Job Defends His Innocence

Let me just pause and pray.

Father, as we open your word,

!

Lord, the hope of eternal life.

And we look forward, as we were singing,

of spending eternity with our treasure,

our Savior, Jesus.

Thank you for leaving us your word.

It is full.

It is rich.

It is your thought on how we should live.

It's your desire.

It expresses your very character.

As we look at this text this morning,

help us to not only have a deeper knowledge,

but a commitment to obey you and to love you.

There are those among us who are suffering.

Those who are challenged by physical challenge,

financial challenges, relationship challenges.

God, would your word today meet them where they're at.

I pray that your spirit would bring comfort

and bring direction into their lives.

We want to do this for the praise and sake

of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Amen.

Well, at this point in our study,

in Job chapter 12 now,

Job 12 · chapter mention

we are at the end of the first of three rounds

of, I guess, so-called encouragement

that the friends of Job are going to be bringing to him.

We've heard from the theologian Eliphaz,

who based his counsel on a vision of God's greatness.

He argued that suffering is a consequence of sin.

And therefore, in his human wisdom,

Eliphaz concluded that Job must have sinned

and he needed to confess and repent.

And then we've heard from the traditionalist, Bildad.

He based his counsel on time-honored concepts of justice,

arguing that God is just and he does not pervert justice.

And therefore, in his human wisdom,

Bildad concluded that because Job was suffering

and experienced great loss,

it must be because of the consequence of great sin.

And therefore, Job must repent to be restored to prosperity.

And the third friend, Zophar,

he was the moralist who based his counsel

on a consensus of human wisdom,

arguing that God is infinitely transcendent.

He is above our thoughts.

God is also righteous in his judgments.

And in his human wisdom,

Zophar concluded that Job absolutely deserved

everything that he got.

And not only that, he deserved more.

Job, therefore, must confess and repent.

Well, Zophar was the most direct.

He was the harshest with his accusations.

He lacked any empathy for Job's distress.

I guess you could say he was the worst counselor, Zophar.

Sorry.

That didn't go over very well in the first group.

Well, we come to Job chapter 12.

Job 12 · chapter mention

It's the longest reply of Job to his three friends.

And I'm going to start with his direct defense to his friends.

First of all, Job's stinging criticism of his friends.

There in chapter 12, verse 1.

And again, I don't mean to make light,

but as I thought about this text a lot,

I kept hearing in my mind the voice of Inigo Montoya

from The Princess Bride.

And he kept saying,

I can hear Job saying,

you keep using that word, the word wisdom.

You keep using that word.

I do not think it means what you think it means.

And so we see A,

to his friends,

you are not what you think.

There in chapter 12, verse 1.

With no little sarcasm,

Job replied,

doubtless,

you are the only people who matter,

and wisdom will die with you.

He's saying,

oh, you're the experts.

And when you die,

I guess wisdom's going to be gone.

This wisdom that Job refers to

is what Pastor Andrew introduced several weeks ago

called retributive justice.

It just means that good deeds are rewarded always,

and bad deeds are punished always.

We'll see next week that that's not true.

And Job says to them,

this is the world's best wisdom that you're offering me.

And guys, I already know it.

It's wrong.

You are not what you think.

You believe you are a comforter.

Look at verse 5.

But your words are cruel and contemptuous.

Those who are at ease, Job says,

have contempt for misfortune

as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

You know, when you compare their responses to Job

with what James says is true wisdom

in James chapter 3,

James 3 · chapter mention

you read this.

But the wisdom from above

is first pure,

then peaceable,

gentle,

open to reason,

full of mercy

and good fruits.

It's impartial

and sincere.

This was not

the spirit of his friends to Job.

This was not

wisdom

from on high.

In fact,

you might make an argument

that this was wisdom from below.

You are not

what you think.

Look at verse 2 of chapter 13.

You believe you're superior to me.

I am not inferior to you.

You believe

you are not what you think.

You believe you speak truth

that will heal my suffering.

But you are heartless liars

and worthless quacks.

13 verse 4.

He says,

you, however,

smear me with lies.

You are worthless physicians,

all of you.

You are not what you think.

In chapter 13 verse 7.

You believe you're arguing

for God's,

on his behalf,

but you are false

and deceitful counselors.

You are not what you think.

In chapter 13 verse 8.

