Closer Than He Appears

Introduction

Object Lesson: Show the children an image of a car mirror with the words “Objects in mirror closer than they appear,” explain that sometimes in life it doesn’t feel like God is close to us, but we know from the Bible that He is. dismiss them to Junior Church.

I think we can all admit we have seasons where God doesn’t appear to be close. Trust me friends, God wants us to admit when this is so. I recently heard that depending on how you clasify them somewhere around half of the Psalms in the Bible are Psalms of Lament. We believe that the Psalms are divinely inspired, so clearly God wants us to express our negative feelings to Him, amen?

So where do we turn when we feel like God is distant? One great place to go is to the book of the Bible we’ve been working our way through, the book of Job. Of all people in the Bible Job is one of the clearest examples of someone feeling abandoned by God, who fears that God is distant and unreachable. Today we’re going to look at a speech from Job where he expresses this feeling, chapters 23 and 24. Let’s read these together.

Job 23–24 CSB

Then Job answered: Today also my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning. If only I knew how to find him, so that I could go to his throne. I would plead my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn how he would answer me; and understand what he would say to me. Would he prosecute me forcefully? No, he would certainly pay attention to me. Then an upright man could reason with him, and I would escape from my Judge forever. If I go east, he is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive him. When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him; when he turns south, I cannot find him. Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. My feet have followed in his tracks; I have kept to his way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commands from his lips; I have treasured the words from his mouth more than my daily food. But he is unchangeable; who can oppose him? He does what he desires. He will certainly accomplish what he has decreed for me, and he has many more things like these in mind. Therefore I am terrified in his presence; when I consider this, I am afraid of him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. Yet I am not destroyed by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face. Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why do those who know him never see his days? The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless and take the widow’s ox as collateral. They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the desert provides nourishment for their children. They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry. They crush olives in their presses; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty. From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime. The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths. The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy, and by night he becomes a thief. The adulterer’s eye watches for twilight, thinking, “No eye will see me,” and he covers his face. In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light. For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness! They float on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards. As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree. They prey on the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow. Yet God drags away the mighty by his power; when he rises up, they have no assurance of life. He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it, but his eyes watch over their ways. They are exalted for a moment, then gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain. If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar and show that my speech is worthless?

We can see in this passage that Job feels as though he is searching for God and failing to find Him. When we consider the words of Job along with what we know from the rest of Scripture we can see however that the God who feels distant to Job in that moment is the God who is actually very close to us all. We see that now in Christ we can with confidence approach the throne of God in prayer, knowing that our loving God is near us. We see also that our God cares deeply for those who suffer and in fact is described as “near” them in the Bible. Finally we see that the nearness of God is also a reminder of the danger of living as though He can’t see us, when in fact He sees all that we do.

We Can Approach the Throne

Illustration: As is common to men, I am not very good at finding things. Sometimes I swear it seems as if Katie makes objects appear in plain view, because I will look and look and not find something, but when I ask her where it is she’ll give me a funny look and point to it right in front of me. It’s kind of frustrating honestly, probably more for her than for me. The truth of course is, she didn’t make it appear. It was always there, I just couldn’t see it.

The thing is, men have been looking for God for a long time. I’ve mentioned before in this series that Job may be the oldest book we still have copies of, and a lot of it is about Job’s search for God. For thousands of years men have wondered how to find God and how to enter into His presence. What if He’s just sitting right in front of us? I say that a little tongue in cheek, but it reflects the true nature of things.

Consider Job’s frustration in these verses about His inability to find God. These are verses 3 to 12 of chapter 23:

Job 23:3–12 CSB

If only I knew how to find him, so that I could go to his throne. I would plead my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn how he would answer me; and understand what he would say to me. Would he prosecute me forcefully? No, he would certainly pay attention to me. Then an upright man could reason with him, and I would escape from my Judge forever. If I go east, he is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive him. When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him; when he turns south, I cannot find him. Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. My feet have followed in his tracks; I have kept to his way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commands from his lips; I have treasured the words from his mouth more than my daily food.

Job at this moment feels as though God is nowhere to be found. He desperately wants to stand before God and plead his case, but He can’t find God’s throne room. The thing is, we know where God is. He’s everywhere. The Hebrew Scriptures are full of references to God’s omnipresence, in other words the fact that He is everywhere all at once. Consider especially Psalm 139:7-10 which sounds almost like a direct answer to Job.

Psalm 139:7–10 CSB

Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits,even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me.

We don’t need to go looking for God. He’s everywhere around us. He’s in this building. He’s in your car when you drive home. He’s in your home. He’s everywhere, from the heavens to the depths of the seas.

