God Breaks the Silence

Open your Bibles, if you would, to Job chapter 38.

Job 38 · chapter mention

If you're using the Pew Bible, don't have a Bible of your own, I would encourage you to turn there.

It's on page 443, Job 38.

We head into the homestretch, as it were, of our study in the book of Job.

And finally the moment is here.

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally come in Job 38,

where up to this point God has been audibly silent.

We've been learning about the suffering and the silence of God,

and God has been silent to Job, silent to his friends,

at least in an audible way up to this point, and finally God will speak.

We're going to hear his words.

What will he say?

How will he come and address the counsel that's been happening to Job's friends?

How will he address Job's heart and the strugglings and the wrestlings of his heart?

What will he say?

How will God set all the things back in order?

Well, of course, God has not been silent.

And we've seen that throughout the whole book.

And while his voice has not been audible,

it's clear that the truth about God has been present.

We've seen it in the address, the counsel of Job's friends.

We've seen it in Job himself, as he addresses God and draws truth out of creation.

We've seen it from Elihu and how Elihu will state very true things about God that he's observed in creation.

And of course, we know that this is the case.

As the psalmist says in Psalm 19, verses 1 to 4, he says,

Psalms 19:1–4

Notice all the times where voice and speech and knowledge

and declare and proclaim all of these words that describe the voice of God

that comes through the created order, the heavens that declare the glory of God.

God can be perceived and truth about God can be known through creation.

It's an accurate picture, an accurate representation of God.

The challenge, though, comes to how we perceive this truth

and how we interpret the truths that can be known through the universe.

So that in Romans chapter 1, we find this in 19 and 20,

Romans 1 · chapter mention

What can be known about God is plain to them,

speaking about anyone who has access to creation and the world that God made.

Because God has shown it to them for his invisible attributes,

namely, his eternal power, his divine nature,

have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world

in the things that have been made so that they are without excuse.

God has made himself known.

God has declared truth about himself through creation

that is accurate, that is clear, that can be perceived,

that is accessible to us.

The problem, however, is that it's limited by our perspective.

It's limited by the way that we interpret the truths that we perceive.

That while we see God's nature,

while we can experience God's power,

it has to run through a filter, through a grid of our interpretation,

and we make assumptions based upon the truths we see.

So that when Romans 1 goes on,

it helps us understand what the inevitable conclusion is every time without the Scripture.

For although they knew God, it says,

they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.

But they became futile in their thinking,

and their foolish hearts were darkened.

We're going to see a measure of that as God addresses Job today,

and God says directly to Job,

who is this who darkens counsel?

That's where we're all left,

without the Scripture in front of us.

The way that we interpret the truths

is going to be polluted by our own assumptions about God.

We all know this.

There are, I'm sure, a number of times where you have observed situations,

and you thought you knew the facts,

and you thought you were able to kind of discern what was going on,

but you realize later on that your assumptions were made improperly.

This past Friday night,

our family was at a sporting event,

and there was a family sitting just in front and to the left of us,

and three of the members of this family,

a little girl who was seven,

and two young women who were there.

And she was skipping on the tops of the bench that was there,

the bleachers that were there,

hopping from the top to the bottom,

and then on the way to the top.

And I turned to look at the sporting event,

and all of a sudden I hear a thud.

And then I hear a, ah, a cry.

And I turn and look, and here's this little girl.

She's down on the floor of the bleachers,

and she's crying her eyes out.

And the young woman who's sitting next to her says,

will you stop it already?

Will you just be quiet?

That's enough.

And I thought to myself,

wow, that seems a little hard.

What should I do?

Should I intervene?

Should I help to provide some tenderness that's missing?

And what I came to discover over a little bit of time,

in talking to this little girl through the rest of the evening,

is that she is a,

she is one of ten siblings in a family.

And so I asked her, you know, the obvious question,

hey, so you're the youngest of ten.

Would you say that you get the most attention or the least attention?

And without hesitation, she said, the most attention.

And I thought to myself, okay, now this makes sense.

She has learned how to manipulate the situation

and to get the attention that she really, really wants.

And she was fine.

And her sister, who was sitting there, older sister,

knew that she was fine,

knew that she was a drama queen,

knew that she often does this to try to get attention

and just to be, just be quiet.

I've had enough.

And it was a delightful interchange the rest of the evening

as she talked our ear off

and we got to know the family a little bit better.