You believe that you can

get in tight with God somehow

and show him partiality,

but his majesty

would terrify you

and his dread would drown you.

In verse 8,

it says,

will you show him partiality?

Will you agree

or will you argue

the case for God?

And then in verse 10.

He will surely call you to account

if you secretly showed partiality.

And 11,

would not his splendor

terrify you?

Would not the dread of him

fall on you?

You are not what you think,

Job says to his friends.

Look at verse 12 of chapter 13.

You believe you have

all the perfect answers

and solid defenses,

but your maxims

are proverbs of ashes

and your defenses

are defenses of clay.

They are nothing.

You are not what you think.

And then go back up

a little bit to verse 9.

Job says to them,

would it turn out well

if he examined you?

Could you deceive him

as you might deceive a mortal?

In other words,

how will it go with you

if when he searches you out,

just as he has searched me out,

you measure your own circumstances

by these same faulty standards?

Sounds a little bit like Jesus saying,

whoever is without sin

may cast the first stone.

And then chapter 13,

verse 5,

Job is just fed up.

And he says this,

guys,

just shut up your mouths.

Be quiet.

Be silent.

Your silence

would be your wisdom.

It reminds me of Proverbs

Proverbs 17:28

chapter 17,

verse 28.

In Proverbs 7,

28,

even a fool

who keeps silent

is considered wise.

And when he closes his lips,

he's deemed intelligent.

And so we see Job

in his defense

has discredited

his accusers.

Their accusations

are invalid.

You are not

what you think.

And then he says,

I am not what you think.

Go back to chapter 12,

verses 3 and 4.

I am a man

of understanding

and wisdom.

There in verse 3.

But I have a mind

as well as you.

I'm not inferior to you.

Who does not know

all these things?

I am not what you think.

I am no fool

as you say.

I'm not what you think.

Verse 4,

the very first part of this.

I am one

who routinely

called on God

and God answered me.

I have become

a laughing stock

to my friends.

This is 12, 4a.

Though I called on God

and he answered me.

This phrase,

this verb called on,

this participle

points to Job's

regular practice

of calling on God

and having God

answer him.

Job's saying to his friends,

you think you know

what God is thinking?

I regularly talked

with him.

We were challenged

in the very first message

on Job

to get Christopher Ash's

commentary

on the book of Job.

And frequently,

Ash shines the light

on how Jesus

comes into view

through Job's life

and circumstances.

as we sang,

and thank you,

John,

and worship team

for pointing us

to the Lord Jesus.

Because as we sang,

the Lord Jesus,

the innocent one,

he was blameless

and yet he was mocked

by his brethren too.

They said things like,

remember,

he trusted in God.

Let him deliver him now

if he will save him.

I am not what you think,

Job says to his friends.

The second part

of that,

verse four,

a mere laughingstock,

though righteous

and blameless,

Job says,

I am blameless.

I am righteous.

Interestingly,

isn't it,

that this is

the exact wording

of what God said

about Job

in chapter one.

And Job didn't

even know that.

Job knew

that his life

was blameless.

He even said so

back in Job chapter nine,

verses 15 and 20,

where he says,

I am in the right.

I am innocent.

I'm not what you think.

Chapter 13,

verse three.

I am suffering, guys,

but not for the reasons

that you suppose.

And I will plead

my case before God.

Verse three says,

I desire to speak

to the Almighty

and argue my case

before God.

You drop down

to 13,

verses 15 through 19.

Though he slay me,

yet I will hope in him.

I will surely defend

my ways to his face.

Indeed,

this will turn out

for my deliverance,

for no godless person

would dare come before him.

Job understood

God is holy.

Coming before him,

it means something.

And only an innocent man

could come before him.

And Job

supposed he was innocent

and that he would be able

to argue his case

before God.

And then he says

in verse 17,

listen carefully

to what I say.

Let my words

ring in your ears.

Now that I've prepared

my case,

I know

I will be vindicated.

You are not

what you think.

I am not what you think.

And then he says,

God is not what you think.

In chapter 12,

going back to chapter 12,

verses 6 through 10,

God mocks

your worldly wisdom,

this retributive justice,

by allowing robbers

to be at peace

and provokers of God

to rest securely.

I won't spend

a lot of time on this.

Again,

I think we're covering

that next week.

But listen,

aren't you glad

that God doesn't judge

sin immediately

and as harshly

as he justly should?

He is patient with us.

