God Answers Job

Job 38,39, AND 40

This morning as we come together, the message is somewhat of a continuing theme, of that there is one God and none other, but this is more of let God be God and every man a liar!

Romans 3:4 “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

Speaking of the promises of God, the promise to redeem the nation of Israel will happen even though if there are some from the descendents of Abraham that have died in unbelief.

The Jews were speaking ignorantly to people about this, inclining that God was lying, when in truth they were liars!

Let God’s Word, God’s Promises, Let God Himself be true and every man a liar!

Job is a very interesting event in history.......it happened early in history........some believe that Job lived in a time that was after the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9) and before or during the time Abraham.

This is derived from Job’s life span of nearly 200 years, compared with Abraham’s 175 years......life spans began to change rapidly after the fall.

Another bit of evidence that this was a very early point in the history of man is that they measured wealth by livestock not by gold or silver.

Adam and Noah are referenced by Job, but not Abraham.

Some say Moses wrote this, because the land of Uz was right along side Midian, where Moses lived for 40 years.

There are others say that Solomon wrote this because of it similarity with parts of Ecclesiastes.

Either way, this account of Job’s life is a powerful teacher!

It gives us some insight into the goings on between God and satan........it gives us a great view of man’s response!

Most of you know this account of history, but let’s review in order to get to the meat of what is to be said today........

Satan went to God...............Eventually, God asked satan if he would consider going after Job, God’s faithful servant, one that was upright, one that shunned evil......

Satan asks a rhetorical question to God, does God fear God for nothing? All that Job had was blessed by God!

Satan declares to God that he was powerless against God’s hedge of protection that had been placed around Job and his family!

The devil then asked for the removal of that hedge and take away all that God had given and protected and Job will curse God to His Face.

Satan was pretty confident of this, he felt pretty successful after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and him being fallen himself.

God gave everything that Job had into the power of satan, except for Job.

Job lost his children and his earthly wealth, in moments.

Job’s response was not cursing God, but rather praise!

Job 1:20-22 “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

Satan’s scheme did not work.....so he comes to God the 2nd time and God allows satan to afflict Job’s health, but could not kill him.

Satan actually told God that what he had just done to Job was just scratching the surface, if touch Job with an affliction he will curse God!

Sores and boils came upon Job, not sure what kind of disease he had but it produced severe trauma to Job physical condition, without any medicine or pain relief!

Job was in foul shape and his wife even told him to curse God and die, the very thing that satan said he could get Job to do..........even humans sometime in our ignorance say things that are so stupid but can be so damning!

What was Job’s response to this disease and to his wife......

Job 2:10 “But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

God is still God in the bad!

Some get all wigged out and start saying......”well, well, God is always good!”

Yes He is, everything is for our sakes, according to Scripture, all is ours in another place!

Whether it be life or death or things present or things to come.......it all works to the good for those that love the Lord and for destruction to those that don’t!

The question is left with us, as Job asked his wife......are you willing to continue to believe in God and trust God when the bad comes?

Is God still the Lord of your life when life is not working out for us?

Sometimes life’s calamities are direct causes from our decisions, God handing us over to our devices!

But there are times when our sufferings come much like Job’s, do we still carry the same view of God at that point?

I read this......”Suffering causes to trust God for Who He is, not what He does or allows!”

That brings us to our text........after this, Job was still suffering with his health and he began to lament......all throughout the rest of Job, he is either lamenting or his friends are wrongly trying to “fix” Job’s thinking!

Remember Job has no idea why he is going through this......he has no knowledge of the conversation between God and the devil.

However, his friends speaks as if they know what is going on...........does that sound familiar!

I have done that before and it shames me!

Job had 3 friends that seemed to care deeply about Job, but they were ignorant as to what was going on, but thought they had a bead on it so they pulled the trigger!

They were wrong and God called what they said and done “folly”.....

Job 42:7-8 “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 thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you 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 deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.”

That is pretty strong.........”you have not spoken of God, the thing which is right!”

I believe that we have a problem, all of us......we speak ignorantly.....I think we talk to much, instead of reading God’s Word.........instead of taking heed to God’s Word and living it out, trusting that it is the only way!

We try to make God our own...........There is a song, I am not sure of the title or if this is the title.....”Famous last words of a fool”

I come to all of this from our Wed. night study of Daniel 4, when Nebuchadnezzar was brought low by God, for Neb to know......Daniel 4:17 “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

The great kingdom of King Neb was taken from him and began to act like an animal.....this was his dream and it came to pass, but after Daniel interpreted the dream, the only thing for Neb to do is repent........he didn’t and after all of the calamity Neb repented and declared God as ruler of all and that everything God done was right!!

