Wisdom Is Not Found In Darkness

Water drips from the ceiling above as you crawl through the bits of sharp gravel and rough sediment. You can feel the bruising on your forearms and on your shins and knees become deeper with every movement. The oxygen in here is still easy enough to breath for the moment, but the walls are getting tighter against your sides. The deeper you go the darker everything seems. Or maybe its your headlamp losing power.

You wonder how far this tunnel goes into the side of the mountain? How many people have gone before you on their own quest for precious things found deep within the earth? You aren’t able to fully extend your arm in front of you because if you do, you might not be able to pull it back and continue crawling.

Your lamp suddenly flickers off for an uncomfortable few seconds, but the light again returns with full brightness. A glimmer of light catches your eye as your lamp pans across the end of the tightening tunnel. Judging by the faint shimmer of reflected light, you still have a ways to go before you reach your destination. For the first time you begin to wonder how you will crawl your way back out into daylight once you have what you came for.

Man Searches in Dark Places for Precious Things

Job describes man’s hunt for precious stones and metals deep in the earth.

Job 28:1-3

1 “Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. 2 Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore. 3 Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.

Mankind is always trying to find his own way but just ends up digging deeper and deeper.

Job 28:4-11

4 He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro. 5 As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; 6 Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust. 7 That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it. 8 The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9 He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots.

10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. 11 He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light.

Man searches in dark places for precious things. For things that he thinks can sustain him. Even digging deep into the earth itself. Trying to uncover and bring to light those things which are obscured in darkness and buried where man cannot see with his eyes.

But what is really precious? What is it that man truly seeks?

Job 28:12

12 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

Wisdom is what man searches for

Understanding of the purpose behind our existence. Truth about everything that we know and everything that we don’t yet understand. Knowledge and Wisdom about our Future and how to obtain eternal life.

Job 28:13-15

13 Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. 14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me’’ And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ 15 It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price.

Job 28:20, 21-28

20 “From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

It is hidden, but not in the places man looks for it. It’s not in the darkness, or in the emptiness of space. It’s not found in secret places among men. It does not come from the living or the dead.

21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air. 22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’ 

Job 28:23-28

23 God understands its way, And He knows its place…. 28 And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

These words are written here for us to read, to learn from, so that we can find wisdom. And yet it is far from mankind as a whole. Man continues to seek wisdom in all the wrong places. In the dark of night, in the heavens, but apart from God, deep within the earth. If we want to find true wisdom, then we must seek after it from the right place. Not from darkness.

Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs says a whole lot about seeking after things that are precious, but also about understanding what it is that we should actually seek after. The book is written as if addressed a young man who’s father knows he will read it when he is older and more mature. But the lessons contained in this book apply to anyone who reads its pages. It is written to those who are lacking, who are in need of something more, who are in the pursuit of something truly precious.

Proverbs 1:1-4

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion—

Wisdom is something that man, apart from God, lacks. Mankind is unwise without the revelation of reality from their Creator. We are truly simple in our thoughts and understanding even though we were created with the ability to think, to reason, to be creative, to plan and ponder many great things.

In the Proverbs, Solomon wrote of two women. They are personifications, representations of a choice that has to be made by every human being.

The First Woman is a personification of sin and the temptation that comes with it.

Proverbs chapter 7 describes this personification, this choice, as “the immoral woman” and “the seductress.” We also find in here a young man who has much to learn, who is representative of humanity.

Proverbs 7:6-9

6 For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, 7 And saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, A young man devoid of understanding, 8 Passing along the street near her corner; And he took the path to her house 9 In the twilight, in the evening, In the black and dark night.

Mankind has a habit of searching for wisdom in the darkness, for seeking truth and enlightenment in all the wrong places, trying to find what has been hidden away, but not looking to God for the wisdom they seek.

Darkness

Darkness conceals everything from sight. Secret things, things that are intended to be hidden away so no one knows them. These are put away in darkness.

