Through the Bible - Job

God, we do thank You for the opportunity to come before You with worship. Lord, we praise You for the time that we've just spent praising and worshiping You. You are worthy of everything. Now, as we get into Your Word, we ask that You would speak to us by Your Spirit and give us insight into this book.

Help us to understand the applications from it. No doubt it speaks to every single one of us because we all will go through difficult times and tribulation trials in our lives, or we will witness other people weather the same storms. This book has so much to speak to us. Even as we were just singing that last song, "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord," the whole idea and the words of that song come out of this book. Even if You give or take away, Lord, we still want to be able to worship and praise You. So, Lord, speak to us now, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

The book of Job is a powerful book. How many of you read through it this week? Some of you did. Three quarters is good; we'll take that for now. But when you meet Job in eternity and you tell him you only read three quarters of it, okay, good work. How many of you have read the book of Job before? Most of you have. It is a great book.

We are getting into a different division of the Bible now. We've gone through the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, and then through the historical section. You had a chance to read all those names of kings and all those genealogies and chronicles, so that was a good time. And you're still here, so we're blessed as we get into the poetry of the Bible, specifically Hebrew poetry.

If you read the book of Job, you saw this clearly as you went through it, especially something called synonymous parallelism. What that is, is kind of a repetition—a repeating of the same thing, maybe in different words, but the idea is the same and it's repeated over and over again. As you read each of the verses of Job, especially during the middle section of the book, the debates of Job...

You'll see that Job will say something, and then he'll say the exact same thing in just a few different words in the very next sentence, the very next phrase. It just keeps going over and over again. This is kind of an art form of Hebrew writings and Hebrew poetry, this whole idea of repetition of ideas. It gives emphasis to what is being said.

In Hebrew poetry, it's different than English poetry. English poetry rhymes words, but Hebrew poetry rhymes ideas and compares and contrasts them. You won't really see the rhyming of words, but you'll see the rhyming of ideas. This is interesting because the rhyming of words doesn't translate very well into other languages, but the rhyming of ideas does. When you see that in this book, especially in Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon over the next several weeks, you will notice its power. This book has been considered by even secular literary authors as a powerful poetic story. It is a great book.

It has three different divisions that we're going to look at tonight. The first division is chapters one and two, which present the dilemma of Job. Those of you who have read it know about this dilemma. It starts off very quickly as we get into Job chapter one. It says, "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was perfect and upright, one that feared God and shunned evil. There were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 she-donkeys, and a very great household, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East."

What a statement when you read about this man, Job, who lived somewhere around the time of Abraham, maybe even before. In fact, the book of Job, chronologically speaking, is the oldest book in the Bible. It shows us the riches of this man, not just in terms of physical wealth, such as having camels and donkeys, but also in having a great family and many servants, as you see as you read through chapter one. People looked up to him. Throughout the entire book, it is clear that many sought counsel from Job. He was one of the men who would sit at the city gates, and people would come to him because he was an elder of the people. We are told that he was perfect and upright, one who feared God and shunned evil.

Now, we don't know exactly who the author of the Book of Job is. Perhaps it even was the man Job who went through this trial that we read of here. But whatever the case, to say that he was perfect and upright, one who feared God and shunned evil, is a pretty powerful statement. In chapter one, we see that this was God's estimation of Job. That is the way that God looked at this man. He was a man of great stature.

His sons went and feasted in their houses, each one on his day. They sent and called their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of their feasting were over, Job sent and sanctified them. Look at the worship of this man, the confession and repentance on behalf of his children. Job rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. Why? Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus, Job did continually. This man was a man of devotion, a man of worship, and he was truly a blessed man.

Yet, behind the scenes, we get to see into the heavenly realm, starting in verse six, something that we normally don't get a chance to see. Only in the Bible do we see this. We read that there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also. The term "sons of God" is a reference to angels, and just about every time we see it in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, it refers to these angels. They came and presented themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also.

This gives us an interesting insight. We see in other places in the Bible that the enemy, our adversary, the devil, still has some sort of access before God. The scripture tells us that he comes before God and accuses us day and night. Here, Satan appears before the Lord, and the Lord said unto Satan, "Where do you come from?" Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro throughout the earth and walking up and down in it." This is very much like what Peter talks about when he says that our enemy goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

At this time, Satan was going around trying to find whom he might devour. The Lord then said unto Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? Have you checked this guy out, my servant Job?" It is important to note as we get into this book that the instigator of Job's trial was God, the one who asked the question here.

