Answers Bible Curriculum Second Edition Unit 4 Lesson 32
This week in Sunday school, we briefly leave Genesis to consider the life of Job. Why did God bring such suffering on righteous Job? What is the main lesson of the book? And how should we respond to those who suggest that trials and even illnesses in a person’s life are the result of unrepentant sin?
Our main texts are Job 1:1-2:10 and Job 38:1-42:17.
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Oh Calvary all right well let’s begin welcome to Sunday school we have finished going to their first four C’s of history those profound theirs majorly impacting events of of our history creation corruption catastrophe and confusion and so now we enter that action-packed period of time between the fourth C and the fifth C roughly 2200 years between confusion and Christ now the next part of Genesis Genesis 12 it picks up with the account of Abraham the foremost patriarch of the people of Israel but because of our curriculum moves chronologically through the Bible we actually need to step out of Genesis for a moment and talk about another man we’re gonna talk about Jobe now you know Jobe and we’re are somewhat familiar with his story but have we have we taken hold have we really taken hold of the profound life truths that are on display in the account of Jobe now one sense the record of Jobe is a lesson about suffering and endurance but in a greater sense the book of Joe is a lesson in humility and faith or you consider those today although taking one lesson to look at Jobe that’s 42 chapters in his book so it’s definitely gonna be a bit of an overview today here’s the outline of what we’re gonna do we’re gonna introduce ourselves to Joe and his situation as an investigator Joe chapters 1 & 2 will overview the dialogue between Jobe and his friends which dominates chapters 3 to 37 now analyze God’s confrontation with Joe in chapters 38 to 42 now just to warn you might get a little bit emotional in this lesson I find myself very much empathetic toward suffering even if it’s someone who’s who’s logged ed so I might I might tear up a little bit talking about Joe I think in some ways it’s appropriate because we don’t want to be too distance from even things that happened in the past this is a real person and he experienced these things really in his life and it’s meant to inform us not just about his suffering but about all suffering and also about our our proper stance and our proper relationship with God so I hope that you’re also appreciating properly the impact of these things now let’s pray before we go on the great God we need this truth we need the wisdom of the book of Job so god I prayed you’d help me to be able to explain it I pray that people would be paying attention to it they really apply it Lord that we would humble ourselves before you so that you can exalt us even God when we don’t understand but I know there are different ways that the people of Calvary are suffering or have recently suffered or will suffer and so they need this truth so I pray spirit that you would work my deleting your people now in Jesus name Amen all right well let’s start at the beginning please open your Bibles to book of Job chapter 1 if you’re not familiar job is roughly in the middle of the Old Testament right before the books of Psalms and proverbs might be wondering why some people think job appears between the tower Babel and the patriarchs of Israel to answer briefly I’m just gonna quote some of the details listed in the jalmer carthoris teddy bible what are some of the reasons we think that job comes next well jobs lifespan we’re not told his precise age at the beginning of the story but he is old enough to deserve respect it’s a serve as an elder yet he’s young enough to be able to have more children at the end of the book of Job he actually lives in another 100 40 years one hundred and forty years this is beyond whatever age he was in the beginning so Joe probably lived more than two hundred years or more and for comparison Abraham lived only 175 years so Jobe fits that period of still long life but decreasing lifespan after the Tower of Babel another detail the social unit in the book of Job is the patriarchal family the Chaldeans who I mentioned in job are still nomads and not city dwellers jobs wealth is measured livestock primarily and not in gold or silver that’s typical of the patriarchal time sometimes after Babel job has a priestly function within his family and probably most significantly there’s a basic silence in the book of Job on such important subjects as the Covenant of Abraham people of Israel the Exodus and the law so all these things make us think Joe probably took place after the Babel but before or just around the same time as Abraham and who wrote the book of Job we don’t know he often never identifies himself we might think that it’s Jobe himself since he would be the best one to remember all these details remember the dialogue between his friends and it is quite an extensive dialogue but though it could have been Joe but probably isn’t the case because the message of the book of job depends on Jobe not understanding what God was really doing so it’d be strange for God to try and present this lesson and then tell Jobe what’s going on another Talmudic tradition Jewish tradition is that Moses wrote the book of Job he could have done that even if he lived after the facts by God’s Spirit and by oral tradition passed down that the Spirit was guiding job to and not you of Moses to accurately write down that could have been the way Moses wrote it could have been Solomon even though Solomon lived even later than Joe the same same process of inspiration could have enabled Solomon to write it and Jobe is considered one of the wisdom books the Old Testament Solomon wrote most the other wisdom books sometimes Allah who is mentioned as a possible