A Righteous Response to Suffering

I'm aware that listening to somebody speak with a different accent can be quite tiring, can't it?

You know, you think, oh, my ears are aching. Why don't you speak right?

But hey, we have the English language first.

And I am bilingual, so you're all right.

I don't have a PowerPoint, you know, because I'm a bit tech unsavvy.

Plus we're on holiday.

But we do have an outline, a listening guide rather than an outline.

So if you have your Bibles, which I hope you do, in whatever form you prefer, electronic or paper,

please turn to Job chapter 1.

Job 1 · chapter mention

In the Church Bibles it's page 417.

We are going to carry on with our study through the book of Job.

But before we get into this new section, I'd like to do a bit of review.

Not because David did a bad job last week. He did a great job.

But the problem is most of us is probably what?

It's gone.

Unless we're constantly looking at the Word and reading through the outline.

So just to remind ourselves, last week we saw a portrait of a blameless life.

A characterization of a man who walked close to God.

And we're introduced to this man in verse 1.

And we're told that there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.

So there's a man.

And this book is about a man.

It's a story about a man.

And we're introduced, first of all, to Job's testimony.

And it was fantastic listening to his testimony, wasn't it, last week.

We heard about his faith, didn't we?

That man was blameless, upright, one who feared God and who turned away from evil.

And one who was so concerned about his family, he interceded for them.

See, his faith, he had a strong personal faith, but it included others.

He prayed for his family.

He was concerned for his family.

Not only did we see his faith then, we also saw his family.

This man was a strong man, I believe, because he had ten children, seven sons and three daughters.

Well, I tell you, three daughters was enough for us.

But to have seven sons at the same time.

But you know, he had a wife.

And his wife isn't mentioned very often, is she?

In fact, she's only mentioned one, though, over in chapter 2 and verse 10,

where she actually says to him, curse God and die.

How many of us would want a wife like that?

We want an encouraging wife, don't we?

One who would stand by us in the faith.

But he also had other brothers and sisters.

And this is not brought out to us in chapter 1.

But if we flick over, and you can do this later to the last chapter, chapter 42,

we find that Job had many other acquaintances, people who ate bread in his house.

Now, hopefully they were friends, and not just rice friends,

who came to eat and enjoy his hospitality.

But we saw his faith, his family, and we also saw his fortune.

This was a rich dude.

I don't know if you've ever thought about that.

7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke.

Now, when I was at school, 500 yoke meant 1,000, right?

Because to be yoked, you had one here and one here.

So 500 yoke speaks about 1,000 oxen and 500 female donkeys.

Man, he's fortune.

I tried to find out in my preparation how much that would be in today's money.

And the estimates range from 55 million to over 200 million dollars.

And I think David said last week we could say he was the Elon Musk or the Steve Job of that day.

But he had a great fortune, didn't he?

He also had fame, and we saw that.

And he had very many servants so that this man was the greatest of all the people on the earth.

His faith, his family, his fortune, and his fame.

And he had friends.

A man of that wealth would have friends, wouldn't he?

And three in particular.

And as you go through the book of Job, you're going to see these three friends.

And the best thing they did was go and sit with Job and keep quiet for a week.

Because as soon as they opened their mouth, things went downhill, didn't they?

And as you go through the book of Job, we're going to see that.

And for the most of the book of Job, we see that dialogue between his friends and Job.

And then we saw that the scene switched from there was a man to now there was a day.

And the scene switched to heaven, didn't it?

And we realize that there's a lot more going on in the book of Job than meets the eye.

And we're introduced now by the words that there is a day.

And we saw the accuser, the adversary, didn't we?

We saw him.

And we saw that he had access to God.

And I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit surprised.

How can a fallen, sinful creature have access to a holy and righteous God?

Well, only by God's permission to start with.

And I think God probably dragged Satan into his presence and said,

Now you give me an account of what you're doing in this world.

I want to know.

Not that God didn't know.

He knows everything, right?

But he held Satan, the adversary, the accuser of the brethren.

He holds him to account.

And he says,

In all your patrolling and prowling through this earth,

have you considered my servant Job?

And David said that this word considered actually means a little bit more than,

Hey, have you noticed Job?

Or have you seen Job?

It means have you set your heart and your mind?

Have you considered him?

Have you studied him?

Have you observed him?

Because he's different to everybody else.

He's blameless.

He's upright.

He fears me and he turns away from evil.