My servant Job? When you look at that word in the original language, it speaks of observing him like a military would observe their enemy. Have you considered my servant Job? Notice how God is boasting about the man Job here. What does God say? There is none like him in all the earth, perfect and an upright man, one that fears God and shuns evil.

What does Satan answer with? In verse 9, Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear you for nothing? Have you not made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land." But Satan continues in verse 11, "But put forth your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."

One of the things that this book reveals is the sinful and wrong idea of man and also of Satan: that man only serves God because of the blessings he receives. This notion suggests that man only serves and follows God because of the blessings. You even hear philosophers of years gone by say the same thing. The only reason that people go to church is because of the blessings they might receive. The only reason that people would give devotion to this God is because of the things He will give them in return.

This is the way that Satan viewed man. He says to God, "The only reason that Job serves you and follows you and does all these great things that you're boasting about is because you've blessed him. But if you put forth your hand..." Here is the challenge of Satan. We need to understand that all the things Job went through in this book, especially the devastation that comes upon him in these first couple of chapters, arise from a duel between God and Satan. There is a challenge given to God by Satan.

God says, "Look at my servant Job. He's a perfect and upright man, one who fears me and shuns evil." Satan responds, "Well, you know what? If you put forth your hand, he will curse you in a moment." So God says, "All right, let's test it and see." There was a challenge given to what God had said by Satan, and now Job's life is the venue, you could say, for the duel of the ages. It is going to take place in the life of this man Job.

The Lord said unto Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only upon himself put not forth your hand." So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. And there was a day...

When the sons and daughters of Job were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the asses were feeding beside them. The Sabians fell upon them and took them away. Yes, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was yet speaking, another messenger arrived and said, "The fire of God has fallen from heaven and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them. I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, "The Chaldeans made out three bands and fell upon the camels. They have carried them away and slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was yet speaking, yet another servant arrived. He said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine at their eldest brother's house. Behold, a great wind came from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you."

Now, we'll talk about a bad day. If ever there was a bad day in the Bible, this is it. What was the whole cause of this bad day? It came from the hand of Satan by the permission of God. God allowed this to take place in Job's life. Here, Satan goes forth and puts his hand against everything that Job has: his riches, his wealth, his family. But God had told him, "You are not allowed to touch Job."

Job arose, tore his clothes, shaved his head, fell down on the ground, and worshipped. These powerful words of Job surely brought a cheer in heaven, and there was a smile on the face of God, if that were possible. Job said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this, Job did not sin or charge God foolishly.

So, one for God, zero for Satan. Job bowed himself before the Lord, shaved his head, and tore his clothes as a sign of mourning and grief. He called out to God, saying, "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Naked I have come into the world, and naked I shall go out."

Again, there was a day, as noted in chapter 2, verse 1, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, probably the next day. Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?"

And Satan answered the Lord, saying that he had been going to and fro throughout the earth and walking up and down in it. The Lord then said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job?" Probably with a smile on His face, He added that there is none like him in all the earth—perfect and an upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil. "And still he holds fast his integrity, although you have moved against him to destroy him." Notice this: the word of God states that you have moved against him to destroy him without cause.

It is important to note that Job was not a perfect man in the sense of being morally pure and completely sinless. We could say that he was perfect in comparison to all other men at that time. If you were to look at the men around Job, he stood out as a man who feared the Lord and followed Him. However, morally speaking, he wasn't perfect. We read the same thing about Noah during the times of the flood; he was described as a perfect man who received grace from the Lord because he followed God and served Him. Yet, his sin is very openly seen.

As you read through the Book of Job, you'll notice that Job does not have everything in order. He accuses God of some things that aren't exactly right, and God clears that up at the very end. But God's estimation of him was that he was a perfect man. Why? Because he had his faith in the right place. That is what makes a man perfect—where their faith is placed. So God still says, "This man is a perfect man, and he has held fast to his integrity, although you have moved against him without cause." There is nothing that Job had done that should cause him to go through the difficult trials he faced.

Satan then brings another accusation. In verse 4, he presents another important point that man often stumbles over: that man will give everything he has to save his own life. Satan answered the Lord, saying, "Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But you put forth your hand now and touch his bone and flesh, and he will curse you to your face."