author of joke but in the end we can’t say for sure now let’s start reading through the first two chapters of Joe but we’re gonna take this in little little pieces I’ll start with just Jobe 1 verses 1 to 5 we’re gonna serve these different sections and after looking chapters 1 and 2 we’ll come back with some interpretation questions so job 1 verses 1 to 5 these fall as I read there was a man in the Land of Oz whose name was Joe that man was blameless upright fearing God and turning away from evil seven sons and three daughters are born to him his possessions also were seven thousand sheep three thousand camels five hundred yoke of oxen five hundred female donkeys and very many servants net man was the greatest of all the men at the east his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day and they would send in and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them when the days of feasting had completed their psycho job would send and consecrate them rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all for job said perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts thus Joe did continually alright let’s just start with observations of this little section notice the descriptions of Jove in verse one blameless upright fearing God turning away from evil these descriptions roughly mean the same thing so why would the author use so many of the descriptions together that all mean the same thing exactly this is for emphasis and this is not unlike a certain another person that we’ve talked about recently in Genesis Noah also had this kind of treatment or repeated descriptions all use right next to each other to show this is a thoroughly righteous man get the point this is a righteous man we’re also told that Jobe lived in the land of us us is the name of one of Aaron’s descendants remember we talked about the descendants of Genesis 10 not too long ago Arum is a descendant of Shem and Arum settles in the land of Syria that’s why some Bibles actually translate the name Arum as Syria so where’s US we don’t know exactly but it probably wasn’t too far from Syria considering the line of descent so probably south or east of Syria or even in the land of Syria as we’re jobless notice Joe has ten children seven sons and three daughters it’s a nice nice family there notice his level of wealth he’s extremely rich text goes so far as to call him the greatest of all men of the East is tons of livestock tons of servants and enough wealth for his kids to be holding feasts pretty much every day on this job though is also offering sacrifices on behalf of his children because this is afraid that perhaps they’ve sinned and not made offering to God he wants to offer on their behalf and notice it says that he did this continually jobs offering sacrifices for his children continually so here we get a basic sense of who job is and what kind of wealthy acts now let’s read verses 6 to 12 back chapter 1 verses 6 to 12 now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh and Satan also came among them he always said where’s the Lord Yahweh Yahweh he always said to Satan from where do you come then Satan answered Yahweh and said from roaming about on the earth and walking around on it he always said to Satan have you considered my servant job or there is no one like him on the earth a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil then Satan answered Yahweh does job fear God for nothing have you not made a hedge about him in his house and all that he has on every side you have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land I put forth your hand now and touch all that he has you will surely curse you to your face then you always said the Satan behold all that he has is in your power only do not put your foot forth your hand on him so Satan departed from the presence of Yahweh alright let’s observe here notice this scene takes place before Yahweh probably in God’s throne room in heaven notice who’s there the sons of God Yahweh and Satan sons of God here understood as angels notice who starts the conversation how does notice you first mentions joke God does and notice how God describes joke many of the same descriptions we just heard earlier in chapter one but God adds the job is God’s servant and that there is no one like him on the earth as if we needed more emphasis about the righteousness of Joe but Satan gives a cynical explanation for why job fears God job only fears God because God blesses job materially and he protects job God has given job many possessions and what’s a Satan say will happen if God takes away jobs possessions job will curse God to God’s face so absolute rejection and repudiation of God I notice God’s response to this accusation from Satan God gives Satan permission to do anything to do anything to what Joe has but he will not let say in touch job himself now we’ll ask him interpretation questions in a little bit but let’s continue to observe let’s now look at the last section of chapter 1 verses 13 to 22 by the way you notice there’s no observations appearing on the slide there’s just too many to list too many sections here so keep them in your mind and on the slides I’ll put some interpretation questions in a moment but now let’s look at chapter 1 verses 13 to 22 13 to 22 now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house a messenger came to JoVE and said the oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them and the Sabine’s attacked and took them they also slew the servants with the edge of the sword and I alone have escaped to tell you well he was still speaking another also came and said the fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them I alone have escaped to tell you while he was still speaking another also came and said the Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword and I a mistake to tell you while he was still speaking