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Job 28:2-3
2 Iron [barzel] is taken [laqach] out of the earth [`aphar], and brass [nachuwshah] is molten [tsuwq] out of the stone ['eben].
3 He setteth [suwm] an end [qets] to darkness [choshek], and searcheth out [chaqar] all perfection [takliyth]: the stones ['eben] of darkness ['ophel], and the shadow of death [tsalmaveth]. KJV-Interlinear
2 'Iron is taken from the dust, And from rock copper is smelted. 3 'Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow. NASB
As gold and silver might be more obvious and valuable, people kept on looking to less expensive and more abundant materials to work with.
Copper and iron are among the earliest of metals used in ancient history. Tubal-Cain in Gen. 4, is mentioned as being an instructor or teacher in the art of making brass (copper), and iron. He was the eighth generation after Adam, through Cain. Probably comparable to the time frame of Methuselah, living in the latter half of the pre-flood era, just a couple of generations prior to and concurrent with, Noah.
Being an instructor does not mean that he was the original discoverer of the refining process, but it implies that he had enough intelligence to improve on the process of refining iron ore and copper ore, into various things.
Iron ore and copper ore are mineral components of rocks and dust. They have to be discovered, found, dug up from an open pit or extracted from a tunnel, and hauled to a place for refining. In the refining process a hot fire is required. Wood does not burn hot enough, so coal and then forced air are needed in order to heat the raw ore and purge the oxygen and other impurities out of it. The metal can be beaten and heated again and again, then cooled in cold water in order to shape it into some usable object. Then you sell it to make your money.
In the entire process you either do all of the work yourself, hire others to do it for you, or force others into slavery in order to get the raw material from the ground to the finished product.
Unlike gold, iron and copper objects are less valuable and require much more work in order to get anything out of them.
Man has to carry torches or lanterns into caverns or other dark places, man has to search far and wide in order to discover the hidden treasures of the world. And, man has to figure out a way to use or convert the worlds raw materials into something useful and valuable.
Man did this from the earliest generations, and man is still pursuing this process in our modern era of high tech toys. Everything we have today, whether food, plastic, metal, clothing, electronic, or whatever, has an origin in some earthly resource. Everything has to come through a manufacturing process of some kind, all of which requires work and effort before the end product becomes a reality. And all end products which man makes, are temporary.
They are either temporary to your own personal lifespan, or temporary to this world.
Man works hard for the finer things of life - gold. Man works even harder for the useful products of this world - iron. And though both have value and usefulness, neither are as valuable or intrinsically valuable as Bible doctrine.
Remember that everything in this world is no better than a shadow. We have already studied the characteristics of the shadow, which is basically nothing, and we have compared it to the reality of Bible doctrine, which is infinitely greater than a shadow.
Bible doctrine comes to us through the scriptures. Bible doctrine is relatively easy to obtain. Certainly far easier than mining and refining ore.
Bible doctrine is the gift of God, courtesy of the work of Christ. The mining process is the product of mans efforts based on mans work.
Through spiritual growth, God provides for all of our needs, both worldly and spiritually.
Through carnal pursuits, man goes to great efforts in his attempts to obtain the same objectives of prosperity, security and happiness, but ultimately always ends up with greater problems, greater insecurities, greater unhappiness and so forth, and finally losing everything when he dies.
