Sermon Tone Analysis

Finally … God Speaks

Silent treatment - weapon, in relationships.

Silence is golden.

True - but not when it is used as a weapon.

Some of you grew up in homes where there may not have been outright arguments - but there was painful silence.

Maybe you do it yourself.

It happens in families; it happens in churches ...

1 GOD SPEAKS

2 WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CREATING A WORLD?

3 WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SUSTAINING A WORLD?

Silent treatment - weapon, in relationships

“I’ll teach her a lesson - I will ignore her.

Won’t say a thing”.

“I’ll show him!” - not a word is spoken.

And it can go on for days … years even.

It’s a weapon - and if sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” - if we recognize what a lie that old retort is .... well silence can hurt too.

Don’t do that.

At this point in the book of Job - it seems more and more as though that’s what God is doing.

Using silence as a weapon.

But all of that changes in chapter 38 and verse 1.

1 OUT OF THE WHIRLWIND

, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”

This is the first time, in the entire book of Job, that God speaks to His suffering servant.

Let that sink in for a moment -

… Job goes from being the hero of the world of his day … successful businessman, wealthiest man around, the rare individual who combines business success with integrity and great character.

A man whose humble, sincere, zealous devotion to God in daily worship - set an example for everyone to follow.

… GOES FROM THAT to … grieving father who has lost all 10 of his children in one horrific tragedy, mourning in poverty, on the very same day that his economic empire vanished into thin air - and he is left penniless, homeless and hopeless.

And to top it off - that wretched day is followed up by another day where he is stricken with painful boils and rotting flesh, wasting away on a one way, short road to death.

See the man of God, sitting - on the outside of town, in the garbage dump, on a pile of trash, scraping the puss from his wounds with broken shards of cups and bowls.

The reason for the riches to rags story is because of a test that God had allowed Satan to conduct, based on a conversation between God and the very being who, in the entire universe - hates God and everything He loves, more than any other.

God and Satan talk it out.

Satan comes up with the challenge: “I can destroy Job’s faith”.

God says, “Go ahead and try - I will let you go after him, up to THIS point - this limit.”

God and His archenemy know what’s going on.

WE know what’s going on - as we read through the book.

But for this faithful servant … this worshiper of God … for Job there is nothing but silence.

Nothing.

Not a word.

We have no idea how long Job’s suffering lasts.

We have no idea how much time has passed since the first servant came with the first bit of bad news about Job’s animals being stolen .... but however long it’s been … it has been a time where the heavens have been locked as tight as Fort Knox.

Job’s three friends have had their input.

They know EXACTLY why Job is suffering.

He sinned.

He must have sinned.

That’s the way God has set up the universe - You do right - you get blessed.

You do wrong - you get punished.

“There is no such thing as innocent suffering”.

It doesn’t fit their categories.

Job says, “But I haven’t sinned” (yes, Job is a sinner, like the rest of us - but his sin hasn’t brought on THIS!).

Back and forth go the arguments between Job and the so-called ‘comforters’ that have actually become his ACCUSERS.

Chapter after chapter.

And nothing is decided.

The friends make their way off of the stage - never to be heard from again.

Over and over and over again - Job has proclaimed his innocence.

His integrity.

He has wept, he’s raged, he’s been in despair and anguish of soul.

His body and mind and spirit have been troubled.

And at the very core of his being is the struggle of his situation: on the one hand - he is being treated unfairly - unjustly … but on the other hand, there MUST be justice in this world.

There MUST be some kind of meaning to this meaningless suffering - - - but what is it?

God will not tell him.

Heaven is silent.

Then, from chapter 32-37, we have heard Elihu speak.

He’s a windbag.

He loves the sound of his own voice - he speaks for 6 straight chapters - he MUST love the sound of his own voice.

But one positive thing that Elihu does have to say is this: “God is Glorious in Majesty” (notice the heading over chapter 37 in the ESV, “Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty”.

Now the headings aren’t part of the text - but that’s a good description of chapter 37 - it’s what Elihu is doing).

“Human beings don’t have the right to demand anything from God.” Who are we to make demands?

So here sits Job - in his pain and heartache.

And silence from heaven.

He is at death’s door.

Finally - after 37 chapters of silence and human being trying to judge the WHY of this suffering and the WAY out of it.

Finally … God speaks.

Finally - after 37 chapters of silence and human being trying to judge the WHY of this suffering and the WAY out of it.

Finally … God speaks.

Don’t miss the place God speaks from.

V. 1 tells us that the LORD answered Job ‘OUT OF THE WHIRLWIND.”

That’s significant: “WHIRLWIND” - this is the same Hebrew word that’s used in the prophets and the book of Psalms for storms - tempests:

, .... “For He commanded and raised the STORMY WIND, which lifted up the waves of the sea” … “He made the STORM be still and the waves of the sea were hushed.”

God is speaking out of the storm.

The chaos.

Job has been living through the midst of a storm that we can only imagine - crying out for answers …

“Who is it that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”

Are these the first words you would expect from a loving God, to a man who is suffering more than any of us have ever known??!

A Suffering that came to him in his innocence?!

What’s going on here?

Job has been speaking words - - lots of words.

To every charge that one of his friends has made against him - he’s had a response … a response of ‘words’.

He has defended himself.

He has gone so far as to demand a hearing from God. Demanding that God justify this situation.

“EXPLAIN YOURSELF, LORD”.

And every honest person here this morning, who has ever lost something that they have treasured - someone you didn’t think you could live without … everyone here who has known real loss in your life - — you have been where Job is, “I DEMAND AN ACCOUNTING OF YOU, GOD” - - they are natural, human words … words overflowing from agony.

But they are words without UNDERSTANDING.

God cannot be tamed.

He is not a domestic pet.

His presence is a SEVERE MERCY.

Verse 3. God throws down a challenge to Job: “Dress for action like a man; I will question you and you make it known to me.” God will throw out the same challenge again in chapter 40.

“Dress for action.”

The verb, in the Hebrew - it’s a word from the world of wrestling.

This is a wrestling match - not an arm wrestle.

Better picture is the picture of an octagon and a UFC fight.