He is long-suffering.

God is not what you think.

In verses 7 through 10,

just as the beasts

and birds

and bushes of the earth

and the fish of the sea

they will teach you.

They will tell you.

They will teach you.

The sea will declare to you.

And then in verse 9,

Who among all these

does not know

that the hand of the Lord

has done this?

In his hand

is the life

of every living thing

and the breath

of all mankind.

They'll teach you

that he is the creator.

He is the sovereign one

over all creation.

And he has allowed

this suffering

though I am innocent.

God is not what you think.

God will not fit neatly

into your tiny little

domestic box of thinking.

He will not be tamed

by your faulty view of him.

He is terrifyingly sovereign

and often acts

in ways opposite

what we imagine.

In chapter 12

verses 14 and 15,

if he tears down,

none can rebuild.

If he shuts a man in,

none can open.

If he withholds the waters,

they dry up.

If he sends them out,

they overwhelm the land.

And then you have

this section

from verses 17 through 25

where God

almost intentionally,

it's as if he delights

in doing the opposite

of what you would expect.

Like in verse 17,

judges,

we count judges

as wise, right?

Well, what does God do?

He makes them fools.

In verse 18,

or verse,

yeah,

verse 18,

kings are the ones

who command prisoners

to be bound.

What does God do?

He looses

those bonds of kings.

Verse 19,

the mighty,

God overthrows.

Verse 20,

elders,

you expect elders

to have discernment

and wisdom.

What does God do?

He takes it away.

Verse 21,

princes,

which are noble,

God pours contempt

on them.

Verse 22,

God uncovers

the deeps

out of darkness,

the things

that are hidden.

God uncovers.

He brings deep darkness

to light.

And you could read

the rest of those verses.

God,

he's doing the opposite.

He does not fit

into our little mold.

It reminds me

of what the Lord said

through the prophet Isaiah

in chapter 55,

verses 8 and 9.

For my thoughts

are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways

my ways,

declares the Lord.

For as the heavens

are higher than the earth,

so are my ways

higher than your ways,

and my thoughts

higher than your thoughts.

In The Lion,

the Witch,

and the Wardrobe

by C.S. Lewis,

there's a scene

in the home

of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver,

and Lucy asks a question

regarding Aslan,

the lion,

the king of the beasts.

When hearing about him

for the very first time,

she asks,

is he safe?

Mr. Beaver replies,

who said anything

about safe?

Of course he isn't safe,

but he is good.

He's the king,

I tell you.

Well,

after discrediting

his accusers,

we begin to see

a glimpse

of Job

stirring faith

and his steadfast hope,

but it's just a glimpse,

mind you.

In chapter 12,

verses 13,

starting at verse 13,

Job's confronting

his friends.

I want you to note

his affirmation

of who God is

and his desire

to plead his innocence

before him.

12, 13,

and there's three different

wisdom words here

and one power word.

With God,

our wisdom

and might,

he has counsel

and understanding.

And what Job

is declaring is,

this is the God

that I believe in.

He is a God

that is all-wise.

He is a God

who is powerful.

If you drop down

to verse 16,

with him

our strength

and sound wisdom.

The deceived

and the deceiver

are his.

All are under

his authority

and no one

is pulling anything

over his eyes.

And then move over

to chapter 13,

look at verse 3.

Job says,

but I would speak

to the Almighty.

Note this term

for God,

this Hebrew word

Shaddai

describes God's position

and power

and sovereignty

over all his creation.

It's used 31 times

in the book of Job.

And interestingly,

this is how God

introduced himself

to Abraham

in Genesis 17, 1.

We read here,

if I could,

there it is.

When Abraham

was 99 years old,

the Lord appeared

to him and said,

I am God Almighty.

I am El Shaddai.

Walk before me

and be blameless.

What does the Lord

require of Abraham?

To walk before him

and be what?

Blameless.

Does that sound familiar?

Job uses this term

for God again

in chapter 37,

verse 23.

The Almighty,

we cannot find him.

He is great in power,

justice,

and abundant righteousness

he will not violate.

And guys,

this is the very crux

of the book of Job.

God's integrity,

not Job's,

is at stake.

Under intense,

unbearable suffering,

in the midst

of confusion

and chaos,

Job anchors

his faith

on the Almighty.

He declares,

he is omnipotent.

He is just.

He is righteous.

And he is my hope.