But God has made himself known through creation.

There are things that we can perceive,

truths that we can perceive about God,

but it's limited because we're missing the conversation.

And it wasn't until our family,

I had a conversation with this little girl

that now things began to be clear

and now I was beginning to read things in the right way.

We're going to see

through the course of our time this morning

that God is going to show up

and God is going to now begin to set things straight for Job.

He's had a lot of things right.

He's declared a lot of truths about God,

but he's come to the wrong conclusions about God.

And now God will finally break the silence

and help to establish who he really is

and help to set the grid

by which his creation needs to be understood.

So open up, if you would,

if you're not already there,

to Job chapter 38.

Job 38 · chapter mention

We're going to cover this morning,

the plan was to cover chapter 38 and 39,

but my plan is just to cover verses 1 to 3,

and then we'll come back to the rest of it next week.

We're just going to lay the foundation for this

and help us understand the framework

for what God is doing,

maybe review a lot of the complaints that Job had,

kind of catch us up to where we are in this study

so we can really appreciate what God is doing here.

And it's amazing.

Job 38 verses 1 to 3 says this,

Job 38:1–3

Here at the very beginning,

the Lord will answer Job.

The Lord answered Job.

And in his answer,

in the way that he answers,

we're going to see three very distinct

and very significant things about God.

Things that should encourage all of us

and certainly were a blessing to Job

through the course of this conversation.

That Job answered God

meant that God was present first of all.

First, God is present.

With these opening words,

then the Lord answered Job.

You can almost sense this sigh of relief.

God is here.

God is present.

God hasn't abandoned me.

God isn't really my enemy like I thought he was.

God has not pushed me aside.

God has not counted me as unworthy.

God is present.

God is here.

And God is speaking.

He's answered me.

Almost like a child

who's kind of wandered away in the store.

And maybe you've had this experience.

Maybe you've been that kid.

Or maybe you've been that parent.

Or you've told your kids who are younger,

Hey, stay close to me.

Don't move away from where I am.

This is a big store.

There are a lot of people here.

I don't want you to get lost.

But that child,

and maybe it was you,

you saw that thing in the last aisle.

You were passing by with your mom

and it just seemed so enticing.

You know, it had the button that said,

Touch here.

And you didn't get a chance to touch

because it was out of reach.

And you just want to go back

and see what touching does.

And so mom's not looking.

She's at the shelves.

And you kind of slip away

just briefly and quickly

to go do what you wanted to do

and to touch whatever it was

and to hear that sound

or to see that motion.

And then you make your way back

to the first aisle

where your mother was

and now she's missing.

You've been rebellious.

You've been disobedient.

You have done what your mom said not to do

in leaving her side.

And now you know there will be consequences

because of your disobedience.

But it does not matter.

Because all you want

is to have the presence of mom again.

And so what do you do?

You cry out,

Mommy, where are you?

Willing to accept whatever consequences might come.

But it doesn't matter

because you need Mommy to be there.

I'm lost.

I'm alone.

But all of that doesn't matter

as long as I have Mommy back in my presence.

And now Job

is finally experiencing the presence of God again.

And you can better believe

that Job is feeling a sense of relief.

Whatever my complaint was,

whatever the answer is,

it really doesn't matter

because God is here.

God is present.

And whatever consequences will come,

whatever this darkening of counsel means,

whatever the confrontation or rebuke will be,

at least God is present here.

At least God has come.

And Job knows it's going to be a terrible encounter.

He's stated so much through the course of this book.

We've seen back in Job chapter 9 verse 11

Job 9:11

and some of the complaints of Job's heart.

Behold, he says,

he passes by me

and I see him not.

He moves on,

but I do not perceive him.

Where is the Lord?

How then can I answer him,

choosing my words with him?

Though I am in the right,

I cannot answer him.

I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.

I don't understand what's going on here.

I used to enjoy such fellowship with God.

We had sweet communion together.

I worshipped him.

I pointed my family to him.

I enjoyed the blessings from him.

And somehow he's distant.

Somehow I feel like I've become his enemy

and I have no idea what has happened.

Oh God, just come and let me know what's taken place.

I'll fix whatever it is

and then we can get right on with how things were.

In Job chapter 13,

Job 13 · chapter mention

he echoes this complaint in verse 3.

But I would speak to the Almighty.

I desire to argue my case with God.

Withdraw your hand from me.

Let not dread of you terrify me.

