Worth more than rubies

 

A dear customer of mine who has become a dear friend called me up one day and said she would like to make some items for her family members using the colours of their birthstones. These are precious stones that are associated with different months, for example, amethyst is the birthstone for those born in February, and diamond is the birthstone for those born in April. This would be one of the most exciting projects that I have ever embarked upon, also because before this time I didn’t know much about precious stones. I have seen and read about them, even in the bible but never given much attention to them by looking them up to see what they really look like. The only precious stone I am familiar with is the diamond, I guess this is because it’s the most popular, and the one most people wear.

After concluding that project, anytime I stumbled on precious stones in the bible I got very curious. Revelations 21: 14-27 talks about the New Jerusalem ‘Now the wall of the city had 12 foundations and on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb’. Verse 19 ‘And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.’

In the book of Exodus when God was giving Moses instructions on how Aarons and his sons' priestly garments should be made, he was told to engrave the names of the 12 tribes of Israel on two onyx stones and fasten them upon the shoulders of Aaron’s ephod. He was also to put 12 precious stones on Aaron’s breastplate, 3 stones in a row and the stones were to represent the 12 sons of Israel. (Exodus 28; 8-21)

As the name rightly describes them, these stones are precious. Precious stones were used to describe royalty, wealth, splendour and high value. In our world today, they are worth a lot of money. Satan was also covered in precious stones. ‘Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone, red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald, all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created.’ (Ezekiel 28: 11-13)

Satan was adorned with precious stones. He was perfect, full of wisdom and extremely beautiful, but something went terribly wrong with Satan. The adornment with precious stones, the extreme beauty, the perfection, and wisdom made him so proud he thought he didn’t need God anymore and he could be like God. Some people become very secure in their success, wealth and splendour that they believe they don’t need God for anything else.

‘Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendour. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings’. Ezekiel 28:17

 Satan’s wisdom became corrupted by his love of splendour. If satan who was adorned in precious stones became satan it means that we need to be careful with precious stones, jewels, riches, and luxury because it can intoxicate us to think that we have arrived by arrived I mean we begin to feel proud of our accomplishments forgetting that all Glory belongs to God. It also means that there is something far more precious than precious stones it is called godly wisdom (Proverbs 8:11, 3:15).

“But do people know where to find wisdom?

Where can they find understanding?

No one knows where to find it,

for it is not found among the living.

 ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.

‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.

It cannot be bought with gold.

It cannot be purchased with silver.

It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,

greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.

It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.

Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.

The price of wisdom is far above rubies.

Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it.

It’s worth more than the purest gold. (Job 28: 12-17)

 

Godly wisdom cannot be compared to all the luxury and riches of the world, it is by far greater. The wisdom of satan is the wisdom of the world, the wisdom that leads to eternal damnation. How many times do we act in worldly wisdom just to gain riches, power or fame? The Proverbs 31 woman’s worth is far above rubies because she guides her affairs in godly wisdom. 

 

And this is what he says to all humanity:

‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;

to forsake evil is real understanding.’” (Job 28:28)