Job 28-31 Job: Where Can I Find Wisdom?

When life falls apart, where do you look for help?

Job has survived three rounds of debate with friends who had all the answers but none of them right. Now the arguments are over, and the crowd goes quiet. What Job does next is unexpected. Instead of demanding justice, he goes searching for something deeper. Something we all want when life doesn't make sense. Wisdom.

What unfolds across Job 28–31 is one of the most breathtaking poems in all of Scripture spoken by a grieving man who refuses to let go of God, even when God seems to have abandoned him.

In our Job 28-31 Bible Study, you'll learn:

• [03:10] The Wisdom Poem (Job 28): You can't mine for wisdom, and you can't buy it. You can't find it in the land of the living. There's only one true place wisdom comes from.
• [09:08] The great twist: Three times God declared Job already has wisdom, but Job doesn't even know it yet.
• [10:40] Our access to wisdom: Through Christ and the Holy Spirit, the wisdom Job spent four chapters searching for is now freely available to us. All we have to do is ask.
• [21:03] The "but now" moment (Job 30): Job looks at everything he's lost—his reputation, his health, his community—and he lets himself grieve.
• [25:39] Job's final oath (Job 31): Job signs his name to his own defense with 19 "if" statements and dares God to answer him. It is bold.

Show Notes for the Book of Job:

• ACTS Prayer Guide
• The Old Testament Books
• Charles Spurgeon's Sermon

Group Discussion Questions for Job 28–31

1. [04:33] Job found that wisdom cannot be mined, bought, or discovered in the land of the living. It belongs to God alone. Can you think of a time when you were searching for wisdom in all the wrong places? What was the result?
2. [14:30] In Chapter 29, Job describes a ministry of caring for people that brought him great joy. In Chapter 30, he deeply mourns its loss. Can you relate to Job here? Has there ever been something in your own life that brought you joy but then suffering or circumstance took it away?
3. [26:55] Job signed his name to his innocence and demanded God, not the crowd, answer him directly. Have you ever found yourself going to people for approval or justice? How could you turn to God instead for clarity and insight, as Job did? 

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This episode is part of our ongoing Bible Book Club series, starting with Genesis and journeying all the way through the Bible. Thanks for listening!