As the clouds

of despair

just briefly part,

we see such

stirring faith

and steadfast hope.

Well,

we move from

Job's direct defense

to his friends

to Job's desired defense

to his God.

In chapter 13,

verse 20,

as we read earlier,

Job desired to take

his case before God,

to argue his case.

And he starts

to do that here

in verse 20

of chapter 13.

However,

Job understands

that coming to God

is not a light thing.

And he asked God

for two favors.

In verse 20,

only grant me two things,

and then I will not

hide myself

from your face.

Verse 21,

withdraw your hand

far from me,

and let not dread

of you terrify me.

Job's saying,

God,

give me some space.

You overwhelm me.

Verse 22,

then call,

and I will answer,

or let me speak,

and you reply to me.

See,

Job recognized

that the root

of all his suffering,

the root of all the pain,

was sin.

And so we're going

to talk about

sin addressed.

In verse 23 there

of chapter 13,

Job's going to use

four words for sin,

one of them twice.

And then he's going

to ask God,

why are you turning

your face away from me?

Why are you counting

me as your enemy?

Verse 23,

how many are my iniquities

and my sins?

Make me to know

my transgression

and my sin.

Why do you hide

your face

and count me

as your enemy?

does that not sound

like our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ?

Quoting Psalm 22,

my God,

my God,

why have you

forsaken me?

Verse 25,

will you frighten

a driven leaf

and pursue dry chaff?

For you write

bitter things against me

and make me inherit

the iniquities

of my youth.

You put my feet

in the stocks

and watch my paths.

You set a limit

on the soles

of my feet.

Well, Job mistakes

God's treatment

against him

as judgment

against the sins

of his youth.

He doesn't understand

why God is treating him

as a guilty sinner

when he carefully,

when he lovingly,

when he worshipfully

sacrificed to God

there as we read

in chapter 1

for himself

but also for the sins

of his family.

And this is what's

so hard,

I believe,

for Job.

Lord,

I love you.

I have obeyed you.

I trust you.

So why am I still suffering?

Sometimes,

the innocent suffer too.

Aren't you grateful

for Jesus?

The innocent one

who suffered

the judgment

for our sin?

He experienced

the full wrath

of God

against all

of our sin?

He experienced

the abandonment

of his heavenly Father

for you

and for me.

Paul,

under the direction

of the Holy Spirit,

overwhelmed by grace,

says this

in 2 Corinthians 5,

2 Corinthians 5:21

verse 21.

For our sake,

he made him,

Jesus,

to be sin

who knew no sin

so that in him

we might become

the righteousness

of God.

Well,

the weight of sin

for Job was heavy

and so was the fact

that sin

leads to mortality.

And that's our next point,

mortality addressed.

There in verse 28,

Job says this,

Man wastes away

like a rotten thing,

like a garment

that is moth-eaten.

Chapter 14,

verse 1,

Man who is born of woman

is few of days

and full of trouble.

He comes out

like a flower

and withers.

He flees like a shadow

and continues not.

And do you open

your eyes on such a one

and bring me

into judgment with you?

Who can bring

a clean thing

out of an unclean?

There is not one.

And since his days

are determined

and the number

of his months

is with you

and you have appointed

his limits

that he cannot pass,

look away from him.

Leave him alone

that he may enjoy

like a hired hand

his day.

What Job is describing

here is the frailty

of man

as one whose life

wastes away

and is full of trouble.

Life is fleeting

like a withering flower.

Man who hasn't

a few of us

bought flowers

for our wives

and a week later

we're going like

well that was fast.

Life flees

like a shadow.

I came to Maranatha

when I was 23 years old guys.

Look at me.

It just happens

just like that.

And sin

is causing

this decay.

Matthew Henry

in connecting

verse 4

with verse 1

comments on the inherent

sinfulness of humanity

stating that

clean children

cannot come

from unclean parents

any more than

pure streams

come from

an impure spring

or grapes

from thorns.

This is the teaching

of total depravity.

There is none

righteous,

no,

not one.

and no one

has any

inherent ability

to save themselves.

And Job is saying

God

you who are

eternal

you're pure

you're great

you see that

I am the rotting one

I am the

moth eaten garment

the fading flower

and the fleeing shadow

look away from me

withdraw your hand

of judgment

Lord have mercy

on me.