Then call and I will answer

or let me speak and you reply to me.

How many are my iniquities and my sins?

Make me know my transgressions and my sins.

Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy?

That's really what this has been about.

It's not necessarily been about Job's complaint about God's injustice.

But it's been about Job understanding the justice of God

but also seeing the integrity of his own heart

and the two he just cannot reconcile.

How can both be true?

If I just speak with God,

he can set the record straight.

He can just tell me what's going on.

I can make this right.

We can get on with the way things were.

In Job 23,

I don't have this in the slide.

Oh, he says,

that I knew where I might find him,

that I might come even to his seat.

I would lay my case before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

There an upright man could argue with him

and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

Behold, I go forward but he is not there

and backward but I do not perceive him

on the left hand when he is working.

I do not behold him.

He turns to the right hand but I do not see him

but he knows the way I take.

When he has tried me,

I shall come out as gold.

Therefore, I am terrified of his presence

when I consider I am in dread of him.

Job understands that meeting with God

is a fearful venture

but if that's what it takes

to resolve the issue between him and God,

it's worth the cost.

More than anything,

Job just wanted to hear from God.

More than anything,

Job just wanted to understand

that things were good.

They were cleared.

That he could reconcile between God

and he could enjoy that relationship with him again.

But the counsel that he was getting

throughout the course of this book

is a counsel that would say,

God doesn't care about you.

God is not going to show up

and meet with you, Job.

Eliphaz would say

something along those lines in Job 5, verse 1.

Job 5:1

He says,

Call now.

Is there anyone who will answer you?

To which of the holy ones will you turn?

Job, God doesn't care about your situation.

God is not going to answer your pleas

for meeting with him.

The only way that God is going to meet with you

is if you resolve the sin in your life

and then maybe God will entertain

the possibility of meeting with you again.

Elihu will say much the same thing

in Job, chapter 35, verses 13 and 14.

Job 35:13

Surely God does not hear an empty cry,

nor does the Almighty regard it.

How much less when you say

that you do not see him,

that the case is before him

and you are waiting for him.

I'm quoting you, Job.

These are your words.

When you say that God does not hear you

and God is not there,

how can you imagine

that empty kinds of cries

are going to elicit a response from God?

And here we are in Job 38, verse 1.

Job 38:1

And the Lord answered.

The Lord answered because

the Lord delighted in Job.

And the Lord delights in answering

the cries of those who come to him.

Those who call on the name of the Lord

will be saved.

They will be delivered.

They will enjoy.

His help.

You see, Eliphaz didn't speak for God.

Elihu didn't speak for God.

They were both dead wrong.

And God shows up to answer Job.

And he will hear and answer those

who call on him in humility.

I want to take just a mini detour

so you can see the wonder of this God

that we serve from Psalm 107.

It's one of my favorites.

Who will God answer?

Who will God save?

Who will God deliver?

And we get snapshots of four different groups

of individuals who experience the delivering hand of God.

And the one similarity between every single one of them is

they will call

and they will ask for help

and God will deliver.

Notice this in verse 1.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord

for he is good.

His steadfast love endures forever.

His love is dependable.

His love is steady.

His love can be counted on.

You can count on the love of God.

Here are some examples.

Beginning in verse 4.

Some have wandered in the desert wastes

finding no way to a city to dwell in.

Hungry and thirsty their soul fainted within them.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble

and he delivered them from their distress.

He led them by a straight way

till they reached a city to dwell in.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love

for his wondrous works to the children of men.

Then moving down to verse 10.

Some sat in darkness in the shadow of death.

Prisoners in affliction in an iron.

For they had rebelled against the words of God

and spurned the counsel of the Most High.

Now, do you get that for a second?

They're experiencing the devastating consequences

of their own actions.

They're in prison.

They're experiencing difficulty and suffering

because of their own rebellion.

Verse 13.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.

He delivered them from their distress.

He brought them out of darkness

in the shadow of death.

He burst their bonds apart.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of men.

And in verse 17.

Some were fools through their sinful ways.

And because of their iniquities,

they suffered affliction.

They loathed any kind of food,

and they drew near to the gates of death.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.

He delivered them from their distress.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of men.

And in verse 23.

Some went down to the sea and ships

doing business on the great waters.

They saw the deeds of the Lord,

his wondrous works in the deep.

For he commanded and raised the stormy wind.