another also came and said your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine and their oldest brother’s house house and behold a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house and it fell on the young people and they died and I alone have escaped to tell you then job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and he fell to the ground and worshiped he said naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I shall return there Yahweh gates and Yahweh has taken away blessed be the name of Yahweh through all this joke did not sin nor did he blame God here’s an amazing passage especially its ending let’s observe again Jobe gets messages from four messengers in this passage and notice how far apart each messenger arrives each one arrives while the other one is still speaking and they come with tidings of great calamity for great calamities announced to JoVE all at once first the sabaeans they stole all of his oxen and donkeys and kill job servants by the way the word sabaeans is Sheba in Hebrew so it would have indicated one of the people groups mentioned in Genesis 10 – times we see Sheba there so we have the Sabean raid then second fire fell from heaven and burned up all the sheep and all the servants who were attending them inspired for heaven may refer to lightning but they’re all they’re all burned up third the Chaldean Raiders they came and took all of job’s camels and they killed the servants that were attending them and then fourth and finally the wind blew down the older brother’s house in all of job’s children were killed now that is a dagger in the heart is it not job you’ve lost all your wealth and on top of that all of your children I mean imagine the pain of this losing one shot but he loses all of them all at once in probably less than five minutes job has lost all of his earthly treasures essentially aside from his wife but how does Joe respond he grieves that’s what tearing your clothes and shaving your head is all about but he also worships he grieves and he worships he might have admired him if he simply grieved would say oh how stalwart of job he’s he hasn’t done any more than that but he does do more than that he acknowledges the transience of all earthly possessions and he calls down a blessing on the name of God he acknowledges that everything he had was given to him by God and that God has the complete right to take it all away blessed be the name of Yahweh he says at verse 22 also mentions lest we miss it that through all this joke did not sin nor did he blame God how did dope joke do that how is that possible the smallest thing happens to us we get late for a job interview say and we start blaming God yeah God how could you do this to me how is it that joke didn’t sin at all and even find occasion to bless God’s name we’ll come back to that question but Joe was not done being afflicted let’s go to chapter 2 now chapter 2 1 2 6 let’s read the next section again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh and Satan also came among them to present himself before Yahweh you always said to Satan where have you come from and Satan answered Yahweh and said from roaming about on the earth I’m walking around on it you always said to Satan have you considered my servant job there is no one like him on the earth a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil and he still holds fast his integrity although you incited me against him to ruin him without cause say an answered yo way and said skin for skin yes all that a man has he will give for his life whoever put forth your hand now and touch his bone in his flesh he will curse you to your face so he always said to Satan behold he is in your power only spare his life that’s observed this next section notice for back in God’s throne room sequence of events plays out in the same order that previously did in Chapter 1 God starts the conversation with Satan God brings up Jobe God again notices jokes blamelessness but he adds a new description he says Jobe still holds fast his integrity is not departed from it but Satan doesn’t admit defeat it proposes a new challenge proposes that god affliction maybe someone will be ok with losing all his stuff but touch his own health make him physically miserable and he will abandon and curse you Oh God Satan says God gives permission for such affliction but requires that Satan spare job’s life so what happens next look at verses 7 to 10 and Satan went out from the presence of Yahweh and smoke job with sore boils from the sole of his foot the crown of his head and he took a pot sure to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes and his wife said to him you still hold fast your integrity curse God and die but he said to her you speak as one of the foolish women speaks shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity and all this job did not sin with his lips his shorter section here let’s observe notice what Satan did to Joe he struck him with boils all over his body not just boils but sore boils until what exactly is this referring what are these boils these inflamed parts appearing all over his body what disease is this what affliction is this we can’t say can’t say for sure don’t get a complete medical description here we do get a few other details though later on and Joe for example job seven five job seven five job says my flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt my skin hardens and runs it’s in a sense of like emitting a pus and joke thirty thirty joke thirty thirty he says also my skin turns black on me and my bones burn with fever so whatever joke had whatever skin condition and whatever affliction Joe had it was pretty bad this was a maybe some type of painful leprosy or skin parasite or some combination of sickness this was miserable and notice what joke does for relief he scraped himself with a piece of pottery