The Lord received this second challenge from Satan and said to him in verse 6, "Behold, he is in your hand, but save his life." He was in Satan's hand, and God allowed him to take everything from Job. Satan had already taken all of Job's substance and family, yet Job had held his integrity and had not cursed God. Satan argued that if he took Job's health, then Job would curse God.

So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. He took a pot shard to scrape himself.

He scraped himself with all and sat down among the ashes. Then his wife came to him and said, "Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die." That's a pretty heavy statement from his wife, and you wonder why Satan didn't take her away. Well, there's a reason for it. He was going to use his wife to his advantage. Here this woman comes to Job and says, "Listen, why do you continue in this integrity? Just curse God and die."

But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil also? Shall we only take the good that God gives and not go through the difficult things as well?" In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.

We read of his friends, and this is where the beginning of the debates takes place. The first division of Job is chapters 1 and 2, which is the dilemma of Job. From chapters 3 through 37, we will read of the debates of Job. When Job's three friends heard of all the evil that had come upon him, they came, each from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite—he's shorter than Nehemiah, the shortest man in the Bible right here, the Shuhite—and Zophar the Namathite. They had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him and to comfort him.

Job's three friends caught word about what he was going through and made an appointment to come to him. When they lifted up their eyes from afar off, they did not recognize him. He was in such pitiful pain and agony, sitting in the street in dust and ashes. This man, who was once probably the wealthiest man in all the region, was now sitting out in the street, covered with boils, holding a piece of pot shard in his hand and scraping the pus from his body due to all the suffering he was enduring.

When they came to him and saw him, they did not know it was him. They lifted up their voices and wept, tore every one of their own clothes, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. They sat down with him upon the ground for seven days and seven nights, and none of them spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great. Talk about great friends, right? Here they come, having heard that their friend Job is going through a horrible trial, a great tragedy has come upon him, and they sit down with him.

They don't even say a word; they just sit in the same condition that he is. They tear their clothes, put dust upon their heads, and sit there silently with him for seven days, comforting him.

But after this, in chapter 3, Job opened his mouth. He didn't curse God, but he cursed his day. Job spoke and said, "Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night in which it was said, 'There is a man child conceived.' Let that day be darkness. Let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let the darkness of the shadow of death stain it. Let a cloud dwell upon it, and the blackness of the day terrify it."

Do you see the repetition of what is being said here? He just keeps building upon it. This is synonymous parallelism being used here, this Hebrew divisive poetry. As for that night, let darkness seize upon it. Let it not be joined unto the days of the year. Let it not come into the number of the months. Lo, let that night be solitary. Let no joyful voice come therein. Let them curse it that cursed the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

Here, Job, as he considers all that he's gone through, has sat there for an entire week. His friends sat there silently with him. The first thing that comes out of his mouth is really a call to God to just take his life. He wishes that the day he was born be cursed. Oh, that that day had never taken place!

So many people who go through difficult things and fall into depression come to a similar situation where they feel that life isn't worth living anymore. They wonder why they ever came about if this is going to be the end of the things they are going through. I see some of you nodding your heads; maybe you've been there or you've seen somebody else go through that.

It is wonderful to have a comforter, a counselor, someone to come alongside you and be there with you in the midst of that. However, you will see that these friends of Job turn out to be miserable counselors. I think there is a lot we can learn about how not to minister to someone when they are going through trial and tribulation.

We've already seen two key things: Satan's estimation of man, which is that man only serves God because of the blessings he receives, and that man will give whatever he has to save his life. One of the other things we will see on Job's side is that he thinks his suffering is coming upon him because God is not there to help him; God is too far away.

Sometimes, when we go through difficult things, when we are going through a trial, we feel the same way.

We tend to think in a deist view of God, as if He just wound up the clock and let it go. He doesn't care what I'm going through. Have you ever experienced that or met another Christian who is going through a difficulty and thinks that God doesn't care? He’s not paying attention to what I'm going through.

As you read through the words of Job, especially in chapters 3 and 4, you see him cry out, basically asking, "Where is God in all of this?" I know that I've sat with a few people on occasion who are going through trials and difficult times, and they ask that same question: "Where is God in all of this?" This is one of the things that comes forth from Job amidst his suffering. He asks, "Where is the Lord? Why am I going through this?"