And I've underlined that

because that's the same word

as the whirlwind that we see in our passage.

Which lifted up the waves of the sea.

They mounted up to the heavens.

They went down to the depths.

Their courage melted away.

And in their evil plight.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.

He delivered them from their distress.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of men.

God delights in answering the prayers of those who cry.

He delights in the humility of those

who will recognize the desperation of their need.

And they turn to God and say,

Save me!

Deliver me!

Help me!

And the greatest deliverance we need, of course,

is the deliverance from sin.

And God sent his son Jesus

to deal with that on the cross

so that those who ask forgiveness for their sin

and believe that he died and rose again

can enjoy the benefits of forgiveness

in salvation and deliverance.

So we find from Romans chapter 10,

Romans 10:9–13

verses 9 to 13,

where it says,

Because if you confess with your mouth

that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart

that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes

and is justified,

and with the mouth one confesses

and is saved.

For the scripture says,

Everyone who believes in him

will not be put to shame.

There is no distinction

between Jew and Greek.

For the same Lord is Lord of all,

bestowing his riches on all

who call on him.

for everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord

will be saved.

Do you need deliverance this morning?

The greatest deliverance

you could ever need

is deliverance

of the bondage of sin in your life.

Is the forgiveness and cleansing

that comes from God

through belief in his son Jesus Christ.

And the deliverance that God gives

is not deliverance always

from the struggles that you face,

but it's always a struggle.

It's the deliverance that he gives,

the peace that passes understanding,

and the strength that God delivers

to carry us through

the trials that we face.

And an awareness of the fact

that God is present in our life,

even when he seems so distant

that God is there.

He delights in answering those

who call on him

because he's present.

Well, God is also powerful.

Not just present,

that God is powerful.

The Lord answered Job

out of the whirlwind

and said,

Who is this

that darkens counsel

by words without knowledge?

The fact that God shows up

in this whirlwind

is to establish emphatically

that he is a God

that cannot be trifled with.

He's a God

of unstoppable power.

He comes to Job

in this whirlwind

to help him recognize

that God is a force.

And of course,

Job understood

the force

and the power

and the supremacy

of God.

But he's reminded now,

again,

of God's power

in the whirlwind.

We'll see this again

in Job 40,

Job 40:6

verses 6 and 7.

Next week,

the Lord answered Job

out of a whirlwind

and said,

Dress for action

like a man.

I will question you

and you make it known to me.

Well, why a whirlwind?

It's a way

to arrest Job's attention.

It's a way for him

to recognize,

again,

in a very visual way

that God is in charge,

that God is powerful.

But so often

throughout the Old Testament

especially,

we see that God

shows up in this way

to show the unstoppable

nature of his power.

We see it in Isaiah

Isaiah 29:5–7

chapter 29,

verses 5 to 7,

where the nation of Israel,

Jerusalem in particular,

they're under siege.

And these powerful nations

are coming against them.

And from a human standpoint,

there was no answer.

There was no solution.

There was no helper.

But God shows up

through the prophet Isaiah

to say,

I am a helper

and I'm going to show you

how this is going to happen.

The multitude of your foreign foes

shall be like a small dust.

The multitude of the ruthless

like passing chaff.

In an instant,

suddenly,

you will be visited

by the Lord of hosts

with thunder and earthquakes

and a great noise.

With a whirlwind

and a tempest

and flame

and devouring fire.

And the multitude

of all the nations

that fight against Ariel.

It's another word

for Jerusalem.

All that fight against her

and her stronghold

and distress her

shall be like a dream,

like a vision

of a night.

Like nothing.

Nothing before the power

of God

represented

by Isaiah

as an earthquake

and a fire

and this tempest

or whirlwind.

This unstoppable power

is a way

for God

to demonstrate

through even

the physical world

that Job

and his friends

have been drawing from.

The nature of God

that has become

clear to them

is now showing up

and represented

once again

by power

in this whirlwind.

It reminds us as well

that grace

is cheap

without a proper

understanding

or fear

of God.

This tempest,

if you've ever been

in a situation,

maybe even a tornado,

I remember as a young child

and just moving

to Ohio

and growing up

in Cedarville,

it had a reputation

just a couple of years

before

of this huge tornado

that came through

and did massive

devastation

and as a

six-year-old boy,

I was terrified

of the tempest.