Now this word considered, I found out it's actually a military term.

And it's used of generals who stand outside a city and study that city before working out a strategy on how to go and attack.

Now when we think of that word considered and what God is saying to Satan,

he's saying, have you considered?

Have you seen Job and how he's built his life on the fortress, my fortress, my solid rock?

Have you considered him?

Have you observed him?

Have you got any strategy concerning him?

But God reinforces, doesn't he, Job's testimony?

Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, blameless, upright, fears God, and turns away from evil?

Now in Satan's response, we see that he affirms that he actually has been observing Job in that way.

He says, yes, I have.

And he replied with an accusation, didn't he?

He said, well, Job is only that way because you've built a, what, a hedge or a fence around him?

And you've blessed everything he does.

In fact, you've paid him to worship you.

That was the implication, wasn't it?

In Satan's accusation.

You've actually paid him.

You're not worthy to be worshipped.

You have to reward people to pay you.

You take away that hedge.

You take away his blessings.

And he will what?

Curse you to your face.

And so we see, although Satan has access, and he makes accusations, and this, I think, is tremendously encouraging,

Satan is held accountable.

He doesn't have free reign to do whatever he wishes.

He's accountable.

In verse 12, and the second half, he says, God says to him,

Behold, all that he has is in your hand.

Only against him do not stretch out your hand.

God has set boundaries, and praise the Lord for that.

The good news is that Satan has to ask permission.

The bad news is it's sometimes granted.

It's sometimes granted.

I don't know if you remember or even considered this, but our Lord Jesus, when he was talking to the Peter, Simon Peter,

what did he say to him?

He says, Simon Peter, Satan has what?

Asked permission to sift you like wheat.

But I have prayed for you.

Wow.

Satan asking permission of God so that he can have some sort of input in Peter's life.

And that's exactly how it is with Job here, didn't we?

You know, Satan, and I think David mentioned this last week,

Satan has some power, but he's not omnipotent.

He's not all-powerful.

Satan is, he has some knowledge, but he's not all-knowing.

He's present, but he has to walk around.

He has to patrol.

He has to prowl.

So he's present, but he's not all-present.

You see, Satan is not equal to God,

and Satan is not even opposite to God.

And sometimes we think that, don't we?

There's God who is good and Satan who is evil.

No.

God who is good,

Satan, a created being, is evil.

If you want an equal or an opposite to Satan,

we have to look elsewhere.

Maybe the archangel Michael, who's a created being.

Satan is not opposite or equal with God.

He has power, but he's not omnipotent.

He has knowledge, but he's not omniscient.

He walks about and prowls about like a lion,

seeking whom he may devour,

but he is not omnipresent.

Let's put him where he is.

He is a created being,

a fallen, created being.

But God holds Satan accountable.

He cannot do anything he wants.

He cannot do anything that God does not give him permission to do.

And I praise the Lord that God has set boundaries for Satan's activities.

Only against him do not stretch out your hand.

And then David, I mean, David left us last week on a cliffhanger, didn't he?

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord,

and I was sat there, and...

But that's my job this week.

You know, now it's my job to speak,

and it's your job to listen,

and if you finish before me,

please don't make too much noise.

You get that one?

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

So what happened next?

Well, the scene now shifts again from heaven,

here down to earth,

and we're told,

and if you read on your outline,

it's all there,

we see Satan's attack.

Satan's attack.

That's verses 13 through 19.

Now we know that Satan's intent was to what?

To get Job to curse God.

And we see that in verse 11, don't we?

But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has,

and he will curse you to your face.

And so in this next section,

we see Satan's attempt to bring about that result.

Satan's attempt to bring about the result of Job cursing God face to face.

But remember,

God has instructed Satan not to touch Jacob's body.

And what we're going to see here,

that Satan's attack,

Satan's assaults,

were alternately caused by human and natural forces.

That's what we're going to see,

human and natural forces.

First,

there is an attack by men.

Then there's fire.

And then there's another attack by men.

And then there's another,

then a fire.

Well,

the question that came up in my mind immediately,

how is Satan able to do that?

How can Satan influence a group of people so much that they could go and attack an innocent man

and rob him of his livelihood?

How is Satan able to influence the weather?

So that fire comes down,

so that a mighty wind comes and crashes down the house that Job's children are in.

Well,

the first thing we need to remember is that God committed Satan to move.

He permitted Satan to move both kinds of these causes,

both human and natural.