Another point that Job brings out in his discourses is that the wicked prosper and have no troubles in their lives. Have you ever had that thought before? The psalmist in Psalm 73 expresses the same sentiment. He looks around and says, "The wicked prosper; they have no trouble." It’s us Christians, us servants of the Lord, who go through these hardships, almost as if God does this on purpose to set us apart. This is something you hear come out of Job's mouth. Yes, he was a perfect man, an upright man, but he was still a man with flesh. When his flesh was stricken with horrible afflictions, he questioned, "Where is God in all of this? Is He doing this on purpose? Is He putting me on display?"

If you haven't experienced that feeling, you've probably met someone who has, someone going through these trials. The first thing that comes out is Job crying out, "Oh, did I just die?" You will see that sentiment repeated throughout his narratives in this book as he speaks, saying, "Lord, just take my life."

This is the very same thing we see with Elijah. We already considered this when we were back in 1 Kings chapter 19. Remember, he had that great high on Mount Carmel, where the prophets of Baal were shown to be nothing. God didn't show up to bring fire upon their sacrifice, but when Elijah called out to God, the fire came and consumed not only the sacrifice but also the altar and all the dust, as well as the water that was poured over the sacrifice. God showed Himself to be true on that day.

Yet, not even 48 hours later, we see Elijah running because Jezebel, the woman who had set up the prophets of Baal, declared, "When I find that guy, I'm going to kill him." And what is he doing? He is crying out to the Lord.

Oh, Lord, just kill me. As he goes through this difficult depression, you can read more about Elijah's struggles in 1 Kings 19 and 20. He goes down to the southernmost part of the nation and hides out in a cave for a period of time, saying, "I'm the only one left. Nobody else serves the Lord. Nobody else follows the Lord." Yet the Lord showed up and spoke to him in that situation, just as we will see that God will show up and speak to Job later on in the book.

Job cries out to the Lord in verse 11 of chapter 3, asking, "Why did I not die immediately after I was born? Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of my mother's womb?" He is expressing his despair, questioning the point of life if this is going to be his end. Have you ever had a thought like that before? Have you ever met anyone who has gone through such feelings? Perhaps you have been one of the three friends of Job, sitting beside someone in their suffering.

We hear from one of Job's friends in chapter 4, Eliphaz the Temanite, who speaks first. After Job expresses his anguish primarily to God in the presence of his friends, Eliphaz responds. He says in verse 2, "Who can withhold himself from speaking? After I've heard what you've just said, I've got to say something. I can't sit here any longer in silence." As you go through what Eliphaz has to say in chapters 4 and 5, he essentially argues that Job has counseled many who have faced difficult situations, yet now, when a difficult situation comes upon him, he cannot weather it.

Perhaps Eliphaz had been in a difficult situation before, and Job was the one who counseled him on what to do. Whatever the case, Eliphaz had heard Job offer counsel to others. People came to him because he was an elder and held a respected position in society; they wanted to know his thoughts on the difficulties they faced. But Eliphaz essentially tells Job, "You've counseled so many before, and now you can't go through it yourself. How come your counsel doesn't help you?"

The two things we see from Job's friends reflect their major conclusion: you are suffering.

Job, because of your wickedness, you're suffering because of your sin. If you were an upright man, if you were a good man, then you would not be going through the difficult thing that you're experiencing. Now, that is not good counsel to give to someone who is suffering, who is going through a difficult time. This is your own fault. You wouldn't be going through this if you had been a better person. And yet, that's what these friends come and say to him.

The other thing they say, which is also one of the great misconceptions that people often have, is that you will be blessed and have a good life if you follow the Lord. If you repent, then you will have health, wealth, and happiness here in this world. There are those who are even teaching this doctrine of Job's friends even today. If you come to Christ, then you're going to experience all the blessings that the world has to offer. However, the Scripture speaks a lot more about spiritual blessings in heavenly places than it does about physical blessings in earthly places.

Man is oftentimes so mixed up, as Job's friends were, thinking that if you serve God, then He is going to give you blessings. Was that not the same idea that Satan had? Wasn't that the very same thing that Satan basically said to God? The only reason that Job serves you is because you bless him. Now, here Job's friends come to him and they counsel him through these next several chapters—37 chapters, up to chapter 37 anyway. You will see that they counsel him basically by saying, if you repent, then you will experience good. God will bless you if you will only turn back to Him. But obviously, the reason you're going through this is that you are a wicked man. The only conclusion they can come to is that you are a wicked man.

