Job 28 is an incredible chapter. Job has basically endured all the moralizing hot air speeches his “friends” could give him, all the while holding on to his integrity. Now this is right in the middle of his powerful 6-chapter summary statement, the last words he speaks before hearing directly from God (after Elihu). Job gives his friends back a far more thorough and consistent picture of justice and reality, exposing their artificial readymade answers to his deep troubles.

“Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they refine it…”

Job is a wealthy man speaking to wealthy men about gold and silver. They all knew what he referred to. If you found these resources you had power that no farmer, herdsman, blacksmith, soldier, hunter, merchant, or craftsman could have. You had raw wealth, you could print money. If you wanted to buy things you could, if you wanted to hire men to do your work you could. Men came to you to beg for what they needed, and you could decide whether to grant it and at what price.

Job briefly describes what lengths men will go to get their hands on these elusive treasures. They will go where no one else dares…into pitch darkness and among wild predators; they will tear mountains up by the roots, and they will dam up underground streams. And all this with next to no real technology to assist. For you and me today this would mean striking it so ridiculously rich we never had to work again if we didn’t want to, and all because of a few rocks. A simple idea, a concept or opportunity that fell in our lap.

But Job is just getting warmed up. If that kind of wealth exists for the taking - and men will stop at nothing to get to it - then what about wisdom? Rich people can’t buy being wise like they can buy everything else. You can’t put together a search party and track wisdom down. Wisdom is independent of wealth, but money obeys true wisdom. Wisdom is more elusive than the most valuable resources the earth can offer. How do you get it?