while he sits in ashes and then to top it all off job’s wife gives him some difficult advice some heart-rending advice she says joke just curse God and die now we sometimes think of that advice being almost funny because of how unhelpful it is like doing wife do you really have to say that when I’m suffering all this but I think I think this comes from a motivation that we don’t often think about jokes wife probably loves him she’s in toward all this infliction with job and then she’s had to watch as her his health has deteriorated rapidly not only feels bad for Joe but she she sees him and he just looks horrified so what does she think likely she she can’t see God as anything but cruel how could you do this guy to me and to my husband and therefore she invites Jobe to spite God with a curse and then seek his own relief in death Joba I can’t bear to see this happen to you obviously God has abandoned us and is cruel so spite God curse him and die stick your own release even though this may be born of some compassion for job she has in a sense turned her back on God he’s not trusted in through this and has in a sense become a tool of the devil tempting Jobe to sin but notice job’s righteous response to her and it really his practice he says you speak like a foolish woman shouldn’t we accept both good and adversity from the Lord this is this is gracious he’s saying you’re speaking foolishly this is not typical of you my wise wife my God fearing life don’t you remember who the Lord is how we should respond to him it’s amazing that Joe can say that when he’s the one suffering in particular and text says again and all this job did not sin with his lips now take away all his possessions afflict him with the most painful disease and joke still does not sin or abandon the Lord you may notice that description is not quite as full as it was in chapter 1 I don’t think there’s necessarily anything significant about that it’s not as if job didn’t sin with his lips but he’s sitting in his heart I don’t think we have to say that because the rest of the chapter in chapter 2 says that Joe was holding fast his integrity so he hasn’t seen it you’ve been in physical affliction he has not turned away from Yahoo so what are we to think of all this let’s collect these observations now and ask some interpretation questions how would you describe the relationship of God and Satan when it comes to Satan acting on the earth how did you say yeah so hey Satan submits to God God is in complete control of Satan Satan cannot act without God’s permission and isn’t that so emphatic in the text Satan comes into God’s presence it’s God who directs the conversation Satan wants to do certain things a joke he has to get permission from God and even when God gives Satan permission he set strict parameters on what Satan can do you’ve heard me say this before I think but this is why Martin Luther once famously remarked that the devil is God’s devil devil is God’s devil not that God approves of or takes part in Satan’s evil schemes but the devil can do no more than what God purpose is really what God has already determined will serve God’s glorious and good will the first at this point when Jose make when Jobe makes comments on his circumstances to whom does he attribute his circumstances to Satan not to Satan that’s a god he says shall we not accept adversity from Yahweh from God he recognized that it’s God in control here God is the one doing this ultimately even though the agents see so these first two chapters what attribute of God do they most specifically emphasize it’s not God’s sovereignty is transcendent sovereign but why do this I go through all of this why does God accept this challenge from the devil it’s not as if God is really wondering what’s going on in job’s heart what will really happen if job loses all his material blessings God is omniscient he sees the heart he knows what Jobe is and what Jobe will do so I go through with it why a flick job to the max for no reason it’s God trying to prove well that’s that question let’s ask another question what we did have said about God if Jobe did abandon God as soon as joven material blessings disappeared if job said I hate God I’m no longer gonna follow him anymore what that is said about God we did not have defamed him would it not have said no God is really not worth holding on to he doesn’t give you what you want doesn’t give you health and wealth we’ll forget God but on the flip side if job stays with God worships God calls down blessings on God even when God takes away jokes health and blessings what does that say about God it says that God is the greatest treasure doesn’t it the God is most important God is everything so I think we can return to the earlier question I raised how is it that joven toward how is it that job did not sin and abandon God and all of this that’s that same truth because God was his treasure because he saw God as satisfying if you hold God as your treasure if you behold God as wonderful then you will be able to endure even the greatest calamity even without earthly blessings if you have God just because of who he is because of how worthy is you have the Fountain of Life so what really does it matter if you lose earthly treasures it doesn’t mean it won’t be saw involved but your soul is still at rest I’m thinking of that hemline let good and kindred go this mortal life also the body they may kill yeah I think it’s Martin Luther right this is what God is able to testify through the book of Job even in just these first two chapters God says behold my great worth when I reveal myself to someone by faith he will never abandon me I am that great and I am worthy of all worship have you discovered that about God we still might ask even if that’s the point is God really just and good to make the point this way you think about it in his sovereignty God has permitted the deaths of job servants and his family members and he’s brought intense suffering to Joe if you’re trying to prove how good god is how can a good God do that how can he bring all that evil that’s suffering and still be good I’m not sure that any of us can fully answer that question this is actually gonna be also a part of the book of Job that’s showing it something about how transcendent God’s ways are above ours God surely had good purposes not just for Joe but in the lies there everyone around you it’s not as if you said I only care about Jobe forget you servants know God is intimately caring working accomplishing his purpose is for everyone involved all at the same time this is what God does he’s able to do that but here’s one thing we can say beholding God seeing his glory and directing others to see it also is more important than life itself beholding God is the source of all joy so if God is going to do that that is the greatest good man can receive let me think about it what does Paul say in the New Testament to live is Christ God is light what did Jesus say you come to me you come to the fountain of living waters now what did he say to the father in John 17 is high priestly prayer this is eternal life what is that they may know you the Father and Jesus Christ whom you have sent no God is life to know God is joy that’s the highest good for man it’s even greater than lights Joe it’s a righteous man as a wise man he understood this that’s why he endured but he was going to understand it better at the end of this ordeal and this is the same for all of us isn’t it if you’re in Christ to some extent you understand that God is your ultimate treasure but as you’re sanctified through temptations and sufferings you realize even more just how much of a treasure God is you realize even more just how worthy and valuable and precious he is job’s gonna do the same thing and job also he’s going to understand the humbling limits of his own knowledge of his own ability to understand this is something we have to realize – at the end of chapter Joe or end of chapter 2 of Joe we don’t read this all to summarize it three friends come to visit Jobe these friends are Elif as Bildad and Zophar and they come to job to comfort him to grieve with him but if you know the story they end up not doing that they had a puff lick ting choke and their dialogue with Joe makes up the majority of the book and this dialogues entirely made up of Hebrew poetry notice it’s probably set that way and the stanzas in your in your Bibles that’s kind of interesting because that means either these ancient men they actually spoke this way to one another or that this is an inspired and accurate summary of their conversation recorded in poetic form doesn’t mean it’s inaccurate no Spirit of God is working this working to record this and so this is accurate and this is authoritative though it may not be exactly the words that they used now we don’t have time to read through all 35 chapters of their conversation but my study of job I came up with a summary of each one of the chapters of their of their conversation between these men I’ll just present it to you briefly what are they saying to one another in the chapters that precede I’m just gonna report this to you as a dialogue on won’t mention you to chapter number it but what do job and his friends have to say the discussion centers on why all this affliction has come upon job and job starts the discussion job says death is better than life I wish I had died at birth and not seen this trouble elephants you must be in sin so man can never be blameless and a boycotts punishment God’s judgment hurts but his blessings heal therefore repent Joe you do me wrong to accuse me if you’re so sure I’m sinful of what sin am i guilty God appears to want to torture me endlessly for past sins of which I’ve already repented Bildad your calamity is evidence of judgment for sin therefore repent and be blessed job I’m sure I’m innocent though I could never win a case against God I wish I knew why God delights in oppressing me so far God has more understanding than you you think you’re innocent but God knows you’re not job God is all power and is responsible for the rise and fall of both the righteous and the wicked but you’re a defenses of God make him unjust I believe God is just there for I wish I could speak with him and see why all this is happening God why are you determined to show me evil not good I long for your goodness LFS job don’t be like the wicked with visible eyes and swift acts Joe God continually abuses me the lime innocent only had an advocate before him even my friends have betrayed me I have no hope Bildad remember Joe but the life the wicked is misery repent Jobe please just comfort me and stop accusing me I still trust in God though I am sure I am innocent so far the wicked have no joy in this life only misery and destruction Jobe contrary to your ancient wisdom any wicked people prosper LFS your wickedness is very great agree with God’s judgment on your sin and people asked again Jobe I cling to God I believe he will acquit me it appears God does not rescue people from their oppressors or does he reproved those oppressors God actually allows many oppressors to prosper for a while before they die Bildad man can never be pure enough in God’s sight to avoid judgment Jobe how was it you think you understand God he is unfathomable I already know that the way of the wicked is followed I cling to my innocence the only one with wisdom is God man can only gain wisdom from God himself I once was blessed by God because of my righteousness now my state is miserable God does not remember my righteousness or turn to help me when I cried in I agree that if I had been sinful this calamity would have been just punishment but I am innocent Elijah elihue’s not one of jokes friends but he’s a young companion who seems