God permitted him to do that.

Without God's permission,

Satan could not have even touched Job at all.

If you're taking notes right down,

we're not turned here,

but thinking about Satan's power in the future,

he will work mightily again with God's permission,

and he will deceive nations,

he will deceive people groups,

so that they believe a lie.

He will even be given power to the beast and the false prophet,

so that fire can come down from heaven.

But all this is allowed,

permitted by God,

in a certain point in history.

Or the future,

one day it will be history.

But not only did God permit Satan to move these natural and human causes for these problems,

he did so with rapid and precise timing,

so that Job,

while reeling in shock from one,

before he even had a chance to regain his balance,

from the news of one shock,

would be hit by another one.

And that's how Satan worked.

He didn't give Job chance to breathe.

So not only was he given permission to do these things,

the timing of it was also granted to him.

It reminds me of the line of that hymn,

and I asked John if we're going to sing it this morning,

when peace like a river attends my soul.

And what's the next line?

We love that one, don't we?

What's the next line?

Let's say it together.

When sorrows like sea billows roll.

Have you ever been on a beach and tried to get in the water and a wave smacked you?

And you're just about to get up and what happens?

Another one hits you in the back.

And you're just about getting your breath and bam, another one hits you in the back.

I've done that in Dakar in Africa.

And I tell you, these were 10 foot waves.

And I thought I was going to die.

That first one came, knocked me over.

I was just about getting up for air and bam, bam, bam.

They just kept coming and coming.

You know what it's like when sorrows like sea billows roll.

So verse 13, we see the scene being set then for this new,

for this attack of Satan, this assault on this godly man.

It says, now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine

in their oldest brother's house.

The scene is set then.

And we know this was sort of a normal happening in the Job and Mrs. Job's household.

Their children would celebrate.

And I think it's probably talking about birthday celebrations.

Because in verse 4 in chapter 1, it says,

So it seems like they were celebrating on a special day.

And in my thinking, I'm thinking, birthday!

It's got to be a birthday celebration.

And so they were all gathered in the eldest brother's house for the big brother's birthday bash.

That should be on your outline too.

Now it may not have been a birthday, but I like to think it was.

And you know what I think is amazing too?

The sisters were invited.

Because usually in these Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, it's all about the boys.

But here we think about Job's family.

The sisters were involved too.

What a family.

But they were meeting together.

They were celebrating the big brother's birthday.

Now where was Job when all this was happening?

We're not told he was there with them.

But he wasn't there.

But that doesn't mean he wasn't involved, does it?

Because we know that as a father and as a priestly father to this family,

I like to think that he was praying for his family at this time.

Because he knew the type of things they could get up to.

We're told that in chapter 1, aren't we?

Verse 5,

And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them.

And he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all.

So as a father, he was not there.

He was absent, but he was not involved.

He was still involved, probably in prayer.

And probably preparing himself for his priestly duties.

Because he knows that when these guys are having a celebration,

they may sin and upset God in their hearts.

And I need to get the sheep.

I need to get the oxen prepared so that I can sacrifice and make offerings for their sin.

I don't know.

Maybe that's conjecture.

But I like to think that Job, although absent, was still involved with his family.

It was a special day.

And Job, whatever he's doing, wherever he is, he's separated from his family, but still involved.

When the first wave crashes on him.

That first billow of sorrow comes and hits him.

Just like that.

Verse 14.

And there came a messenger to Job and said,

The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them.

And the Sabians fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword.

The Sabians came and carried off the oxen and the donkeys and killed all his servants.

That's the first wave.

The loss of his stock and his servants then.

Well, who are the Sabians?

I don't know.

Maybe you could ask your pastors this week.

Who are the Sabians?

I don't know.

Several commentators offer insights into who these people were,

but we don't really know.

They were from the south and probably,

if you still have your map from the listening guide last week,

you'll see that Uz was probably in the Arabian desert.

So they were probably raiders, Bedouin raiders,

who came and stole his livestock,

the oxen and the donkeys,

and put the sword to all his servants.

And then as he's taking all that in,

another wave comes and crashes over him and knocks him down,

verse 16.

And while he was yet speaking,

while that messenger was giving his message,

there came another messenger and said,

The fire of God fell from heaven,

burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them,

and I alone have escaped to tell you.

The loss of his oxen,

the loss of his donkeys,

and then wham!

Before he's even got a chance to take a breath,

he's hit with this second message.