As Job and his friends go back and forth, first Eliphaz speaks to him, then Bildad, one of his friends, comes and speaks to him, and then Zophar speaks to him. They are just going back and forth, urging Job to repent. They are trying to show him that if he just reveals what his wickedness is, they know that he has some sort of hidden sin.

How many of you have heard of Chuck Woolley before? He's a Calvary Chapel pastor. Some of you know Chuck; he's a pastor out in Indio. I remember years ago, he told us at a youth pastor's conference that he had just undergone heart surgery—maybe it was a quadruple bypass or something. He said that he was in the hospital the night before the surgery, and a few people came in and asked, "Chuck, can we pray with you?" They were from another church in the area, and he said, "Absolutely, I'll take all the prayer that I can get." So, they began to lay their hands on him.

And pray for him. The first thing that came out of their mouths was, "Lord, we just pray for Chuck that you would reveal whatever sin it is that's in his life that is bringing him to this." He said, "Hold on, wait a minute." He wanted to throw the guys out the window. But he said to these men who were there to pray for him, "You don't think that I haven't confessed every possible sin that I've ever even thought of committing? Tomorrow they're going to cut my chest open and rip my ribcage apart, and a doctor is going to play with my heart. Don't you think I've already confessed every possible sin? I've confessed to the sinking of the Titanic; it's my fault."

He was just saying to these guys, "Do you really think that I'm going through this because of the sin that I have in my life?" Yet so many Christians get into that thinking. They believe that if you didn't have sin, if you somehow got rid of whatever this internal wickedness is, then you wouldn't be experiencing the trouble and the trial that you're going through right now. They do not realize that God has a completely different view of it.

You see these men who come before Job, and they basically say, "Thus saith the Lord," time and time again, claiming that this is the voice of God. One of them says, "I had a dream, and the Spirit of God came and spoke to me in this dream. He revealed to me that this is the way it is. If you just serve God and love Him, then He’s going to bless you. But obviously, Job, you're going through these things because you have departed from the Lord. You've forgotten Him."

Job's entire discourse to his friends is an attempt to show them, "Listen, you're wrong. I'm not in sin. I've followed the Lord. I've sought Him. If I'm not upright, then no one is upright," which is one of Job's estimations. We understand that he is not fully right in that estimation, but as he speaks to his friends, he asks, "How can you possibly think this?" Job tries to show them that there are other wicked people who are prospering. If it is really true that God only blesses those who follow Him, then why are there these wicked people who are openly wicked, yet they are still prospering and experiencing joy in their lives?

These debates of Job go back and forth through the chapters, from chapter 3 to chapter 37. There are a great deal of interesting things that come out in the midst of these debates. It is important to consider that you cannot really use the book of Job because of the poetry being presented here and also because of the reasons that these discourses are coming out. You cannot really use the book of Job to establish doctrine because of the things discussed.

What is being spoken is essentially man's wisdom. It's a philosophical charter in a sense, filled with a multitude of different people's ideas on how life, the world, and God work. One of the things that Job brings out in this book is that God seems distant from man. If He were close and truly interested in what I am going through, then He wouldn't have allowed this to happen in my life. In the midst of trial and trouble, we often think like that.

However, we know very clearly, especially during this time of the year, that our God is the God with us, Emmanuel. He is intimately involved in the things that you and I experience. As you read the beginning of the Book of Job, specifically Job chapters 1 and 2, as well as the last few chapters, you see that God was indeed interested in what was happening in Job's life. He knew all the details and even allowed these events to unfold. Why? Because God's character and nature were challenged by Satan. God's goodness and love were put to the test, and He used the life of Job to demonstrate His character and nature.

Job questions God and essentially asks the Lord if there is a way for him to meet with God. In Job chapter 9, verse 32, he expresses his feelings: "For He is not a man as I am, that I should answer Him, and that we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that may lay his hand upon both of us." Job laments that there is no mediator between him and God. He wishes there were someone who could stand in between them and present his case. Job feels that if he could bring his case to the Lord, it would be clear to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar that he is not suffering because of his own sin or wickedness.

But God is not a man, and there is no way for Job to have this debate or come before Him. Job's longing for a mediator between God and man is a profound expression of his struggle. He poses another question in chapter 14, which further illustrates his desire for understanding and connection with the divine.