to have come with this group he starts to speak now let a young one speak Joe you’re wrong to say God doesn’t reprove wicked men God does speak to them through dreams and visions and merciful healings Joe you were wrong to question God’s this God is never unjust or misinformed about anyone job you are wrong to find fault with God’s attitude toward oppression I was not obligated to judge men on this earth or to respond to the afflicted cries of those who do not acknowledge job God does indeed punish evil and reward good don’t become so obsessed with seeing God’s justice yourself that you fall into sin job can you understand the storms that God sends on the earth what would stand their power what makes you think you can understand God or stand before him that’s at the mention of storms and whirl winds the God himself appears God Himself breaks into the discussion this is where we’re gonna go next we’re now gonna examine the last part of the book of Job these last four chapters and we’ll do different sections look at joke 38 joke 38 and we’ll look at verses 1 to joke 38 starting verse 1 then Yahweh answered a job out of the whirlwind and said who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge now grown up your loins like a man and I will ask you and you instruct me where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth tell me if you have understanding who said its measurements since you know well who stretched the line on it on what words bases sunk or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy holder stop there notice God commands joke prepare to be questioned by me God then lays a series of questions at joke you may notice though that these questions are all rhetorical this is not these are not questions designed for job to actually respond but what are they designed to expose how would you say why is God asking Jovi’s questions wenting out of contrast right between whom between Joe and God these questions are designed to expose the differences between job and God these questions all have to do with creation how God made the world and how God sustains the world not just these questions but the questions that follow how God cares to the creatures of the world how God knows about the creatures of the world these are all things that joke does not have knowledge about or they are things that the answer is who has this knowledge who did this God you did I didn’t do that notice though even from these first seven verses God has nothing to say about why he’s afflicted Joe Jobe says I wish I knew why God was doing this to me God is not explaining that he doesn’t do it in these seven verses and he doesn’t do it in the questions that follow this questioning that begins here in chapter 38 it’s gonna continue all the way until the end of chapter 41 just a barrage of questions and observations from God that show how different Joe B is from God though God does take a short break at chapter 40 turn to chapter 40 you might remember in some of these chapters we talked about behemoth and Leviathan they appear in these chapters as examples of things that God knows about and God controls but Jobe doesn’t but in chapter 40 verses 1 to 5 God takes a short little break to see if Joe has anything to say ok chapter 40 verses 1 to 5 then you always said to Jobe well the fall fighter contended with the Almighty let him who reproves God answer it then job answered Yahweh and said old I am insignificant what can I reply to you I lay my hand in my mouth once I have spoken and I will not answer you’ve been twice that wasn’t enough in terms of God’s questioning joke did have a certain response but God had more questions for Joe and God does give more questions after this section here in chapter 40 until he lets Jobe speak again at the beginning of chapter 42 look at chapter 42 verses 1 to 6 chapter 42 verses 1 to 6 so God just finished talking about Leviathan chapter 41 says look no man can handle this creature but I handle this creature and then job says beginning in chapter 42 first one then job answered Yahweh and said I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted who is this that hides counsel without knowledge therefore I have declared that which I did not understand things too wonderful for me which I did not know here now I will speak I will ask you and you instruct me I have heard of you by the hearing of the year now my eye sees you therefore I retract and I repent in dust and ashes so what is Jobe acknowledging to God in these two replies chapter 40 here or chapter 40 and then chapter 42 soap acknowledges because God is all-powerful and all-knowing and job is not job has no right to ever question what God is doing job has no right job is no ability because the difference between God and Jove is that great nowhere in God speech to job does God explained to job why God did what he did or the purpose of job suffering rather through all of this what is God doing is there mining job that joke must simply trust him God is always just God is always good God is always wise no person not job not you and not me no person has the right or ability to question God or his motives at any time and that truth is not meant to depress you it’s meant to liberating because remembering the difference between you and God means that you really can trust him and it will give you the ability to endure even great trials this truth it should cause you to cling to promises like Romans 8:28 and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose that verse is not simply a platitude or somewhat overused scriptural band-aid that is bedrock that is a foundation for you when you endure various trials because you can trust your God all things work together for good both good events and bad events if you belong to Jesus Christ so does getting fired from your job work to your good it does is having a miscarriage work to your good it does is even being killed by Isis because you’re a Christian work together for your good it does but we asked how how could these things work to my good and things like these you know if you like it to the flesh it certainly doesn’t look like it to non sanctified eyes but let’s learn the primary lesson of job we will often not see specifically how something is good how something is wise or how something is just but we can know that it is because we know God and because we know God’s unchanging character so we don’t have to have the dots filled in for us the dots connected for us sometimes we can sometimes we can’t but when we can’t who say I will still trust God guys he knows what he’s doing now of course the Bible does reveal specifically certain benefits that come from trials and tragedies things like the refinement of Christian character to be more like Christ an opportunity to witness Christ to the world confirmation to us over the genuineness of our own faith and for those who don’t know God trials and tragedies can even draw them to God in repentance and faith and even Christians can be drawn to repentance in this way but again even when we can’t see the specific benefit the specific wisdom but the specific justice of an act of God we must still humble ourselves before God as Jobe did God is the Potter we are the clay so now what Romans 9 says and think about the difference between clay and a Podrick think about the intelligence difference the wisdom difference clay doesn’t even have a mind it was never trained it was never educated God says this is a picture the difference between me and you my ways my wisdom my understanding and yours God’s the Creator we are merely creatures King David I think rightly captured the attitude we should have in Psalm 131 it’s a short Psalm Psalm 131 I’ll just quote it to you it’s only three verses but this is what David said o Yahweh my heart is not proud nor my eyes haughty nor do I involve myself in great matters boring things too difficult for me surely I have composed and quieted my soul like a weaned child rests against his mother my soul is like a weaned child within me Oh Israel hope in Yahweh from this time forth and forever to hear the truth of that song says I don’t go above my paygrade Israel trust God Solomon saw the same thing it records it succinctly in proverbs 3:5 you know this verse proverbs 3:5 trust in Yahweh with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding so brethren think about what this truth means for your lives right now what are the trials that you’re going through are you left without answers or you’d be wildered as to how God is being faithful to himself into his word don’t despair remember how much bigger God is how much more transcendent his ways are in this life we may never understand why God did or allowed a certain thing to happen to us or to those we love God why why did I get this sickness God why why did you allow that person to die it might not never get the answers to that but we can know that God is always good he’s always wise he’s always just he doesn’t owe us an explanation we owe him our trust and one more thing we can know that we will eventually see our faith vindicated because this is what God demonstrates in the last part of the book of Job you see the book doesn’t simply end what job’s repute it ends with God’s generous restoration of job look at job 42 verses 10 to 17 GEB 42 verses 10 to 17 Yahweh restored the fortunes of Joe when he prayed for his friends and Yama increase all that Jobe had to fold then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him and they ate bread with him in his house and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that Yahweh had brought up and each one gave him a piece of money and each a ring of gold yahweh blessed the latter days of job more than his beginning and he had 14,000 sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand female donkeys he had seven sons and three daughters and in the first jemima in the second Kezia and the third karen hapu in all the land no women were found so fair as job’s daughters and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers after this Jobe lived one hundred forty years and saw his sons and his grandsons for generations in joke died an old man and full of days and again no explanation no explanation from God to Joe God’s ways are indeed mysterious and past understanding but they’re always just and wise and compassionate God was not obligated to do for Joe but he did here not obligated the jut to double joe’s possessions but he did so because it fit his perfect purposes and who God is he wanted to demonstrate that God does indeed know how to reward the righteous and this is exactly what james511 says james511 james writes we count those blessed who endured you have heard of the endurance of job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful so God will vindicate our faith yes let bring us through bewildering staggeringly painful trials but he will vindicate our faith and he will reward the righteous now two quick questions before we end one question we might ask is did job sin he didn’t sit in the beginning for sure we hear that explicitly but the questioning and complaining that takes place in chapters three to thirty seven did job fall into sin and is he not to be imitated let’s be careful in answering this question because on the one hand God clearly rebukes job for finding fault with God seeking practically demanding an explanation from God for that reason job confessed his fault and he repented as joe says he does on the other hand job is held up in other parts the bible like james that we just read as an example of righteousness and endurance and we didn’t read this but god instructs job’s friends at the end of the book of Job to ask Joe to pray on their behalf because God says to them