Man searches for secrets in darkness, trying to find what he doesn’t now know or understand. Trying to find prosperity in deep, dark places. Insisting that darkness is something of importance, that holds things which should be uncovered and grasped.

Darkness (Greek: skotia (G4655)): Strong’s Definition: from G4655; dimness, obscurity (literally or figuratively).

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: the darkness due to want of daylight; unseen, in secret (John 18:20), privily, in private; metaphorically used of ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness, and the resultant misery:

“Ignorance of divine things” — ignorance of where truth is actually hidden. Searching for light in dark places, in obscurity.

Darkness is associated with “the way of evil” (Proverbs 2:12), and those who walk in its ways. This is where mankind has always preferred to search for truth.

It was in darkness that this Immoral Woman, the seductress who is sin personified, met this simple youth, the young man who sought after wisdom in the wrong place.

Proverbs 7:10-12

10 And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. 11 She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home. 12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square, Lurking at every corner.

This personification of sin sounds a lot like Satan the Devil— Rebellious, Deceptive, Lurking About. Looking like an angel of light, but there is no truth in him.

The young man was seeking after something good, but sin called out to him. Temptation seeks us out, and calls on us. She “flatters with her words” (verse 5).

Verse 21

21 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, With her flattering lips she seduced him.

This is the choice the youth, the simpleton, has to make. And here are the consequences of choosing to go after sin and temptation rather than seeking true wisdom.

Proverbs 7:22-23

22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, 23 Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life.

There are consequences for our choices. Even though we can turn back from our mistakes, there are times we must still deal with those consequences.

We are given warnings here, to stay away from the temptations of sin, from the pulls of the things what are found in darkness.

Proverbs 7:24-27

24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the words of my mouth: 25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths; 26 For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men. 27 Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of death.

Even those who consider themselves to be strong can fall to temptation. Even those who know better can seek after the wrong things, or turn towards the darkness in search of the precious wisdom they are after. This is a warning for even us who have been called out from these things, who have been shown something better. We, too, must pay attention to these words.

The Second Woman is a personification of wisdom.

We are also given warning about this second woman, but this time we are told to keep wisdom close to us. It is true wisdom that will keep us safe from the temptations of sin that seek us out.

Proverbs 7:4-5

4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your nearest kin, 5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words.

We see that wisdom has the same audience as sin, and also calls out to them. Those who need wisdom and understanding. But rather than pulling them away from truth, wisdom gives a simple warning against evil. In this warning we find truth, wisdom, and understanding of reality.

Proverbs 8:1-7

1 Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice? 2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way, where the paths meet. 3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors: 4 “To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. 5 O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart. 6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; 7 For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

Proverbs 1:20-21

20 Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. 21 She cries out in the chief concourses, At the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words:

The words of Wisdom are not deceptive. God’s truth is open and honest, spoken in the daylight rather than found in dark places.

Proverbs 1:22-23

22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge. 23 Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

There’s a warning here of destruction and calamity if we do not seek true wisdom.

Proverbs 1:28-32

28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, 30 They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. 31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. 32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

Again, warnings of the consequences of leaving truth and going after temptation and sin. And Wisdom finishes her rebuke with hope. God’s wisdom will keep us from harm, will keep us from sin that is found in darkness.

Verse 33

33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

There are Blessings from Seeking Wisdom

We can think of these words as if our Heavenly Father is speaking them to us as we lay on our bellies in a dark tunnel with a dim light hoping to find precious things in the darkness. He calls us out and instead offers us truth and wisdom, knowledge and understanding if only we will seek after it from Him.

Proverbs 2:1-9 (10-12)

1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

He is the only source of wisdom.

6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; 8 He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. 10 When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things,

The choice to look to our God for wisdom instead of seeking it in darkness is in our hands. We must choose this day who we will follow and what we will seek after in the days to come.

Proverbs 8:35

35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord;