The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 446

tioncd alrendy, but for the sake of continuity may be here repeated, (1) Sinking 11 shaft (ver. 4), down which he descends by a rope. (2) Exploring the interior of the earth's orust (ver. 6), turning it up 118 it were by fire, (3) Blasting and clea.ring away the rock that contains no ore (ver. 9), lnying hie hand upon the quartz and turning up the mountains by the roots. Th11t blasting was practised in ancient times is stated by Pliny (vide Exposition; and cf. Delitzsch), (4) Cutting cha.nnele, or galleries, in the rock to drain off the water (ver, 10), or, according to another view, to bring in water to wash the gold ore, (5) Guarding against the flooding of the mine (ver. 11), by binding up the watercourses that they weep not (a technical term still use<l among colliers), i.e. damming up the water that percolates through the roof and sides of the pit, which would otherwise interfere with the operations of the miner, but which, being restrained, enables him to bring to light whatever precious things the bowels of the earth conceal, And now, having finished this vivid a.ud instructive sketch of the enter- prise, skill, and power with which the miner explores the deep places of the earth in search of wealth, the poet turns to ask in triumph-Where a.re man's corresponding successes in the pursuit of wisdom? Man can dig and cut and blast hie way through rocks and mountains till he reaches the place of sapphires ; but the haunt of wisdom, i.e. of the true principles of the Divine administration, and the place of understanding, i.e. the faculty of applying these to particular cases, are and must remain for ever beyond his ken. II. TRUE WISDOH INCOIIIPABABLE IN ITS VALUE. Picturing a pearl-merchant anxioWI to purchase this heavenly treasure (cf. Matt. xiii. 45, 46), Job remarks: 1. That it cannot be discovered in order to be valued. Should one roam through the land of the living, i.e. traverse the face of earth in every direction in pursuit of it, it would still elude his observation. Should he " take the wings of the morning, and flee to the uttermost parts of the sea" (Ps. cxxxix. 9), inquiring after it, the sea. with every rippling billow. would reply, "It is not with me." Nay, should he dive into the subterranean abyss of waters (Ps. cxxxix. 8), still prosecuting his research after wisdom, up from those dark depths would sound the answer, "Not in me." 2. That, even if it could be discovered, man cannot estimate its worth. "A. mortal knoweth not its price" (ver. 13). So transcendent in its excellence is this heavenly wisdom, so far surpassing man's ordinary conceptions, that the task of appreciating its essential value is beyond the capacities of hie finite understanding. " Man is the measure of the universe," said l'ythagoras. "Be it so," is Job's thought; "here is something outside of the universe of which the vastest human intelligence is not the measure "-the Divine wisdom, in accordance with which it ha.~ been framed, and by wl:.ich it is continually governed, including the Divine intelligence that devised the ideal plan of the world, the ideal plan or pattern itself, and the combined wisdom a.nd power by which that plan is carried forward into minute and complete realization. 3. That, euen if its price cO'Uld be told, its equivalent could not be found by man. "The poet lays everything under contribution to illustrate the thought that the worth of wisdom exceeds the worth of the most valuable earthly thing" (Delitzsch). Nothing that the miner can bring up from the bowels of the earth, nor aught that the merchant can import from foreign climes; nay, not all of these together can be set in comparison with heaven's jewel of eternal wisdom (Prov. iii. 14, 15). Gold and silver of the rarest, purest, brightest quality; costly pearls of most delicate hue a.nd of fabulous worth; the entire wealth of a world, cannot purchase it (Prov. viii. 10, 11). What Job 11,9serts of the wisdom which enables one to understand and appreciate the principles of Divine government on earth is more true of that wisdom which maketh wise unto salvation. It also is in itself undiscoverable by man (1 Cor. i. 21). Its true worth cannot properly be appreciated by man (Rom. xi. 33). Its mercantile equivalent cannot be offered or even found by man (Matt. xvi. 26). The price of him who is the Wisdom of Gou (1 Cor. i. 24) is above rubies. Ill. 'l'RUE WIBDOH POSSESSED BY GoD ALONE. Since wisdom can neither be dis- covered by man's intelligence nor purchased by man's gold, the question naturally recurs," Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?" in response to which Job affirms: 1, That true wisdom is the secret of God alone. God's exclusive knowledge of wisdom is impressively represented by a renewed declaration of the utter ignorance of all created beings concerning this transcendent theme. (1)  162 THE BOOK 'OF J'OB.