in joke forty two seven my wrath is kindled against you Alif as and against your two friends because you have not spoken to me what is right as my servant job has huh God after all that discussion he commends Joe for speaking rightly about God so did two jokes in or didn’t he did he have to repent or didn’t he I think the answer is a little bit about job certainly didn’t sin initially even when he lost his health proving necesitan was dead wrong about the worth of God and the power of faith but in the subsequent conversation due to the constant provocation of his friends and the weakness of his own flesh Jobe slipped into sin it was not wrong for Jobe to present his grease to God or even expressed to God how he didn’t understand what God was doing and we see the same thing in many other parts of Scripture go to Habakkuk go to the Psalms you hear this it’s not wrong for God’s people to lament to God to say God I don’t understand this is really painful for me additionally job does affirm even in his lament his continued and fundamental devotion to God but job aired at times when he actually began to question God motives and in seeking to or seeking and demanding an explanation from God as to how job circumstances were just and good but overall job is an example of righteous endurance one final question in light of the trials that joke faced and would you respond to someone who made the claim that trials in your life for an illness that you’re suffering is the result of unrepentant sin this is important sometimes trials or sicknesses are the direct results of sin sin does have natural consequences after all even when we repent example you you have an immoral lifestyle and you contract a sexually transmitted disease even if you repent that consequence remains with you that’s just a natural outcome that’s a consequence of sin sin does bring this kind of experience but trial or sickness is not necessarily the result of sin as we see with Joe God may simply be sanctifying us or working some grand purpose that we don’t understand and you remember that section in the New Testament disciples find this man who’s blind from birth they say who sinned this man or his parents that you’d be born blind I mean look he’s got this terrible calamity there must be sin involved somewhere sin brought this about Jesus says no it wasn’t this man or his parents this happens to the glory of God might be displayed in his life it’s the same with us and we should also remember that God’s not going to have to punish us because a even if you’ve repented scene needs punishment no if we’re in Christ all our sin has already been punished at the cross there’s nothing left over for us to pay even the sins we’ve yet to commit they have been judicially satisfied at the cross so it’s not as if God has to say sorry I still got his app you know that’s all done so remember this looking to positive or negative circumstances in your life to understand God’s will or his approval of you is an error it is a mistake and it is one of the most common mistakes that Christians make and have made since the time of Christ let us remember that God does not speak to us through circumstances if you want to know whether God approves you where God approves of a choice that you’ve made in your life what is the only way to know it’s the Scriptures if the revealed will of God if you want to know what pleases God go to what he said because anything else can be misinterpreted things going well for you doesn’t mean God accrues of you have a peace in your heart doesn’t mean that you’re doing the right thing many people have peace in their hearts when they did evil you just have a feeling that God wants you to do a certain thing that might be right might be wrong because your feelings have to be informed by truth and where do we find truth only reliable presentation of truth is the scriptures that’s why Deuteronomy 29:29 says the secret things belong to the Lord but the things reveal they belong to us and to our sons so that we might keep this law we might keep God’s law so when you encounter a trial you encounter sickness don’t say or when you see it in somebody else don’t say oh this must be because of sin it’s always good to check your life to see am I not walking with the Lord remember it may just be the god of sanctifying you through that mashenka find another person glorifying himself through the trial let’s not make the same mistake that job’s friends made they said true things about God but they miss applied that truth all right it went a little bit a little bit over there there’s more to say about the book of Job we’ve tried to cram it all in one lesson but and I’ll have to do for today you have questions about the lesson or question about the things I’ve said please email me that’s all for this week next week we go back to Genesis and we finally encounter certain man named Abram that’s closing prayer Lord we know that we must humble ourselves before you in light of what we’ve heard from the book of Job today that’s not only what we must do but that’s the way to joy when we question you well we demand an explanation from you will not have joy it’s not the way you design us to be who designed us to depend on you and to remember the difference between us and you God we thank you that you are good just and wise and that even when we don’t understand we can rest in that in Lord we can also rest in the truth that you vindicate those who look to you you will be faithful that even when man is unfaithful you will be faithful and you prove yourself for reward of the righteous we’re not righteous in our own God but we are we have been made righteous in Christ and we thank you for that well it helps to walk in righteousness and in faith before you and be with us just as you promised you already will be with us in every trial in Jesus name Amen thank you see you again next week