There in verse 14, a very important question arises that I think all men should grapple with: If a man dies, shall he live again? Job states, "All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come." He poses the question, "If a man dies, will he live again? Is there a resurrection?" Remember, this is the man who is calling death to come to him. He is in the biggest trial he has ever experienced in his life. Everything he had has been stripped from him, and even his closest friends come to him and say it is because of some hidden sin. Job goes back and forth with them for thirty-four chapters, insisting that it is not because of any hidden sin.

He asks, "Is there anybody who can be a mediator between me and God? Is there a resurrection? If a man dies, shall he live again?" In chapter 16, verse 19, Job says, "Also now behold, my witness is in heaven and my record is on high." His friends are accusing him, saying, "Hey, you’re in sin, buddy." But Job responds, "No, listen, my witness is in heaven and my record is on high. My friends scorn me, but my eye pours out tears unto God."

Constantly, as Job speaks in these discourses, he is crying out to God. Job's friends are speaking directly to him, and occasionally he will answer them, showing them the error of their statements. However, primarily, Job is the only one in this story who is calling out to God, crying out to Him. "My eye pours out tears to my God even though my friends come and scorn me." He knows that his witness is in heaven and that his record is on high.

Job expresses a deep longing: "Oh, that one might plead for man with God as a man pleads for his neighbor." This is a call for a mediator, someone who would go between man and God on our behalf. It is interesting, as you read the book of Job, how it points to one who ultimately would come. Job makes that great statement in chapter 19, starting in verse 23: "Oh, that my words were now written! Oh, that they were printed in a book, that they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever. For I know that my Redeemer lives."

Shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God. He knew and recognized that there was coming a day, even though he asked the questions to his friends. If a man dies, shall he live again? He cries out and says, "Oh, that there were a mediator to go between God and man." Later on, he says, "Oh, that my record were written down and that there would be a day when I could stand before the Lord." Yet he also says, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and I am going to stand with Him upon that day." There is coming that day.

Still, his friends bring their constant accusations against Job, showing him how wicked and horrible he is. He gives his defense, and the debate continues all the way up to chapter 27, actually chapter 31. After Job finishes his final words in Job chapter 31, his friends just sit there silently. I think they conclude, "Fine, I guess we're not going to prove to him that he's in sin. He's so self-righteous; he won't listen to what we have to say."

There seems to be another man sitting there, quite a bit younger, a guy by the name of Elihu. He comes along and begins to speak in chapter 32. It's interesting when Elihu speaks up; he is younger than the rest, but he goes on for a chapter and a half about all the great things he is going to say. "Listen to me, Job. Listen to me, Job's friends." He basically tells them, "Job, you're wrong, and your friends are wrong. All of you are wrong, but listen, I've got wisdom. I've got truth. It's not just the old men who have truth; I've got truth and wisdom too."

He talks greatly about how much truth he has and how many great things he is going to say. For a chapter and a half, he boasts about all the great words he has to say. Yet, when he finally speaks, he says nothing of any importance. He just restates everything that everybody else had said and makes no real sense.

In the midst of it, as Elihu is finishing up in chapter 37, there seems to be a storm on the horizon. Elihu speaks about the greatness of God and points out the storm that God has created. He describes the storm a little, and then the storm comes upon these people. We find it there in Job chapter 38.

This is the deliverance of Job. We had the dilemma of Job in Job chapters 1 and 2, the debates of Job in Job chapters 3 through 37. But now, when you come to chapter 38, we read of the deliverance of Job because then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.

Out of the whirlwind, out of the storm—very likely the very same storm that Elihu was referring to when he said, "Behold this storm and look at the power of God, this greatness of God." While Elihu is kind of in mid-sentence, it's almost as if the storm overshadows him, and now God speaks. God comes and speaks to Job, which was the request of Job throughout all of his defenses and debates. He was saying, "Oh, that I had an opportunity to take up my case with God." Haven't you heard that before? When I get to heaven, I've got a few things to talk with God about. That was the attitude of Job as he went through his trials and troubles. He felt it was not right, that it was not because of any sin. He believed he hadn't done anything wrong; he had been an upright man.

However, he didn't understand the rest of the story. He didn't grasp what was going on behind the scenes, and it's important for us to recognize that neither do we. We don't understand what's happening behind the scenes. Whether we're in the place of Eliphaz or Bildad, we often come with the assumption that if someone is suffering, it must be due to sin. But that's not always the case. We don't know the heart of a man or what they are going through. In the midst of such trials, the best thing we can do is come alongside that person and pray with them.

