Job 9: The Humbling

Chapter 40:

v.1-2 Can a man tell God what to do? Let anyone who would try, justify himself.

v.3-5 When we finally come face to face with the holiness of God, we can’t help but recognize how vile we are. “Our righteousness is as filthy rags”, “there is none righteous, no not one”

It is best not to speak where we have no authority to do so.

V.8 How often do we condemn others, just to make us look better? Some people even try to do that with God.

V.9 Are we as powerful as God?

v. 10 Can we make ourselves righteous?

V.11-12 Can our wrath humble all who are proud, or bring judgment on all the wicked? God can, and He will. God has every right to judge, and no one is immune from it.

Every one of us needs to fear the judgment of God. (We should also find comfort in His saving grace.)

V.14 Can you save yourself?

V.15-24 BEHEMOTH (focus verses: 16-19)

Behemoth

Job 40:16-19

Job 40:16–19 NKJV

See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles. He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron. He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.

Throughout the previous chapters, God has been talking to Job about real things of nature, and real animals.

Job 39:1 (NKJV)

“Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young?

Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?

Job 39:5 (NKJV)

“Who set the wild donkey free?

Who loosed the bonds of the onager,

Job 39:9 (NKJV)

“Will the wild ox be willing to serve you?

Will he bed by your manger?

Job 39:13 (NKJV)

“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,

But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?

Job 39:19–20 (NKJV)

“Have you given the horse strength?

Have you clothed his neck with thunder?

Can you frighten him like a locust?

His majestic snorting strikes terror.

Job 39:26 (NKJV)

“Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,

And spread its wings toward the south?

Why should the conversation turn any less real here?

v.15 Made with thee

Chapter 41

Leviathan

Job 41:15-21

Job 41:15–21 NKJV

His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; One is so near another That no air can come between them; They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth.

LEVIATHAN Focus verses: 15-21

We cannot tame God’s creation.

We have no right to question God.

We should take God’s judgment seriously.

We should see God’s judgment as motivation to live pure lives, and as an urgent reason to try to add people to God’s kingdom.

Chapter 42

v.2:

Here begins Job's humbling. (After God has undeniably demonstrated His own greatness)

Although Job's suffering was not a result of his sin, Job did eventually begin to complain and become bitter.

After God spoke to Job, he began to fully understand God's greatness and sovereignty.

The reality of the fact that God is the all powerful creator of the universe had hit home, and Job is now expressing his agreement with God.

We should respond to God in the same way. Instead, we often harbor bitterness and anger, when we should acknowledge that God is in control.

You might say "If God would speak to me like that, things would be different." Well. . . you'd better look again, because He already has.

We have what Job didn't have, the written Word of God. God has already spoken to you.

You may be facing trials, but God has spoken. How have you responded?

If you cling to bitterness, you cling to poison.

Bitterness is poison

Acts 8:23

Acts 8:23 NKJV

For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

Instead, trust God to do what is right.

v.3:

Job recognized that when he began to complain, it was in ignorance.

This is often the case with us.

It's not necessarily wrong to question why things happen.

What is wrong, is to complain about what God is doing, especially when we don't know why He is doing it.

v.4:

Job wanted to speak, not for a defense or justification, but for confession and repentance.

v.5:

Faith comes by hearing

Because of "hearing," Job had faith.

Romans 10:17

Romans 10:17 NKJV

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Because of "seeing," Job had humility.

Through seeing, Job understood the realities of God. He began to perceive who God really is. In contrast, Job understood who he is, and that he doesn't measure up to God.

A God encounter tends to do that to you. When was the last time you had a God encounter?

If not recently, why not? It's not God's fault. He's waiting.

Allow yourself to be humbled, its good for you.

Humility is important in the life of a Christian.

God hears the humble

Psalm 10:17

Psalm 10:17 NKJV

Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,

God teaches and guides the humble

Psalm 25:9

Psalm 25:9 NKJV

The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way.

God lifts up the humble

James 4:10

James 4:10 NKJV

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Pride places you before God, but humility places God first.

v.6:

Job's repentance followed his humility. If you don't have a humble heart, you won't have a repentant heart.

Job understood how his bitterness had displeased God, and he wanted no more part of it. Job rejected his complaining, in fact he hated it.

It must be understood here, that Job is not admitting to the accusations of his friends, and their insistence that he was being punished for his sins and must repent.

In fact, as we will see in the next message, Job's restoration did not happen when he repented. If Job were being punished for his sins, surely he would have been restored as soon as he repented.

Nor had Job ever denounced or cursed God, like satan had charged.

Again, we need to remember that God held Job blameless, he was not being punished for his sin.

Job was; however, repenting of a degrading attitude toward God AFTER he had already been afflicted. That is what Job hated.

Are you humble enough to hate the sin in your life an repent from it?

God blesses the humble

Job 42:12-17

Job 42:12–17 NKJV

Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days.