight or you've gone through that, and you feel like, “I might not be able to come out of this thing in my life,” all of a sudden there's a little bit of bleak light at the end of the tunnel and you begin to see it even bigger and bigger and God brings you forth and he refines your life. You're never the same.

As I told you last week when I went through my real bad time this year, it was just the real... I thought I lost my mind. I thought I would never preach again and teach. But as I called out to the Lord and the Lord heard my prayer and watching God work through my life and bringing me back to sanity, and yet I knew it was an attack from the devil in my life because we were filming this documentary. The devil came in like a flood and he tried to discourage me and he tried to let me know that, “You're not going to go, you're not going to do this and you're going to be insane.”

And yet when I read the book of Job where God gave permission to Job, I brought so much comfort to my life. If God is allowing this in my life then you know what, I'm okay with it, Lord. Whatever you want to do. But Lord, I will never deny you. I don't care how my mind is, I don't ever want to deny your name.

And I think that's really of importance because Job here has gone through really bad situations. And yet I can tell you by experience tonight that the thing that kept me sane was the word of God, the Bible. Sitting there and going through the scriptures and remembering the scriptures that God had given to me. I got so many things that God spoke to me with. I put dates on it and the day that he gave it to me, and I always go back and reflect on those things that God spoke to me as he brought me through this great valley. Never to forget that.

And I think that's the way Job was feeling because his wife really did not encourage him. His friends rebuked him and he was all alone. But yet God was with him. And yet he came to the place in his life where he even thought God had abandoned him. He was so low in his trial.

And maybe some of you have been there before and you know what I'm talking about. But here is Job now talking about these great riches beneath the earth like the word of God when we search for it and we find it and it brings healing to my life and it gives me wisdom and knowledge to know God even in a closer way.

Look what he says in verse five. “As for the earth from it comes bread, but underneath it's turned up as by fire. Its stones are the source of sapphires and it contains gold dust.” So he's talking about all these precious stones. “That path no bird knows, nor has the falcon eye to see it.”

Why? Because the falcon flies way high up in the air. He's never been beneath the earth. He doesn't see it. “The proud lions have not trodden under it, nor has the fierce lion passed over it. He puts his hand on the flint, he overturns the mountains at the roots, and then he cuts out channels in the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.”

Notice that here. That is here men make canals to get down into these mines as they're digging down into the earth. And as they're bringing the water in and scraping and getting the dirt out into the outside and as they're tunneling their way into the earth, all of a sudden they'll see sparks in the actual earth and these are jewels that God has placed there. Amazing how God works.

The beauty of God upon this earth in the way God also in his word brings out these gems that are so amazing in the word of God that bring healing to our lives as we read the word of God. The promises of God that he gives to us in his word, to believe them and to stand by them. Otherwise we would have no hope like the world today. The world has no hope in anything. What do they do? They drink and they take drugs and they commit suicide. But not so for the child of God. Because if God is for me, who can be against me, Paul said.

So here he is. And then check this out, he goes on in verse 11. “He dams up the streams from trickling. What is hidden he brings forth to light.” So all these things that are hidden in the earth as they're digging for them and searching for them, all of a sudden here they are. Here's a diamond, or here's gold. You see, all these precious stones.

And what he's going to tell you now in verses 12 through 19 is you can buy gold, you can buy silver, you can buy precious stones, but guess what you can't buy? You can't buy wisdom. That is only given by God. Wisdom. And that's more precious than gold and silver to be wise, to have wisdom.

He says in verse 12, “But where can wisdom be found?” Question, where can it be found? “And where is the place of understanding?” I mean who can obtain wisdom, who can give it to you? Only God can give you wisdom. He's the only one.

And how does wisdom come? Through reading the Bible, studying God's word. He speaks to your heart. “Men does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says it's not in me and the sea says it's not with me.” You see, nature calls out. “It cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price.” You cannot buy wisdom. I don't care how rich you are. You can't buy it. It's a divine thing God gives.