I had a hard time

getting to sleep

at night

because of

the power

of a tornado

and the whirlwind

as it were

and God

reminds us

through this whirlwind

that the grace

that he offers

to us

is cheap

unless we understand

his power,

unless we stand

in reverence

and fear

of him.

Job will even say

in chapter 9

verse 15,

though I am

in the right,

I cannot answer him.

I must appeal

for mercy

to my accuser.

He recognizes

that he stands

in reverence

to God

and he is pleading

for mercy.

You see,

we must never

lose sight

of the glory

of God.

We must never

make God common

and that's what

the writer

to the Hebrews

is constantly

referring to.

How through

our sin

and through

our disobedience

we bring God

down.

We make him

common.

It's okay,

I can offend him,

he's just like

anyone else.

Maybe that's not

what we say

in our hearts

but that's essentially

what we are

affirming

through our actions.

Job understood

the fear of God.

He understood

the terror

of standing

before him.

He understood

the mercy

and the grace

of God's presence

and that's what

he was appealing

to.

And finally here,

God is wise.

God is present.

God is powerful.

God is wise.

Again,

in verse 1,

the Lord answered

Job out of the whirlwind

and said,

Who is this

that darkens

counsel

by words

without knowledge?

Who do you think

you are,

Job?

The knowledge

you've had

about me

is so convoluted.

You're speaking

ignorantly.

And Job understood

the significance

of God's wisdom.

He appeals to that

in Job 28,

Job 28:28

verse 28,

when he says this,

he said to man,

behold the fear

of the Lord.

That is wisdom.

And to turn away

from evil

is understanding.

He understood

and grasped

some aspects

of this.

But there are also

times in Job's life

where he couldn't

compute,

he couldn't put

the pieces together

and so he made

assumptions about

God that weren't

true.

There are a number

of references

throughout the book

of Job that draw

on this illusion

of light and darkness.

light that appeals

or refers to

clarity

and truth

and darkness

that refers to

ignorance

and blindness

to the truth

that's in front of them.

In Job 12,

Job 12:22

verse 22,

Job says,

he uncovers

deep things

out of darkness.

He brings the shadow

of death

to life,

light.

He takes away

the understanding

of the chiefs,

of the people.

They grope

in the dark

without light.

Job understood

the significance

of getting wisdom

from God.

He desired

to have that wisdom.

He knew

there was a difference

between light

and darkness

and while he understood

some things

about God,

there were

some gaps

in his understanding.

It had been

concealed from him.

He had spoken

in ignorance.

He tried to put

the pieces together

but he made

the wrong

assumptions.

He was limited.

He was limited

because he didn't

have access

to the special

revelation,

the word of God

that we have access

to.

And so while he was

trying to reconcile

the justice of God,

he didn't have

a category

for life

after death.

And so in his mind

he thought

the justice of God

needed to be

meted out

in the here and now.

And so if

wicked people

prosper

and righteous

people suffer,

how can that

equate

and compare

with God's

justice?

He had no

category for

life after death.

And interestingly,

there is no

mention

by Job

or even

Job's friends

of Satan.

They had no

concept

of an

adversary,

the devil,

who is coming

against God's

plans and seeking

to undermine

God's good

things.

While they knew

about angels,

they seemed to be

oblivious to Satan

and his part

in all of these

things.

And so they

assign the

suffering to God

instead of seeing

that it's coming

through the avenue

of Satan

and seeking to

undo God's

plans.

And of course,

God is ultimately

in control.

In Job chapter 2

Job 2:3

verse 3,

God in speaking

with Satan

says,

Job still holds

fast his

integrity.

Although you,

Satan,

have incited me

against him

to destroy him

without reason.

God is ultimately

responsible.

He's the one

who permits

Satan

to do his

thing.

But Satan

is the one

who is coming

after Job.

Satan is the one

who is unleashing

this suffering

on Job.

But Job doesn't

understand this.

And so in Job

Job 6:4

chapter 6

verse 4,

he says,

the arrows

of the Almighty

are in me.

My spirit

drinks their

poison.

The terrors

of God

are arrayed

against me.

In Job

Job 9:17

chapter 9

verse 17,

he says,

for he,

speaking of the

Lord,

crushes me

with a tempest

and multiplies

my wounds

without cause.

In Job

Job 19:6

19

verse 6,

8,

and 22,

he says,

God has

wronged me.

He has

fenced up

my way.

He has

stripped me

of glory.

He breaks

me down

on every

side.