Job, too, didn't fully comprehend or understand what was happening. He didn't get to see into the heavenly realm and know that his life was being used as a battleground between God and Satan. If Job had known that, perhaps he would have been able to endure it with the assurance that everything would be okay in the end. Yet, in the midst of his debates, he cries out, "If only I had an opportunity to take up my case with God. I'm going to ask Him this. I'm going to ask Him that."

Then God shows up and speaks to him in the whirlwind, presenting him with forty questions. God speaks to him one after another, throwing all these questions at him. The first thing He says in verse 2 is, "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" I have a feeling, because of the context, that He is actually speaking to Elihu, not to Job. If you read the passage in context, it's very likely that Elihu is cut off in mid-sentence. God then addresses Job in verse 3, saying, "Gird up now your loins like a man. Stand up like a man, for I will demand of you an answer."

Job says, "I am demanding God for an answer," and then God shows up and says, "No, I have a few questions for you, buddy. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare it if you know and have understanding. You sound so smart; you have all these questions for me. Well, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who has laid the measures thereof, if you know, or who has stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened, or who laid the cornerstone thereof? When the morning stars sang together"—most believe that this is a reference to the angels—"and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Or who shut up the sea with doors when it broke forth as if it had issued out of the womb?"

Here, one after another, God lists these questions to which Job had no answer. No man has an answer for these questions. Although science has tried to give us understanding about some of these, God speaks about the earth and how it hangs in nothing. He speaks about light and where it comes from. God addresses so many scientific concepts here, and maybe even modern science has come to understand a little bit of these things. Even still, we don't fully understand what light is composed of.

But here, God comes and asks these questions that even modern-day science battles with. He asks Job, "Where were you, buddy, when I laid the foundations of the earth? You have some questions for me? Well, I have some questions for you." Could it be, Job, that there are some things that you don't know? This is basically the result of God's questions to Job. Job says, "I want an answer to the question of why I am going through this."

Have you ever wanted to know why you're going through the trial that you're facing? I think one of the greatest revelations about Job chapter 38 and onward, as God speaks to Job, is that there are questions you may never know the answer to. There are things that we will never fully grasp. Even though we may go back and forth with our friends and debate about it, even though we may try to scientifically figure it out, there are answers to questions that will never come.

God brings these questions to Job, and finally, the result of it is so very important as we come to Job chapter 42. We read there, "Then Job answered the Lord and said, 'I know that you can do everything and that no thought can be withheld from you. Who is he that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me which I knew not.'"

Here I beseech thee, and I will speak. I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me: I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now I have seen with my eyes. Wherefore, I abhor myself, and I repent in dust and ashes. Job recognizes that there are certain things that he just doesn't understand; he just doesn't know. He says, "I had so many questions for you, so many things that I wanted to hear you say, but now that I've seen you, I have nothing to say. My mouth is shut." In fact, a couple of chapters before this, Job says, "I cover my mouth with my hand. I'm just completely speechless."

You think of the words of Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 6 when he was brought into the heavenly realm and saw God high and lifted up. There, the angels are crying, "Holy, holy is the Lord God." They are crying back and forth, and at the voice of these angels, the whole temple in heaven is shaken. What can Isaiah do? He says, "I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips. I can't say anything. I can't do anything." He says, "Woe is me." In the previous five chapters of the book of Isaiah, he pronounced woe on all the peoples of Judah and Jerusalem eight times. Now, he comes before God and says, "Woe is me." When he saw God lifted up, when he saw with his eyes, there was nothing that he could do. "Woe is me, for I am undone." He was speechless.

Here, Job experiences the very same thing. God says, "Give me an answer. I have all these questions for you." Job answers and says, "There's nothing that I can say." He repented in dust and ashes. I love this verse seven: "And it was so that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, 'My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends. Why? Because you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has. You have not spoken of me the thing that is right. In fact, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, you have said the very same thing that Satan said. You have not spoken of me that which is right, as my servant Job has. Therefore, take now seven bullocks and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering, and my servant Job shall pray for you. For him will I accept, lest I...'"