The trouble is, it doesn’t always feel like that, does it? Because that’s Job’s real problem. Logically and scripturally speaking we can know with confidence in our minds that God is present everywhere, yet when we are going through hard times and struggles like Job it can feel like He’s nowhere to be found. Sometimes we need to correct our hearts about things like this, because they get it wrong. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that when it feels like God isn’t around, we know that’s a lie.

Part of the problem is that Job is waiting for an answer and not receiving any. He wants to come into God’s throne room and hear from God so that He can know that God cares and sees his innocence.

We are blessed now to live in the days after the cross and the empty tomb. We live in the days after Jesus died to pay our spiritual debt and then rose again to give us new life, the days after the veil in the temple was torn symbolizing the end of the division between God and man. Because of Jesus the author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 4:16

Hebrews 4:16 CSB

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

So we find again that what Job longs for we have because of Jesus. That’s been a common theme throughout this series, hasn’t it? This means that when we go through our seasons of trial we can know what Job only hoped for, that we can approach God’s throne with boldness. We can go to Him knowing that because of Jesus we are clothed in righteousness. That means we’ve put Jesus’ goodness over us so that we can safely come into God’s presence.

So when I feel distant from God I must remind myself that it just isn’t so. No matter what my heart feels, God is nearby in all circumstances. Not only is He everywhere present but He welcomes me into His throne room through prayer. So let us remember this in all seasons, and remind one another of this truth. Be the Christian brother who reassures those who are suffering that God cares and is right beside them, and be the follower of Jesus who turns their eyes towards Him in confidence even when the going gets tough.

Job is not just concerned for himself though. He also looks around and sees the suffering of the lowly and wonders why it seems as if God doesn’t care.

Close to the Brokenhearted

Illustration: As a Father I want to raise my children to be capable and independent people. Not in the sense that they never ask for help, or feel like they can do everything, but in the sense that they are capable of taking care of themselves and even taking care of others. This means that sometimes I need to step back and let them do things on their own. Sometimes I worry, right or not, that they might as little people get the wrong idea when I do this, and think that I don’t care. That I’m not helping them climb that ladder just because I don’t want to, not because I’m trying to give them confidence on their own.

Yet I have my reasons for not helping, at least when I’m at my best. See the difference between myself and God is that I’m flawed and have mixed motivations. God on the other hand is perfect and always at His best. So they question is, does He have a reason for seemingly “not helping”? From our vantage point, it can look like God is standing by idle, but Scripture assures us He is neither blind nor indifferent. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to imply that God’s reasons are the same as mine with my kids, but it’s natural to ask why it seems sometimes from our limited view that God doesn’t care.

In Job’s heart at the time of this speech, He’s questioning how much God cares about the poor and the needy out there. Let’s take a look at what he says in verses 2 to 12 in chapter 24:

Job 24:2–12 CSB

The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless and take the widow’s ox as collateral. They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the desert provides nourishment for their children. They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry. They crush olives in their presses; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty. From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime.

Job isn’t just talking in the abstract here. Job is giving real examples of the kinds of suffering that he has witnessed people go through. He’s painting vivid pictures of real people struggling. In the light of this he accuses God of paying no attention to the things that are happening to these poor people.

Now it can be tempting to rush to the “Good Christian Answer” here, but I don’t want to be dismissive about this. There are real people suffering out there. No one’s perfectly innocent, but there are plenty who we could confidently say don’t deserve the kind of suffering that they are going through. Why does God allow this to happen?

There are good logical defenses for God’s morality here. For instance in order to truly allow free will God must allow humans to take actions that cause the suffering of others. Perhaps more emphasized Biblically is the idea that suffering has value, and that God uses suffering to build our character and make us more like Jesus. There’s also the reassurance that if we are in Christ all our suffering is temporary and will shrink to nothing in light of the eternal bliss that’s waiting for us.

But those things can ring pretty hollow for the person who’s in the suffering. For the waitress serving people food she can’t afford. For the programmer losing their home because AI has made them obsolete. For the drug addict on the street who wants to get clean to get their daughter back but can’t will themselves to do it. Many don’t seem to care very much about God’s “morally sufficient reasoning.”

The truth is though, that the Bible has something even more tender and reassuring to say to those who are suffering, to those that are hurting. Something that means more than any logical argument could ever say.

Psalm 34:18 CSB

The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.

and

Deuteronomy 31:8 CSB

The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

So Job was very much wrong to say that God pays no attention to the crimes committed against the poor and the downtrodden. He cares deeply, and is standing beside those who are broken hearted and crushed and discouraged.