And then we see

death addressed

there in chapter

14 verses 7

through 12

we read this

for there's hope

for a tree

if it be cut down

that it will

sprout again

and that its

shoots

will not cease

though its root

grows old

in the earth

and its stump

die in the soil

yet at the scent

of water

it will bud

and put out

its branches

like a young plant

but a man dies

and is laid low

man breathes

his last

and where is he

as waters

fail from a lake

and a river

wastes away

and dries up

so a man

lies down

and rises

not again

till the heavens

are no more

he will not awake

or be roused

out of his sleep.

In the Bible

knowledge commentary

John Wolvard

and Roy Zuck

state that

this does not teach

annihilation

it simply means

that a man

cannot relive

his entire life

in the same

physical body

death

is final

the question

at the end

of verse 10

if a man dies

where is he

is a rhetorical one

the answer being

he's in Sheol

he's dead

I believe

as Job

thought about it

it just seems

so unfair

why should a tree

have a better hope

of resurrection

than a man

his conclusion

in verse 12

which says

so a man lies

down and rises

not again

it reflects

his uncertain

and his incomplete

understanding

of the afterlife

it reminds us

of a principle

in the New Testament

from 2nd Timothy

chapter 2

verse 10

listen to this

and which now

has been

manifested

through the

appearing

of our

Savior

Christ Jesus

who abolished

death

and he brought

life and

immortality

to light

through the

gospel

Job did not

know this

verse

his view

was incomplete

street

it appears

that actually

his view

of the

afterlife

was cloudy

and dark

clouds

at best

note that

later God

challenged him

and corrected

Job's

assertations

regarding the

afterlife

reminding Job

that he did

not in fact

know what

life after death

was like

in Job

Job 38:2

chapter 38

verse 2

we read this

who is this

that darkens

counsel by words

without knowledge

Job

you just

don't know

you're speaking

about things

that you're

ignorant of

verse 17

have the gates

of death

been revealed

to you

or have you

seen the gates

of deep

darkness

verse 19

where is the

way

to the dwelling

of light

and where is

the place

of darkness

that you may

take it

to its territory

and that you

may discern

the paths

to its home

we continue

to see this

cloudiness

back in

chapter 14

verses 13

through 17

where Job

asked for

some relief

longing

for the grave

to end

his suffering

and hoping

for something

beyond

and that

brings us

to our

fourth point

relief

addressed

there in

chapter 14

verse 13

oh that you

would hide

me in

shield

that you

would conceal

me until

your wrath

be passed

that you

would point

me a set

time

and remember

me

if a man

dies

shall he

live again

all the days

of my service

I would wait

till my renewal

should come

you would call

and I would

answer you

you would long

for the work

of your hands

for then you

would number

my steps

you would not

keep watch

over my sin

my transgression

would be sealed

up in a bag

and you would

cover over

my iniquity

Job thought

perhaps even

hoped

that death

was better

than his current

misery

and then he

asks a tremendous

question

in verse 14

if a man

dies

shall he

live again

G. Campbell

Morgan says

the question

of Job

was answered

by Jesus

amen

Jesus says

this in

John chapter

John 11:25–26

11

verses 25

to 26

I am the

resurrection

and the

life

whoever

believes in

me

though he

were dead

yet shall

he live

and everyone

who lives

and believes

in me

shall never

die

do you

believe this

and I ask

you

do you

believe this

coming back

to Job

14

14

Job says

that he

would wait

till his

renewal

should come

the word

renewal

here

it's a

military

term

it just

means

changing

of the

guard

or relief

from duty

it was also

used to

describe

after when

a servant

had worked

all day

that the

next shift

came in

to replace

him

Job

hoped

death

would be

that next

shift

bringing

some kind

of relief

from his

present

agony

and then

we come

to verse

15

I would

have loved

to heard

what the

connect group

said about

this this

morning

because

I could

use some

help here

twice last

week Daniel

said he

wrestled with

the text

I don't know

where you're

at Daniel

but I know

what it means

to wrestle

with the text

I really

wrestled

with this

verse

it appears

that Job

is backpedaling

and hoping

for a

restoration

of relationship

with God

after death

since he