Hey, you know what?

God has sent fire.

And he's burnt up,

not only burnt,

but consumed.

Your sheep and your shepherds.

Consumed.

And this message with reference to God and heaven,

I believe,

is designed to really rock Job at this time,

because he trusts in whom?

God.

And whether it was fire from God,

or whether it was lightning,

or a firestorm,

nobody really knows,

but just this reference to God and heaven,

I believe Satan designed that

to really bring doubt and confusion into the mix

with Job.

Anyway,

it was powerful enough not only to burn,

but also consume.

You know what consume means?

Have you seen teenagers at a meal?

They will consume that food.

Meaning what?

There's absolutely nothing left at the end.

It's devoured.

It's eaten up.

And that's what this fire did to the sheep and the shepherds.

Wow.

Billows of sorrow,

waves of woe,

and it's not stopped yet.

There's another one.

Yet another wave comes crashing on this godly man.

And while he was yet speaking,

verse 17,

there came another and said,

the Chaldeans formed three groups

and made a raid on the camels

and took them and struck down the servants

with the edge of the sword,

and I alone have escaped to tell you.

Wow.

The Chaldeans,

a little bit more sophisticated than the Sabians,

these were a warring faction,

a very fierce group of people from Mesopotamia.

Fierce marauding people.

They'd split into three groups,

and one group had taken a thousand camels,

another group had taken a thousand camels,

and another group had taken a thousand camels.

Now the loss of these camels and his servants,

this would be devastating to Job.

You know,

I looked at the average price of a camel today.

Three thousand dollars.

Three thousand dollars.

Who knows what it would have been way back then.

But they were probably his most prized possession.

And yet you know these billows of sorrow

that roll in have not finished yet.

You would think the loss of his oxen and donkeys,

and then the loss of his sheep and his shepherds,

and then the Chaldeans stealing his camels

would be enough, wouldn't you?

But these billows continue to roll in,

and they're not stopped yet.

The biggest one is yet to come.

Verse 18 and 19.

And while he was yet speaking,

while he was yet speaking,

you see the suddenness and the rapidity of these

were designed by Satan to rock the faith of this man,

to get him to curse God to his face.

While he was yet speaking,

there came another and said,

your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine

in their oldest brother's house,

and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness,

and struck the four corners of the house,

and it fell upon these young people,

and they're all dead.

I alone have escaped.

There's no message of sympathy there.

Oh, Job, I'm very sorry.

It comes like a wave that just crashes

and hits this man on top of all the other things.

A great wind collapsed the house

and crushed his sons and daughters.

And this is probably the worst of all the calamities

that came upon Job

in a matter of minutes.

Wow.

I've written on my notes here,

pause for effect.

Let's just take a minute to take that in,

and I'll have a drink.

Thank you.

You know, we can read those things,

and we just think,

well, so what?

So what?

He's a man who lived so long ago,

it doesn't affect us.

Yet we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us.

We're able to walk in the Spirit

and be led by the Spirit.

And we know that God disciplines us as His children,

and we know that we can be persecuted for our faith.

Listen, this was a man who lived

when most of Europe was still in the Bronze Age, right?

He didn't have the benefits and the blessings that we had,

but he did have a relationship with God.

And we have the reader's edge, don't we?

We have the reader's edge,

as Andrew mentioned this morning.

We know what's going off.

We've listened in.

We're privy to that conversation

between God and Satan.

God granted Satan permission to touch Job,

but don't stretch out your hand against him,

but don't touch him.

We know that, but Job doesn't.

Job doesn't know what's going off.

He's there on a normal day.

His family is celebrating probably a birthday,

and all these things,

these billows of sorrow

just come rolling in and rolling in

and rolling in and rolling in.

His livestock is gone.

His servants are murdered.

His children crushed.

And all in a few minutes,

and it would seem that Job,

well, he has.

He's gone from a position of wealth and prosperity

to a place of wretchedness and pauperism.

He's got absolutely nothing.

Well, he still has his wife

and some friends,

but realistically,

he has nothing.

Now, remind us,

we need to be reminded again

of Satan's challenge,

don't we?

To keep this in perspective,

we need to realize that these things,

although they happened because of man,

and they happened because of natural causes,

acts of God,

if you want insurance speak today,

for whatever reason,

they call things acts of God

because most of them don't even believe in God,

but lightning and winds and earthquakes

are all classed as acts of God.

But these things have happened to him

because of Satan's challenge.

Verse 9,

And Satan answered the Lord and said,

Does Job fear God?

Job feared God for no reason.

Have you not put a hedge around him

and his house

and all that he has

and on every side?

You have blessed the work of his hands

and his possessions have increased in the land,

but stretch out your hand

and touch all that he has

and he will curse you to your face.

That's Satan's challenge.

And that was Satan's intent

to get Job to curse God.

Or would Satan be proved right?

I love a cliffhanger, don't you?

Will Satan be proved right?

You know the narrative,

the narrator that comes after.

Will Satan be proved right?

With the hedge removed

and all his earthly possessions gone,

would Job curse God?

We joke,

but this is serious, isn't it?

Would he plummet from loyalty to God

to disloyalty to God?

What would Job's reaction be?

Let me ask you a question.

Don't answer it.

What would your reaction be?

I know what mine would be.

See, Satan's intent was to get Job

to curse God,

but here we see the actual result.

The actual result that Job did not curse God,

but he did what?

He blessed God.

He praised God.

And in that we see Job's victory.

Job's victory 20 through 22.

So tormented by adversity,

his initial response was what?

To pour out his grief.

To pour out his grief.

Verse 20.

Then Job arose,

whether he was sat down or not,

or whether this arousal is emotions,

and he tore his robe,

shaved his head,

and fell to the ground.

He was in grief.

He was in sorrow.

He was in terrible pain.

And we can't blame him for that, can we?

He tore his robe,

shaved his head,

fell to the ground,

and he demonstrated physically,

visibly,

and dramatically

the pain he was feeling inside.

Now many people,

and I find this hard to believe,

many people think

that believers,

children of God,

shouldn't experience

or express grief.

But Job's example,

I think,

teaches us otherwise,

doesn't it?

Here was a godly man

who was also,

what,

a grieving man.

A godly man is now

a grieving man.

And we get our first glimpse,

I believe,

into Job's integrity.

Because it says,

in verse 22,

in all this,

Job did not sin.

You know, folks,

it's not sin to grieve.

It's not sinful

to be sorrowful

and in pain

over some adversity

or trouble

or some things

that are happening to you.

It's not.

It's really not.

It's not.

You see,

we can have two responses

to trouble.

And I use this

simply for an example

because I know

you'll probably get into this

next week

or some other time.

Two responses

to trouble.

One,

we have Job's response

and the other,

we have Job's wife's response.

See,

Job's wife had a lot invested

in this family,

didn't she?

Man,

she'd carried 10 children

after all.

She had a lot invested.

She probably cared

for those animals

and loved them

as farmers' wives do.

But we see in verse 10

of chapter 2,

do you hold fast

to your integrity?

Curse God and die.

You see,

that's one reaction

to adversity.

I'd like to look

at another example here

and this is in 1 Samuel.

1 Samuel 30.

Two reactions

to adversity

and trouble.

Now this,

I don't know if you know

this story,

but David

in his attempt

to get away

from King Saul

has actually taken refuge

amongst the Philistines.

Can you believe that?

He's got so desperate,

he's hiding

amongst the Philistines

and the Philistines

are so taken up

with David,

they've given him a city.

Or a town

called Ziklag.

And to cut a long story short,

so David doesn't have

to fight against Israel

on the side

of the Philistines,

the king lets him off

and says,

look,

you can't do that.

We're not going to let you

come on our side

and fight your own people.

We don't trust you

enough for that.

So,

David and his men

set off

back to this town.

In verse,

chapter 30,

verse 1.

And when David

and his men

came to Ziklag

on the third day,

the Amalekites

had made a raid

against the Negev

and against Ziklag.

That's David's town.

And they had overcome

Ziklag

and burnt it with fire

and taken captive

the women

and all who were in it,

both small and great.

They didn't kill them

but carried them off

and went on their way.

And when David

and his men

came to this city,

they found it

burned with fire

and their wives

and sons

and daughters

taken captive.

Okay,

adversity rolls in.

Then David

and the people

who were with him

raised their voices

and wept

until they had

no more strength

to weep.

An appropriate reaction,

wouldn't you say?

An expected reaction

to this disaster

that has taken place.

And that's what we see

Job doing.

He ripped his outer garment,

he shaved his head

and he fell down

on the ground

and he probably

wept a bucket load

of tears

and that's an

appropriate response.

But the problem is

is when we leave it there.