It cannot be valued, notice, in gold or Ophir or precious onyxes or sapphires. Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. The finest of jewelry means nothing concerning wisdom. Wisdom is the greatest.

No mention shall be made of quartz, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued with pure gold. I mean, when you talk about gold, the streets of heaven are going to be made out of gold like nothing. We're going to be walking on the golden streets of heaven, on gold. It's just common to God. No big deal. But for us, it's a big deal. Yet he created all this.

And then notice in verses 20 to 28 here, wisdom comes only from God. He says, “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. Destruction and death say, we have heard a report about it with our ears. God understands its way and he knows its place.

For he, God, looks to the ends of the earth and sees under the whole heavens. He when and operation of waters by measure. When he made a law for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt.” That's God. “And then God saw wisdom and declare it. He prepared it indeed, he searched it out.”

And notice, “And to man he said, behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.” Underline that. Amazing. There it is. What is wisdom? The fear of the Lord. To fear God. That's the great wisdom of God gives to us in men. “And to depart from evil is understanding.”

You see, it's so cool because as we read the Bible what does the Bible do? The word of God gives us insight on how we should live and how to do it. And the consequences of good and evil. If we don't obey God's word, then there are consequences you pay. So the Bible gives us the warnings and gives us the steps on how to believe and become a better person in the kingdom of God. That's why we receive and we get saved by faith in Jesus Christ. So here we see that.

And then in chapter 29 now Job looks back at life's joys. Job opens now his defense by saying that he wish he had never ever been born again. Remember in Job chapter three? “I wish I was never born.” And yet now he closes his defense by remembering the blessings that he and his family enjoyed while they had them. Chapter one. All of what God had given to him. Daughters and sons, cattle, sheep, money, power, houses, lands. And yet he lost it all. Lost it all as God gave permission to Satan to do that. Imagine that.

Now Job reflects upon his past prosperity. He says in verse one, chapter 29, Job further continues his discourse and said, “Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God was watching over me.” Notice that he's saying, “I remember when God was watching for me but now God's not watching any longer.” He's bummed. He thinks God's no longer there. He's reflecting on the past but not looking in the present and what's ahead in the future. You see? And Job was going through a real valley. Real valley.

And what Job is doing, he looks back and he begins to lament. Because he knew that God had a hold of his hand and he was serving and loving God and God was blessing him. And yet in one hour he lost everything. Everything was lost.

He says, “When his lamp shone upon my head and when his light I walked through darkness. Just as I was in the days of my prime, of my youth, when I was young, when the friendly counsel of God was over my tent. And when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were around me.” Can you imagine how painful that must have been to Job to know that at one time when his little children were growing up and they became teenagers, they became young adults and then in one day, poof, they're gone. They're gone. So Job here is reflecting upon his children, his little children.

Then he says in verse six, “When my steps were bathed with cream and the rocks poured out rivers of oil for me.” That's when I was rich. Man, I remember having all that prosperity and look at me now, I have nothing. I mean, what would happen if God took you to nothing? Would you still love God? Would you still serve him? I don't think none of us could answer that question until it happens to us. When you lost a child or a grandbaby, imagine how hard that would be.

It's amazing how God allows us to go through things in life. Why? Because we can then minister to other people in their need and what they're facing in their own lives. If we never go through it, then we can't minister to people. We have no experience. We don't know what it felt like. We don't know what they were thinking.

So here is Job. He says in verse seven, “When I went out to the gate by the city, when I took my seat in the open square.” Now here what he's telling you is that Job was a what? The only people that sat by the city gates were judges. He was a judge in the city. Remember in Genesis chapter 19, when the angels came to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, who was sitting at the city gates? Remember? Lot. Lot was sitting there making judgment. So here Job tells us that he was a judge in the city.

He says, “The young men saw me there and they hid, and the aged arose and stood.” The old men had so much respect upon me they stood up for me. In respect, “the leaders refrained from talking and put their hand on their mouth. The voice of nobles was hushed and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. And when the ear heard, when it blessed me, and when the eye saw, then it approved me, because I delivered the poor who cried out and the fatherless and the one who had no helper.”