God will deal with you after your foolishness and your folly, and you have not spoken to me the things that are right, like my servant Job. Can you imagine this? Here are the three men who, for days on end, have been accusing Job of sin and trying to show him why he is such a wicked man and why God is against him. They insisted that if he only repented, then God would come and bless him again. Now, God says to these men, "What you have spoken is not true." If you want to be right with me, you need to go talk to Job and ask him to pray for you.

Now, if you were Job, or if I were Job, and they came to you saying, "We're sorry, can you please pray for us, or else God is going to deal with us according to our foolishness?" I might think about that for a few days. Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did according to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded them. The Lord also accepted Job.

In verse 10, we read, "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends." The Lord also gave Job twice as much as he had before. This isn't necessarily a prescription for how you can get more in life. You can't just say, "Repent as Job did, pray for your friends, and then you'll get twice what you had before." But in Job's life, God told him to pray for his friends. As he prayed for them, the captivity of Job was turned around, and the Lord blessed him.

Then, all his brothers, sisters, and acquaintances came to him. They ate bread with him in his house, bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. Every man also gave him a piece of money, and everyone gave him an earring of gold. The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.

I think it's important to underline that verse in your Bible: "The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning." Because God is going to bless your latter end far more than your beginning. We are nearer now to our redemption than when we first believed. Amen? Our latter end, as those who follow the Lord, is going to be eternally with Him.

Job even questioned whether there is a mediator between God and man. Yes, there is. The New Testament answers that question for us: we do have one who goes before God.

On our behalf, Jesus Christ the Righteous has done a great work. We know that our Redeemer lives, and we will stand with Him on that day. Our latter end shall be better than the beginning. Even though we go through difficult things, the Book of Job poses a question that philosophers have asked Christians for thousands of years: If your God is all-loving and all-powerful, then why is there suffering in this world?

As I have mentioned before, no other religion grapples with that question. Islam believes in an all-powerful God, but He is not all-loving. In Christianity, we are the only ones who say our God is both all-powerful and all-loving. If He is all-powerful and loves you completely, then why does He allow suffering in your life? The folly in that reasoning is not realizing that this is not the world God intends for us to live in eternally. God has a much better world, where He will wipe away every tear, and the latter end will be far better than the beginning.

The person who asks that question and accuses God of not being true or real, because He is supposedly all-loving and all-powerful while we live in a world filled with suffering, does not recognize the truth of the resurrection. This lack of understanding keeps them from the joy that God would love to give them. The foundation of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It speaks to us of better things, doesn't it? We look for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. It is not about this world; the end will be better than the beginning.

Job had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 she-asses. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemiah, the second Keziah, and the third Karan Hapuk. In all the land, no women were found so fair as the daughters of Job, and their father gave them an inheritance among their brethren. After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his sons and his sons' sons, even four generations. Job died old and full of days, entering into a different life, a better life. The world in which we will live is far greater than what we experience now.

Also, we will one day stand with the Lord. We know that our Redeemer lives. Every single one of us goes through dilemmas in this life, and we debate back and forth, whether internally or with our friends who come to us, asking why we are going through this. The Lord will show up. There is coming a day when He shows up and puts us to silence as He reveals to us, once again, that there are questions we will not find answers to. But can you stand in the truth with hope, knowing your Redeemer lives and you will stand with Him on that day?

The deliverance of Job speaks to us of the deliverance that you and I will see as well. We know that we shall see God. God, I do thank You for the testimony of this book. I pray that You would help us to glean from its truth, Lord, and apply these things to our lives. When we come to a brother or sister who is in the midst of a trial like Job, may we be able to sit with them, pray with them, and encourage them in the fact that we shall see You once again one day.

But Lord, if we go through difficulties like Job did, if we experience similar trials, and if the things of our life are stripped from us, even our own health taken from us, help us to see that You are alive and You do have a plan. Although we may not find the answer to the question of why, we can hold on to the fact that we will stand with You on that day. We thank You that You are our mediator and have made the way straight. You told Your disciples that in this world they will have much trouble. But Lord, You overcame this world and encouraged Your disciples not to let their hearts be troubled.

If we believe in God and believe in You, we know the fact that in Your Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, You would not have told us that You go to prepare a place for us. You will return and bring us to Yourself, that where You are, there we may be also forever. God, help us to remember that this is not our eternal home and that we will stand and see You on that day. You shall wipe away all tears. We praise You.

We thank You, in Jesus' name. Amen.