The problem is

when that is

our only response.

Because if we go

to verse 6

in chapter 30

it says this,

And David

was greatly distressed

for the people

spoke of stoning him

for all the people

were bitter

in soul.

You see,

that's one reaction

to adversity.

We become bitter

in our souls

and our hearts.

We start to shake

our fist at God

and those who

are causing us

so much problems

and bitterness

takes over

in our hearts.

But we see

an opposite reaction

from David,

don't we?

And David

was greatly distressed

for the people

spoke of stoning him

because all the people

were bitter in soul

each for his own

sons and daughters.

But,

and I love that word

but,

it's a word

of contrast.

It's a contrasting word.

It opens the door

to something greater.

But,

David

strengthened himself

in the Lord

his God.

Praise the Lord

for that.

That is encouraging.

You see,

we all face

adversity,

we will face

trouble

and we will

all

grieve

and sorrow.

But what after that?

Do we remain

in that grief

and sorrow

and bitterness

takes root

in our hearts?

Or do we find

strength

in the Lord

our God?

Just as David

did.

Though the fig tree

does not blossom,

though there be

no what?

Do we know that one?

I can't remember it.

Let's have a look.

It's in Habakkuk.

Anyway.

Though the fig tree

does not blossom,

nor fruit

beyond the vines,

the produce

of the olive

fail,

and the fields

yield no food,

the flock

be cut off

from the fold,

and there be

no herd

in the stalls,

oh woe is me.

I have absolutely

nothing left.

Yet will I rejoice

in the Lord.

I will take joy

in the God

of my salvation.

God the Lord

is my strength.

Amen?

Shall we say that together?

Let me hear you.

God the Lord

is my strength.

And again,

God the Lord

is my strength.

Do you believe that?

Do you believe it?

God the Lord

Because we need

to have our hearts

and our minds

anchored on God

and His strength

for when those billows

start rolling in.

When the billows

roll in

is not the time

to start and think

about having an anchor.

It needs to be done now

when peace like a river

attends my soul.

So that when the billows

of sorrow roll in,

we can say

it is well

with my soul.

You know,

for Job

it was more than

and I don't know

I like to

I think

I thought of it

like this

maybe someday

in the time of Job

had written a book

three steps

to deal with your grief.

Or maybe it's seven

I don't know.

You see,

it was more than

a three step method

to end his grief.

Number one,

rip your clothes.

Number two,

shave your head.

Not a problem.

Number three,

throw yourself down

on the ground.

But don't cut yourself

and don't do any tattoos.

You find the Old Testament

speaks about that

the heathen's way

of dealing with grief.

At least Job

didn't do that.

He didn't cut himself

or get any tattoos.

You know,

the Gende people

we used to

we had a ministry with

for many years.

After somebody died,

I mean,

they would throw

themselves on the ground.

They almost followed

this three step method.

They ripped their clothes

and they didn't shave

their head

but they got clay.

The whitest

or reddest clay

and they just

rubbed it all over

and if that wasn't enough

they would

roll in the ground

in mud

until they're

absolutely covered

from head to foot

in clay

and that was a way

of showing their grief

when somebody died.

And they could do that

for three days.

You know,

after three days

they used to make

a fire.

A big fire.

And somebody would

cut a length of bamboo.

Now, you know what

bamboo is?

I mean,

we're talking

big thick stuff

like this.

And somebody would

throw that

on the fire.

Don't do it at home.

Because that

little capsule

in that bamboo

when it gets hot

will expand

and there will be

an almighty explosion.

And that's what

they were after.

And they said

that when that

bamboo exploded

their grief

was gone.

But we know

and you know

that a little bit

of bamboo

exploding on a fire

does not get rid

of grief.

And we're able

to share that

with them.

And so Job

didn't just pour

out his grief.

Period.

He poured out

his grief

to God.

And that's the

difference.

That's the difference.

He poured out

his grief

to God.

And in doing so

he acknowledged

the greatness

of God.

And then Job

arose and tore

his robe,

shaved his head

and he fell

to the ground

and did what?

Moaned and groaned?

Took out his

cell phone

and checked

his social

to get his

mind off things?

No.

He worshipped

God.

You see he had

a relationship

with a person.

The tearing

of the clothes,

the shaving

of the head

and the falling

on the ground

was simply

a cultural way

of expressing

grief.

But there has

to be more

so that bitterness

doesn't set in.

