Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Job
Book: Job
Chapter: 28
Overview:
Concerning worldly wealth.
(1-11) Wisdom is of inestimable
value.
(12-19) Wisdom is the
Gift of
God.
(20-28)
1-11 Job maintained that the dispensations of
Providence were
regulated
By the highest
Wisdom. To confirm this, he showed of
what a great
Deal of knowledge and wealth men may make
themselves masters. The caverns of the
Earth may be discovered,
but not the counsels of
Heaven. Go to the miners, thou sluggard
in religion, consider their ways, and be
Wise. Let their courage
and diligence in seeking the wealth that perishes, shame us out
of slothfulness and faint-heartedness in labouring for the true
riches. How much better is it to get
Wisdom than
Gold! How much
easier, and safer! Yet
Gold is sought for, but
Grace neglected.
Will the hopes of precious things out of the
Earth,
So men
Call
them, though really they are paltry and perishing, be such a
spur to industry, and shall not the certain prospect of truly
precious things in
Heaven be much more
So?
12-19 Job here speaks of
Wisdom and understanding, the knowing
and enjoying of
God and ourselves. Its worth is infinitely more
than all the riches in this world. It is a
Gift of the Holy
Ghost which cannot be bought with
Money. Let that which is most
precious in
God's account, be
So in ours.
Job asks after it as
one that truly desired to find it, and despaired of finding it
any where but in
God; any way but
By Divine
Revelation.
20-28 There is a two-
Fold Wisdom; one hid in
God, which is
secret, and belongs not to us; the other made known
By him, and
revealed to
Man. One
Day's events, and one
Man's affairs, have
such reference to, and
So hang one upon another, that He only,
to whom all is open, and who sees the whole at one view, can
rightly
Judge of every part. But the knowledge of
God's revealed
will is within our reach, and will do us good. Let
Man look upon
this as his
Wisdom, To fear the
Lord, and to depart from evil.
Let him learn that, and he is learned enough. Where is this
Wisdom to be found? The treasures of it are hid in
Christ,
revealed
By the
Word, received
By Faith, through the
Holy Ghost.
It will not feed pride or vanity, or amuse our vain curiosity.
It teaches and encourages sinners to fear the
Lord, and to
depart from evil, in the
Exercise of
Repentance and
Faith,
without desiring to solve all difficulties about the events of
this
Life.