Here he's saying, “Listen, I had power, I had money, and I helped so many people, but where is my help now?” You see, he's doubting God. And his friends were no help. So he feels all alone. He's thinking back in the past. “The blessings of a perishing man came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.” Notice that, to sing for joy. Job here was highly, highly respected by the people because he always helped the needy people. But now he couldn't even help anybody and he couldn't even help himself. He's totally bankrupt.

And then he says, “I put on righteousness and it clothed me. My justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind and I was feet to the lame. I opposed evil men wherever I found them,” he says literally. “I was a father to the poor. I searched out the case that I did not know. I broke the fangs of the wicked and plucked the victims from his teeth.”

Verse 18, “Then I said I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand.” Here he's referring to his money and health and everything he lost. He had nothing now. “My root is spread out to the waters and the dew lies all night on my branch. My glory is fresh within me and my bow is renewed in my hand.” That's speaking of his good health that he had, fresh within me. Here he's expressing honor which Job was held upon the people, they held him in honor.

“Men listened to me and waited and kept silence when my counsel was given.” I was an honorable man. People thought I was somebody. “And after my words they did not speak again, and my speech settled on them as dew.” And then he says this: “They waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouth wide as from the spring rain that came.”

So here he's reflecting again upon those things that he cherished the most and how people honor him. And he was well known in his community, but now he feels like he's nobody. Nothing's going on in my life. “If I mock at them, they did not believe it, and the light of my countenance they did not cast down. I chose the way for them and sat as chief. So I dwelt as a king in the army as one who comforts mourners.”

And sometimes that happens when you have it all. I mean, you don't even think about anything else. You know, hey, I'm blessed. Here I am and all of a sudden when tragedy comes and things begin to happen, all of a sudden your eyes are open and the devil comes in like a flood and he puts doubt into your minds and heart. And yet we need to trust in the Lord.

Chapter 30, Job looks around now at God's judgment here. Notice this. From a delightful past now Job is suddenly back again in dismay and disappointment. Notice this. He's good at that. We're all good at that.

Verse one, “But now they mock at me, men younger than I, whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.” Nobody respects me. The young people, they make fun of me. “Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished. They are gaunt from want and famine, fleeing late to the wilderness desolate and waste.” Notice that. He now was destitute. He was actually disrespected socially.

Guest (Male): If you're in a season of suffering, we pray that Job's experience will inspire you to keep seeking the Lord. No matter what loss or adversity you're facing, you can trust that God is right there with you. You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. If you'd like to hear today's lesson in its unedited version, we'll be happy to send a copy to you for a donation of five dollars or more. Just call us at 800-634-9165 and mention today's study from Job chapters 28 through 34.

To help ground you in this truth, we'd like to tell you about Raul's nine-part series titled When Trials Come. It's available on CD or thumb drive with every lesson pointing to the sovereign love that can be your bedrock when life shifts under your feet. You may never know the answers to the why of what you're enduring, but you can hold fast to God and trust him to guide you through.

To order Raul's series When Trials Come, visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800-634-9165. We'll send you this nine-part study on CD for $23 or on USB for $13. That's 800-634-9165. Or write to Somebody Loves You Radio, PO Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California 91765.

Look for us on iTunes and Spotify for podcasts of all previously aired radio programs. You'll also find these on the Somebody Loves You worldwide YouTube channel as well, along with Raul's Straight Talk program streaming Tuesdays at 10 a.m. West Coast time. Our Somebody Loves You app also provides a wide variety of connections to the word of God, including digital Bible studies and live-streamed teaching.

This ministry is completely listener-supported. Your tax-deductible gifts enable us to reach more and more people every day with the good news of the Lord Jesus. Next time on Somebody Loves You Radio, we'll get more insight from the book of Job. We'll be reminded that God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us, so we can be assured that this mighty divine love doesn't go away when he allows suffering in our lives. This program is sponsored by Somebody Loves You Radio in Diamond Bar, California.