He poured

his grief

out to God

and if

pouring his

grief out

was the

expected result

then what he

did next

I would say

was the

quite unexpected

result.

Right?

He poured

out his grief

and he worshipped

God.

Wow!

Another pause

for effect.

Wow!

Wow!

He acknowledged

the greatness

of God.

He acknowledged

the greatness

of God.

He actually

worshipped

God

in his

grief.

Are you

kidding me

Job?

He's a

better man

than I am.

Probably a

better man

than you

or woman

than you

are.

not only

did he

acknowledge

the greatness

of God

he considered

the goodness

of God.

He considered

the goodness

of God

didn't he?

Verse 21

and he said

naked I came

from my

mother's womb

and naked

I shall

return

the Lord

gave

and the

Lord has

taken away

blessed

be the

name

of the

Lord.

He

recognized

that his

loss

resembled

his

birth

and also

his

death.

He had

been

naked at

birth

and he

would be

naked at

death.

Similarly

now he

was

figuratively

naked.

Now I

don't know

about you

but it

says

naked I

came from

my

mother's

womb

and naked

I shall

return.

Oh we

have a

problem

here

don't

we?

Is it

possible

that when

we die

we return

back to

our

mother's

womb?

Well not

physically

not

literally

no.

But actually

this phrase

naked I

shall

return

it

refers to

returning

back to

the earth

because the

earth was

often seen

in these

ancient cultures

as being

mother.

I mean we

talk about

mother earth

these days.

Some

translate it

as I

will return

or I

will depart

so the

earth is

likened to

a mother's

womb.

And the

psalmist

says that

doesn't he

in Psalm

139

my frame

was not

hidden

from you

when I

was being

made in

secret

intricately

woven

in the

depths

of the

earth.

So this

mother's

womb

becomes a

picture

man is

made from

the dust

he will

return to

dust.

He's

born of

a woman

but he's

returned

back to

the earth.

So whatever

these

phrases mean

I think the

message is

clear and

plain don't

you.

We can't

take it

with us

when we

die.

If you

don't get

anything else

from this

message this

morning remember

this you

cannot take

it with

you when

you die.

You know

and all

those pictures

and jokes

about U-Haul

trailers and

no trailer

hitches on

the back of

hearses and

no pockets

in shrouds.

Well there

may be jokes

and there may

be little

slogans but

they're true.

We cannot

take it

with us

when we

die.

Hold on

to stuff

lightly.

Hold on

to it

lightly.

We're only

stewards after

all of

God's

goods

gifts.

Hold

what I

hold

what I

have of

God

in trust

for God.

See

everything

Job had

he knew

and he

recognized

that God

had given

him.

The Lord

gave

and the

Lord can

take away

blessed

be the

name

of the

Lord.

You see

for Job

it wasn't

oh I

have worked

so hard

and the

Sabians

have taken

away.

He didn't

even say

I've worked

so hard

and the

fire of

God has

taken it

away or

the

Chaldeans

or even

the great

wind has

taken it

away.

He didn't

even say

the Lord

gave

and the

Sabians

and Chaldeans

have taken

it away.

The fire

and the

wind have

taken it

away.

He

considered

not only

the direct

causes

the wind

and the

Sabians

and the

Chaldeans

but he

also saw

behind that

the sovereignty

and total

control

of God

in all

circumstances.

And in

this we

see that

Job

remained

blameless

before God

verse 22

in all

this Job

did not

sin.

He

maintained

his

integrity

before God

didn't

he?

In all

this

everything

he faced

and everything

he said

Job

did not

sin.

That

included

having

grief

being

grieved

and pain

for what

was happening.

You know

it kind

of reminds

me of

some

New

Testament

verses

1 Corinthians

10 31

whether you

eat or

drink or

whatever you

do

man that

covers

everything

doesn't it?

Whether you

eat or

drink or

whatever you

do

do all

to what?

To the

glory of

God.

And I

believe that's

what Job

did at

this time.

In all

this Job

did not

sin.

Whatever

you do

in word

or deed

do everything

in the

name of

the Lord

Jesus Christ

Colossians

3 17

giving

thanks to

God the

Father

through him.

So he

remained

blameless.

He maintained

his integrity

but he also

refused to

blame God.

He didn't

engage in

this blame

game.

Now many

people do

when adversity

comes.