is no longer

really hoping

for any

restoration

of life

during his

time on

earth

we see

again the

tension

and this

confusion

in Job

regarding

the afterlife

look at

verse 15

to say

you would

call

and I

would answer

you

you would

long

for the

work of

your hands

is much

more hopeful

and positive

than his

previous

statements

there is

this glimpse

of the

former

personal

relationship

that he

had with

God

19th

century

Bible

scholar

Adam

Clark

commenting

on this

phrase

you would

long

for the

work of

your

hands

says

this

man

is one

of the

noblest

works

of God

he has

exhibited

him

as a

masterpiece

of his

creative

skill

power

and

goodness

nothing

less

than the

strongest

call

upon

his

justice

could

have

induced

him

thus

to

destroy

the

work

of

his

hands

no wonder

he has

an

earnest

desire

towards

it

even

even

God

is

represented

as

earnestly

longing

for the

ultimate

revivescence

it's just

the ability

to revive

of the

sleeping

dust

he cannot

he will

not

forget

the work

of his

hands

Job

seems to

believe

God

desires

that

relationship

as well

it's worth

noting

that at

this point

in his

reply

to his

friends

Job

is actually

praying

out loud

he's

talking

to the

almighty

and he's

saying this

in the

ears

of his

friends

at least

Zophers

hearing

and he

says

verses

16

and 17

look at

16

and 17

for then

you would

number

my steps

you would

not keep

watch

over my

sin

my

transgression

would be

sealed up

in a bag

and you

would

cover

over

my

iniquity

Job

prayed

these

words

not only

because

he desperately

wanted

God

not to

judge

him

according

to the

full

measure

of

his

sins

but

because

he

also

wanted

Zophers

and the

others

to hear

that Job

did in

fact

know

that

he

was

a

sinner

and

not

perfect

as

Zophers

accused

in

chapter

11

verse

4

Zophers

says

oh

for

you

say

my

doctrine

is

pure

and

I

am

clean

in

God's

eyes

well

we

move

on

to

point

five

here

destruction

and

pain

addressed

destruction

and

pain

addressed

verses

18

through

22

we

see

Job

swirling

back

into

misery

concluding

his

poem

in

despair

we

read

this

but

the

mountain

falls

and

crumbles

away

and

the

rock

is

removed

from

its

place

the

waters

wear

away

the

stones

the

torrents

wash

away

the

soil

of

the

earth

so

you

destroy

the

hope

of

man

you

prevail

against

him

and

he

passes

you

change

his

countenance

and

send

him

away

his

sons

come

to

honor

and

he

does

not

know

it

they

are

brought

low

and

he

perceives

it

not

he

only

feels

the

pain

of

his

own

body

and

he

mourns

only

for

himself

in

his

poetic

outpouring

we see

Job

crying

out

to

God

that

God

sweeps

away

the

hopes

of

man

just

like

the

torrents

sweep

away

the

soil

of

the

earth

Job

believes

when

God

sets

himself

against

a

man

there

is

nothing

that

the

man

can

do

God

will

prevail

against

him

and

I'll

just

confess

this

is

also

where

I

struggled

you

see

in

chapter

14

verses

7

through

12

we

get

this

glimpse

of

Job

not a

glimpse

it's

there

Job's

despair

and

then

in

chapter

14

verses

13

through

17

just

a

glimpse

of

Job's

hope

and

then

at

the

end

of

this

chapter

verses

18

through

22

we're

back

at

Job's

despair

and

I'm

thinking

to

myself

how

can

Job

leave

this

conversation

so

hopeless

!

There are

godly men

on both

sides

of this

I've

read

them

both

I want

you to

consider

the words

of an

Australian

biblical

Hebrew

scholar

his name

is

Francis

Ian

Anderson

he just

passed

away

at the

beginning

of

COVID

but

here's

what

he

says

we

should

not

be

those

expecting

Job

to

use

western

logic

in

constructing

his

discourse

so

that

an

argument

is

followed

through

step

by

step

until

the

result

is

reached

at

the

end

what

he's

saying

is

guys

Job

was

not

a

western

man

here

in

the

west

we

typically

think

our

logic

is

often

linear

it

just

boom

boom

and

then

boom

but

not

necessarily

so

in

eastern

and

middle

eastern

cultures

and

so

he

continues

!

the

author

to

author

to

the

author

to

author

may

be

stated

in

the

middle

of

a

poem

flanked

before

and

after

by

contrasting

opinions

which

he

rejects

verses

14

through

17

then

constitute

the

high

point

of

the

speech

and

reaffirm

the

faith

already

expressed

in

chapter

13

especially