He has

kindled

his wrath

against me.

He counts

me as

one of

his enemies.

The hand

of God

has struck

me.

And Job,

of course,

was wrong.

He speaks

ignorantly.

He's trying

to derive

the truths

that he knows

about his

own suffering

and he

doesn't

recognize

the parts

that he's

missing.

Of course,

God has

given to us

his word.

And in

Psalm 19,

God has

not only

given us

the words

of himself

through the

heavens,

the heavens

declaring the

glory of

God,

but the

rest of

the psalm

speaks about

the wonder

of the

scriptures

that we

have.

The law

of the

Lord is

perfect,

reviving

the soul.

The testimony

of the Lord

is sure,

making wise

the simple.

The precepts

of the Lord

are right,

rejoicing the

heart.

The commandment

of the Lord

is pure,

enlightening

the eyes.

The fear

of the Lord

is clean,

enduring forever.

The rules

of the Lord

are true

and righteous

altogether.

More to be

desired are

they than

gold,

even much

fine gold,

sweeter also

than honey,

and drippings

of the honeycomb.

Moreover,

by them

is your servant

warned.

In keeping

them,

there is

great reward.

God

the word

of God

now becomes

the compass

that we can

understand

the revelation

of God

through creation.

We can begin

to interpret it

and understand

it accurately.

And God

has given

to us

his word.

We have

the completed

revelation

of the word

of God

that we have

access to

every day.

I trust

and pray

that you

are allowing

your heart

to be

encouraged,

refined,

and directed

through the

words of

God day by

day.

As God

ministers to

you and

fellowships with

you through

the scriptures.

And finally,

we'll come

back to this

next week

and try to

fill this out

some more.

Not only

does the Lord

answer Job,

but we see

that the Lord

questions Job.

The Lord

questions Job.

We'll see

that in the

remaining parts

of chapter 38

and in chapter

39 and 40

and 41.

And what's

fascinating about

the way that

the Lord

questions Job

is how he

does it.

How will God

now that he

finally speaks,

how will God

finally address

Job's situation?

How will God

finally resolve

the conflict

that Job

has in his

heart?

How will God

help to

clarify

the confusion

that Job

had?

And God

says in verse

3,

dress for

action like

a man.

I will

question you

and you

make it

known to

me.

God begins

by establishing

who the

authority is.

God begins

by helping

Job to

understand

his rightful

place.

Not as one

who has

the right

to challenge

God,

but as the

one who

is a subject

of God

who is

over all.

And Job

is referred

to God

throughout this

book as

Shaddai,

the one

who is

over all

creation.

And God

wants Job

to be

reminded of

the fact,

remember

who your

creator is.

Remember

who the

one who

has the

right to

ask questions

is and

let that

settle your

own heart.

I just

want to

read a few

pieces of

this.

See if you

can begin

to hear the

answer that

God gives

to Job

about his

situation.

Verse 4,

Where were

you when

I laid

the foundation

of the

earth?

Tell me

if you

have

understanding.

Who

determined

its

measurements?

Surely

you know.

Or who

stretched

the line

upon it?

On what

were its

bases

sunk?

Or who

laid

its

cornerstone

when the

morning stars

sang together

and all

the sons

of God

shouted

for joy?

Verse 8,

Who shut

in the

seas with

the doors

when it

burst out

from the

womb?

Verse 12,

Have you

commanded

the morning

since your

days began

and caused

the dawn

to know

its place?

Verse 16,

Have you

entered

into the

springs of

the sea

or walked

in the

recesses

of the

deep?

Verse 19,

Where is

the way

to the

dwelling

of light?

Where is

the place

of darkness?

Verse 22,

Have you

entered

the storehouse

of the

snow or

have you

seen the

storehouses

of the

hail?

Verse 25,

Who has

cleft a

channel for

the torrents

of rain

and a

way for

the

thunderbolt?

Verse 28,

Has the

rain a

father?

Or who

has begotten

the drops

of dew?

Verse 31,

Can you

bind the

chains of

Pleiades

or loose

the cords

of Orion?

Can you

lead forth

the

Maseroth,

which is

another word

for constellations,

in their

season?

Or can you

guide the

bear with

its

children?

Verse 34,

Can you

lift up

your voice

to the

clouds,

that a

flood of

waters may

cover you?

Verse 41,

Who provided

for the

raven its

prey,

when its

young ones

cry to

God for

help,

and wander

about for

lack of

food?

