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Job 28:5-6
5 As for the earth ['erets], out of it cometh [yatsa'] bread [lechem]: and under it is turned up [haphak] as it were fire ['esh].
6 The stones ['eben] of it are the place [maqowm] of sapphires [cappiyr]: and it hath dust [`aphar] of gold [zahab]. KJV-Interlinear
5 'The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is turned up as fire. 6 'Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold. NASB
Now that we have all survived the Thanksgiving holiday with its food, football, and family, we can wonder if we know what it is all about.
And these verses are the perfect verses to remind us of the abundance which comes from this earth, and certainly the earth is capable of providing abundances which exceed the imagination. After all, we have been taking from the earth for the entire history of the human race, many thousands of years. And before us were the dinosaurs who ate off the lands for who knows how long, before us.
All of which exists courtesy of the grace of God.
Job uses the mining and productive attributes of the earth to make his points of doctrine.
Here, he refers to the food production of the planet, which by the way, was not invented by man. And even though man has improved on his farming techniques, making the lands more and more productive, man has never originated one animal, one kernel, one grain, one fruit, or nut, or whatever.
All these resources existed prior to mans advent into existence. And, man despite all of his intelligence, is totally dependent on the production of the earth in order to survive. Not one of us can cut ourselves off from this world and live.
And beneath the ground are the hidden treasures. The emeralds and the sapphires and diamonds that sparkle and burn like fire. Riches beyond ones dreams, are hidden out of sight, inside of the earth.
But in order to have them we have to hunt for them, find them, dig for them and keep on doing this because whatever we find or have, will never be enough.
Such is the treasure of the world.
It is on or under the ground. It is on the place where we walk, beneath our feet, under and mixed with the dust. Dust, from which we ourselves came from. Our physical selves that is.
And though there are vast quantities of wealth and food beneath our feet, overhead in heaven is an infinite and endless treasure. Treasures that will be there forever and of which we can have, if only we do some hunting and digging in the scriptures. A work which requires far less work and effort on our part, and which comes to us with far greater certainty and success.