Neither did

he blame the

Sabeans

or the

Chaldeans

and he

didn't blame

the government

because of

their lack

of concern

about climate

change

in the

fact that

fire could

come and

burn up all

his sheep

and his

shepherds

and a

massive wind

could come

like he'd

never be

seen before

and although

their house

was built

to building

codes

it still

fell down.

He didn't

play that

blame game.

He refused

to play it

it says

in all

this Job

did not

sin or

charge God

with any

wrong.

many times

we find

when we

in adversity

when those

billows of

sorrow

begin to

roll over

us we

begin to

blame

God

don't we

and blame

everything

for our

situation.

Now these

are good

examples

to us

should our

world

cave in

or should

we face

calamities

that are not

quite up to

this standard

but the

question still

remains

at least

in my

mind

how was

he able

to deal

with this

in the

way he

did.

We've

already

mentioned

he doesn't

have the

benefits and

blessings

that we

have.

How did

he deal

with it?

So by way

of application

I want to

think about

Job's

assurance

here and

we'll look

at three

statements

of faith

that give

us insight

into how

Job could

handle these

things.

And I

think it's

because he

knew something.

He had

knowledge about

God and he

had knowledge

about God's

ways.

And just

like us

Romans 8

28 says

and we

know

and we

know that

for those

who love

God all

things work

together for

good because

they're making

us more like

the Lord Jesus

Christ.

You see Job

knew something

we have to

know something

too.

that God

is working

things out

for our

good to

make us

more like

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

The first

statement then

and we'll just

look at these

real quickly.

We don't need

to spend much

time on them.

The first

statement of

faith is in

verse 15

of chapter

13.

Though he

slay me

yet will

I trust

in him.

Though he

slay me

yet will

I trust

in him.

I will

hope

in him.

To know

that we

have a

deep

unconditional

relationship

with the

God of

the universe

and we

can trust

him with

our lives.

That's what

got Job

through this

situation.

He

recognized.

I mean

what else

could happen

to Job?

He'd lost

everything.

His health

was gone

and yet

he could

say look

I'm trusting

God

and even

if he

slays me

I'm still

going to

keep

trusting

God.

And that's

what got

Job

through

this time

and it

will get

us through

too.

The second

statement of

faith is in

verse 19

verse 25

through 27.

And I

think these

verses are

amazing.

An amazing

statement.

And listen

Job was not

just making

a theological

statement here.

This was

from the

heart.

Job

Job 19:25

chapter 19

verse 25

and I'm

going to

emphasize the

personal pronouns

here.

For I

know

that my

Redeemer

lives.

Wow this

is from

Job.

Right?

This is from

the book of

Job.

Not from

the New

Testament.

I know

that my

Redeemer

lives.

That's

fantastic.

Right?

And at

the last

he will

stand upon

the earth.

Yet in

my flesh

I will

see God.

See Job

had an

understanding

and knowledge

concerning the

Redeemer.

He had

knowledge and

understanding

concerning

redemption.

And he had

knowledge and

understanding

somehow about

the second

coming of

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

These are

things he

knew.

And they

made a

difference to

how he

handled this

adversity.

Whom I

shall see

for myself

and my

eyes shall

behold and

not another.

My heart

faints

within me.

So the

truth of

the Redeemer,

the redemption

of the soul,

the second

coming of

the Lord

Jesus Christ,

the end

of the

world and

the promise

of eternal

life are

what saw

Job through

this

adversity.

And you

know something,

it's truth

like this that

will see us

through those

rough times.

Though he

slay me,

yet I will

trust him.

I know

that my

Redeemer

lives.

Chapter 23

verses 8

through 10.

Job was

waiting for

God to

come down

and hear

his case.

But God

sent to be

absent.

So Job

says in

verse 8,

behold,

I go

forward,

but he

is not

there.

I go

backward,

but I

don't

perceive

him.

On the

left hand,

when he

is working,

I do

not behold

him.

He

turns to

the right

hand,

and I

do not

see him.

But,

he

knows

the way

that I

take.

Through

all this

trouble,

he didn't

know where

God was

and what

God was

doing,

but he

knew one

thing,

God

knows

me.

And he

knows what

I'm going

through.

He knows

how I

stand.

He knows

how I

am blameless

and upright.

He knows

how I

follow his

word.

And when

he's done

with me,

I will

come forth

as gold.

That's

amazing.

I don't

know if it

affects you.

It really

affects me

things like

this.

I don't

know what

God's doing.

I don't

know where

God is