So this brings us to Job, Job was lamenting and unaware of the reason why.....his friends was counselling with no knowledge of God’s purpose and plan, they had only their opinions to go on!

Elihu, much younger, comes in thinking he has a view......God’s suffering is a way to teach, discipline, and refine........this is true but not a full explanation!

Before Elihu spoke, Job rebuked his other 3 friends, they haven’t helped at all.......and Job said some good things in chapters 26-32, but comes dangerously close to pride, which was has been the downfall of man from the beginning.

After Elihu, God spoke to Job, answering Job’s misery.......God is about to vindicate Job, but before He does God will bring Job to right understanding of God Himself!

God answers Job in a whirlwind, a storm........Job had tried to verify his innocence by calling God to court, so to speak and now the interrogation by God starts........we won’t read all of this for time’s sake but just to give you an idea and them come to a conclusion by Job!

Verse 2 God asks..........which is to say “Who are you, who pretends to speak on the deep things of God and the administration of His justice and providence, which you cannot comprehend and leaves God counsel and designs up to human wisdom for explanation?”

Which is the darkest, the most wrong explanation!

In verse 3, God silences Job’s forwardness in constantly wanting to ask questions of God, by becoming Job’s questioner.

So Job, Rusty, gird up your loins and be a man about what you fixin to hear!

I will just read a few verses through the chapters

38:1-8.......all of these are questions to Job........”did you do this, Job?”

39:1-4, 19-20, & 26-27

40:1-2.......God asks Job, will the one that finds fault with the Lord, contend with Him or instruct Him, that what He is doing is wrong?

Whew!!!!! 40:4-5.....

The only Job can answer and the only answer we have, is that we are vile, which is another way of saying that he/we are insignificant in view of God! We have no answer of anything!

Job said that he had been running his mouth, I have spoken too much already!

Buckle up again, because God is still going to demand and answer to all his milly-mouthing!

Can you change God’s judgement?

Will you condemn God, to make yourself right or justified?

Man, that is strong rebuke to all of us.....we speak like we know, so much!

If we cannot live without God’s Grace and God has created and ordained everything, then why do we try and figure this out! The only thing we need to figure out is that God is God and there is none other and no other Savior!

That faith is to be whether things are good or bad, not trying to guess at God and what He is doing!

As, the things transpired this week of Roe vs. Wade, I read a lot of comments and folks talking about this and that.

Christians being critical of other Christians, some saying that they were failing, others saying that God has intervened!! He has, most certainly!

We do a lot of talking, but I want to say this ONE THING....... “GOD WAS STILL GOD DURING THE YEARS OF ROE VS. WADE!”

No matter what man does or how evil man gets, God is still God, nothing has changed about God.........The world is fallen, and the results of that are what they are, but God had not changed and will never!!!

You can go ahead and question God about it, but we already have an answer.....it is God’s answer to Job which is the answer to our silliness!

Again, God never told Job about the reason for his suffering and pain, God never told Job about his conflict with satan, which was the reason for Job’s suffering. God never gave Job any explanation at all.....what God is about to say is not about that....God did one thing, in all that He said in the next few chapters..............He asked Job, if he was eternal, great, powerful, wise, and perfect as God. If not, Job would be better off to be quiet and trust God!!!

Same for us!!! I love 1 Thess. 4:11-12 “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.”

One thing I have found in my 51 years is that we love to look sharp and will try to act like we are sharp, but in truth we are nothing!

It is hard to get humans to say “ I have said to much, already! Just keep talking Lord!”

God continues about the Behemoth and the Leviathan.....

Finally, this is the right response........Job 42:1-6.........

I will translate: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

All of this makes me think and believe.......that we are truly a fallen creation and that God is Great and only to be praised, when I ponder on His Grace shown toward man through the sending of His Son, I am overwhelmed!

I wish this was my voice, all the time! I wish I would shut my mouth and go forth in praise!

Not concerned with what or how much others are or are not doing and just be lost in praise to the Only wise King as Paul was lost in God and His greatness and goodness........., 1 Timothy 1:17 “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

There will be states that outlaw abortion, some put restrictions on it, and some will legalize it completely all the way till 9 months.......which is horrific......

I read a quote from a preacher..... “Imagine being upset that babies will live.”

We can still speak out against it, yes........we can still pray it goes away, yes..........but no matter what is the result......God is still God and what humans do or say does not change His majesty and Grace demonstrate through Jesus Christ!!!