So when we face trials in our lives we should know both that God has a plan and will make everything right, and that He’s with us through all that we are enduring. So if that’s you right now, if you are someone who’s going through somethind difficult than I hope this has been reassuring for you. I hope that these words of Scripture can help bring you peace, and remind you to seek God through all of this, because He is near you already.

Yet though the nearness of God is a comfort to those who are suffering and reassurance for those who want to be close to Him, it can also be something of a warning to those who do what is wrong.

Watching Over Their Ways

Illustration: Have you ever walked into a store that had a big screen in the front and seen yourself walking in on the security footage? Sometimes that’s a reminder that you’re hairs messed up or that you probably should have put on a nicer shirt to leave the house or something, but it’s there to serve a very important purpose, right? I mean, think about it. They don’t need to show you their security footage. They could have the cameras somewhere less visible and could keep the stream only running to their security computers. They do it because they want you to know that you’re being watched.

The idea of being watched has a profound effect on people’s behaviour. For better or for worse people are a lot less likely to commit crimes, act rudely, or even just do things socially frowned upon if they know that people can see them, even more so if they know they’re being recorded. That warning on the phone that tells you the conversation is being recorded isn’t just for liability, it deters people from yelling at customer service representatives.

When people know they aren’t being watched, well… some of them do some pretty terrible things. There’s a reason a lot of crime happens at night, when it’s harder to see who’s committing the crime. Consider what Job says in verses 13-24

Job 24:13–24 CSB

The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths. The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy, and by night he becomes a thief. The adulterer’s eye watches for twilight, thinking, “No eye will see me,” and he covers his face. In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light. For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness! They float on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards. As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree. They prey on the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow. Yet God drags away the mighty by his power; when he rises up, they have no assurance of life. He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it, but his eyes watch over their ways. They are exalted for a moment, then gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain.

Throughout this book Job has been struggling with the fact that many people who are wicked seem to get away with it. They live lives of luxury from their ill gotten gains. Here Job acknowledges that God is not complacent about the deeds of the wicked. I think the key verse of this whole section is Job 24:23

Job 24:23 CSB

He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it, but his eyes watch over their ways.

These people think they’re getting away with it, but they are wrong. God is watching all the while. We’ve talked before about how Job and his friends live before the fuller revelation of God, where we learn elsewhere in Scripture about the afterlife, and importantly about the future judgment waiting for everyone.

Proverbs 15:3 CSB

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good.

So the same fact is reassuring for those who are righteous while simultaneously being terrifying for those who are wicked. This is not an idea exclusive to the Old Testament. Jesus says in Matthew 12:36

Matthew 12:36 CSB

I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.

If we are going to be held accountable for every word, how much more for every deed! In fact Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:10

2 Corinthians 5:10 CSB

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

So Job is right to point out that the wicked might seem to be comfortable and safe, but the eye of the Lord is on them. Now this is a good thing, because it means that no act of injustice will go unpunished. We want those who do evil to pay for their crimes, don’t we? Yet the trouble comes when we realize than none of OUR evil will go unpunished. The thing is that none of us stand perfectly innocent before God on the day of punishment.

Thanks be to Christ, for delivering us from sin and death. It’s only because of Him that we can be assured that we will come through judgment to eternal life. So knowing that God is near us can become reassuring where it was before terrifying. The wicked rebel against the light, but if we surrender to that light and give our lives to Jesus we don’t need to fear it any more. We can come into His presence with gladness. So if you are hearing my voice today and you have not made a decision to follow Jesus, than let today be that day. May today be the day that the near presence of God becomes peace instead of fear.

Conclusion

So we can see when we look deeply at this speech of Job’s that while he may FEEL as if God is distant, that nothing could be further from the truth. We know that in fact God is close, and that those of us who are following Jesus can draw near to Him with boldness because He is so near. We also know that our God of compassion is not truly distant from those who suffer, but is present with them and reassuring them of the future bliss available for those who believe in and follow His son. Finally we see that what is bliss for the righteous is fear for the wicked, and that God’s close attention reminds us that He sees all the times we stray from the light, and that following Jesus is the only hope for lost sinners like us.

So my friends we are not simply a bunch of like minded people gathered in a church building. We meet here with the God who made us and loves us and made a way for us to be restored to relationship with Him. We don’t have to search the compass all over for God and miss Him in the process. As the first half of James 4:8 says

James 4:8a CSB

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

This remains true even as we leave this place. So my encouragement to all of us as we sing one last song and then go our seperate ways for the week is to go in the knowledge that God goes with you. And we close as we have every Sunday of this series with the words of Job: The Lord Gives, The Lord Takes Away, Blessed Be The Name of the Lord