What is

the answer?

How does

God begin

to answer

Job's

question?

God

What's

fascinating

about this

whole discourse

that we're

going to see

from chapters

38 to

41,

is God

will not

give Job

any

new

revelation.

God

will tell

Job

exactly the

things that

Job has

already

affirmed

about who

God is.

He is

sovereign,

he is

just,

he is

benevolent,

he is

over all,

he is

the one

who guides

and governs,

he is

wise and

strong.

All of

these things

that Job

has already

given assent

to,

God will

confirm

through this

speech.

There is

nothing in

this speech

from God

that Job

doesn't

already know.

That's

really amazing

to me.

You see,

Job already

had what he

needed.

Job had

access to

revelation

and Job

had drawn

out from

creation

those truths

and those

truths were

enough to

help Job

through this

situation.

Essentially,

to summarize

and to kind

of pull it

all together,

God's like,

I am

creator,

I am

not

destroyer.

I am

a God

of benevolence

and care.

I take

care of

my creatures,

I do

not

crush

them.

I am

a God

of order

and design.

I am

not a God

of chaos.

I am

a God

of wisdom.

I am

not a God

who can

be trifled

with,

can be

challenged.

I am

the God

who is

over all.

I am

sovereign

and ultimate

and you

can trust

me,

Job.

there is

nothing

about

what God

says

that Job

didn't

already

know.

That,

by the

way,

is the

issue for

all of

us.

There are

things that

we know

about God

and we

can't

accuse

God

of

leading us

into sin

when

he has

already

revealed

himself to

us through

his word.

and that

every

disobedience

of our

life

is a

result

of a

lack

of

faith,

not a

lack

of

knowledge.

Let me

just give

you a

couple

examples

as I

close.

To the

one

who

struggles

with

lust,

God

is the

one who

takes care

of your

needs.

The

one

who

struggles

with

stealing,

God

is the

one who

provides.

You can

trust

him to

take care

of your

needs.

To the

one who

is often

afraid,

God

is the

one who

delivers.

God

is the

one who

is in

control.

God

is the

one who

is strong.

To the

one who

struggles

with

jealousy,

God

has made

me in

his

image.

And God

has made

me the

way he

wants me

to be

and he

desires

to use

those

things

according

to his

purpose.

And I

don't need

to be

jealous

of other

people's

gifts.

For those

who dishonor

their parents,

we understand

that we're

not at the

top of the

pile.

That God

is the

one who

is ultimate.

For those

who lie,

we know

that God

knows it

all.

God

is not

disguised

and we

are exposed

to him.

He's not

limited.

For those

who feel

at the

end of

themselves,

we recognize

that God's

yoke is

easy,

his burden

is light,

and he

just desires

for us

to entrust

our anxieties

and our

pressures to

him,

to cast

all your

cares upon

him because

he cares

for you.

We know

those things

to be true

and so

when we

wrestle with

anxiety

and fear

and lust

and lying

and jealousy

and bitterness

and frustration

and anger,

whatever it

is,

it is not

a deficiency

of knowledge

but a

deficiency

of faith.

And that's

what I believe

God is doing

for Job.

You know

these truths,

put them

to work.

Trust me,

I am

these things

and you

can rest

in those

truths.

And God

wants us

to do the

same.

And when we

feel at the

end of

ourselves

and I

trust we

feel that

often,

that is a

gift to

us.

And so

in that

wrestling

with God

where we

feel like

we're at

the end

of ourselves,

it is a

gift to

us to

point us

to dependence

on him.

Oh may

God help

us to do

what the

folks in

Psalm 107

did and

that is

that we

cry out to

the Lord

and he

delivers us

and helps

to answer

those struggles

that we face.

Let me pray.

Lord thank

you for

your steadfast

love.

That loyal

dependable

love

and your

presence

and your

power

and for

your wisdom.

And Lord I

pray that you

would help us

to put our

confidence in

that.

Whatever the

situation is

that we're

facing

and that we

would see

that you

are who

you say

you are.

You are

wise,

you are

sovereign,

you are

strong,

you are in

control and

we can

trust you.

May our

lives reflect

the truths

that we

say we

believe in.

And may

they show

up from

day to

day so

the world

around us

says I

want to

know your

God.

May that

be true

of us I

pray in

Jesus name.

Amen.

God bless

you.

Have a

great week.