Job 28:12
“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?”
Job is considered to be the oldest book in the Bible. It may have been written as many as four thousand years ago. Job declares, during his day, men were involved in mining the earth in search of precious stones. He refers to successful expeditions in search of silver, gold, copper, iron and sapphire. No doubt, great wealth and power came as a result of their findings. Yet, with all of man’s endeavors, Job declares they had failed to find the source of true wisdom. It cannot be located in the depths of the earth, or be purchased for the price of gold.
Job 28:14-15 “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; and the sea says, ‘It is not with me. ’ It cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price.”
The problem is not a lack of worldly wisdom, but that the world lacks true wisdom. Even the greatest fool thinks he has life figured out, and will happily pour forth his advice or counsel; sometimes, even if we have not requested it. We cannot turn on the TV or radio without someone declaring their wisdom, and exhorting us to live a certain way. The problem is, the wisdom of the world is like fools gold. It shines, sparkles and has the appearance of something valuable, but lacks any real purchasing power. Imagine what it would be like for a miner who struck a vein, only to find out later, what he found was of no value. In a world searching aimlessly for wisdom, and seemingly willing to listen to all kinds of folly, Job uncovers the secret chamber in which true wisdom will be found.
Job 28:28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding. ’”
When we decide to live for Christ, and according to the principles of His Word, we are on the road to finding wisdom. To fear God is to seek wisdom; to do what is pleasing to Him. This will always lead us to walk away from sinful behaviors, and to make choices to do things His way. Any advice that puts us at odds with the Word of God, is not true wisdom.
A person who will surrender to the Lord and live in obedience to His word, is like a miner who hits the mother lode. The wisdom of God will bring unimaginable riches to the child of God.
Pastor Jim
Peter makes reference to a simple rule of life. We can only give away what we personally possess. By his own admission, Peter had no money to give this man. It is interesting to note that from an economic standpoint, Peter’s condition was no different than the beggar’s. In the world’s estimation, a man in his thirties who is too broke to share his change with a beggar, is of very little value. Peter would not make a who’s who list in the 1st Century. However, if we look more closely, we see that Peter possessed something far greater than riches that tarnish and fade. Peter said, 
Since ancient times, precious metals have been purified using intense heat. The process involved a craftsman stirring a crucible filled with molten gold. Flames, reaching an excess of one thousand degrees, would liquify the gold and send the impurities to the top. The craftsman would then skim off the impurities, thus purifying the gold. The tradition remains largely untouched today, with the exception of a few advancements for safety and precision. For smaller amounts of gold, a second method of refining is often used today, involing the use of strong chemicals to dissolve the impurities. The purified gold becomes a powder when dried, then it is heated into useable gold. Whatever the process, it is clear, for purity to take place, intense heat is involved.
Jim Gallagher 