Should So Many Words Go Unanswered?
Job • Sermon • Submitted
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Review
Up to this point we’ve been looking at Job in a very traditional way. We’ve taken the first three lessons to look at Job as the suffering servant, suffering for something he didn’t do. Suffering with no answer from God, and while that is the theme of the rest of the book of Job to the end, I want to take a step back from Job’s suffering and discouragement and instead take a closer look at the wisdom of his friends, because all though they were lousy crisis counselors, they were full of wisdom and understanding that seems to be gone from this generation. Oh that we would learn from men like these.
We start in Chapter 11 where we meet Job’s friend Zophar the Naamathite. Let’s pick up there.
Zophar’s Four Questions
Zophar’s Four Questions
I want to take our time with this and pick it apart piece by piece. The insight here is fascinating. Zophar opens with four questions.
Then, Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
“Should so many words go unanswered?
Is a man justified by his lips?
Will your idle talk silence men
and will no one rebuke you
when you mock?
For our purposes today, I want to focus on these questions apart from Job. I want us to think about the state of our world today. I want you to think of the ridiculousness that we see everywhere. Men can get pregnant and the word mother has been replaced by “birthing person” because there is no such thing as gender. Everyone can identify and be whatever they want, and you’re hateful for holding them to the truth. They are trying to control us through language. But this is nothing new. Look at what James says about language.
For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole body as well. See also the ships—though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member—yet it boasts of great things. See how so small a fire sets a blaze so great a forest! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is a world of evil placed among our body parts. It pollutes the whole body and sets on fire the course of life—and is set on fire by Gehenna.
The tongue, or speech is very powerful look at what Proverbs has to say about this.
Death and life are in the control
of the tongue.
Those who indulge in it will eat its fruit.
Jesus taught His disciples that there words revealed to everyone who they were on the inside.
“Out of the good treasure of his heart the good man brings forth good, and out of evil the evil man brings forth evil. For from the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Is it any wonder that enemies of truth use language to try to control what people think?
He goes on to say Is a man justified by his lips?
In other words, just because you say it’s so, doesn’t make it true.
The problem is that a certain segment of the Church is being deceived by this very spirit. There is a movement of the so-called “progressive church” which has actually advocated for abortion and for homosexuality, Essentially calling good evil and evil good.
Oy to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who present darkness as light
and light as darkness,
who present bitter as sweet,
and sweet as bitter!
I had to laugh at that word Oy. I got a chuckle out of it because I thought what an odd word to use in a modern translation, but then I looked up the word in Hebrew.
הוֹי
It is pronounced Hu and it is an interjection expressing pain and lamentation usually in preparation for judgement. And the equivalent word in English, just happens to be Oy, which has exactly the same definition. In many bible translations, you’ll see that as woe, but it doesn’t reflect the same depth of frustration and disdain that Oy does. So we’ll go with Oy, or if you’d rather say it in Hebrew - הוֹי!
But let’s continue on in Isaiah, and let’s read how it goes on to further describe who needs to hu.
Oy to those who are wise
in their own eyes,
and clever in their own sight!
Are you with me here church? Can we see the connection? There is a rot slowly creeping in to certain portions of the body of Christ that is causing believers to turn away from the truth because they are becoming enraptured by the deceitfulness of this world. It is a clever device by the enemy. The world tries to entice by calling you intolerant and unloving, or hateful or racist, and not because you are any of those things, but because they know that you, being a decent person do not want to even be associated with those things, and so we recoil at the thought that we could be any such thing. So, many in the church scurry after these deceivers looking to gain their favor and acceptance, and they are finding it. They are being praised and celebrated by the world, but does that mean that these churches have achieved the purpose that Jesus has for them? They would say yes, look the pews are full people are becoming Christians! But are they? I would say they are not.
But understand this, that in the last days hard times will come— for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, hardhearted, unforgiving, backbiting, without self-control, brutal, hating what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people! For among these are those who slip into households and deceive weak women weighed down with sins, led away by various desires, always learning yet never able to come to the knowledge of truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these people oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and worthless concerning the faith. But these people will not make any more progress—for their folly, like that of Jannes and Jambres, will be obvious to everyone.
No church, we are approaching the last times, and all of these things are coming to pass. And sadly some in the church are chasing after these people in the name of “getting them saved” but at what cost? At the cost of righteousness. At the cost of holiness.
But the wisdom of the ancients has a different answer.
A Call to Wisdom
A Call to Wisdom
Will your idle talk silence men
and will no one rebuke you
when you mock?
For you have said,
‘My teaching is flawless’
and ‘I am pure in Your eyes!’
But if only God would speak
and open His lips against you,
and show you the secrets of wisdom—
for sound wisdom has two sides.
Know that God has forgotten
some of your iniquity.
Church, we as believers need to be willing to stand up to these bullies that would force their wickedness on us in the guise of tolerance and acceptance. There is nothing about us that should choose to accept sinfulness. Sinners, yes. Sinners we embrace, as Yeshua did.
For seeing that—in God’s wisdom—the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased—through the foolishness of the message proclaimed—to save those who believe. For Jewish people ask for signs and Greek people seek after wisdom, but we proclaim Messiah crucified—a stumbling block to Jewish people and foolishness to Gentile people, but to those who are called (both Jewish and Greek people), Messiah, the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
And this is the very thing that Zophar says in verse 6. If only God would show you the secrets of his wisdom! Back to Corinthians, the foolishness of God is wiser than men. Just as Zophar said.
But if only God would speak
and open His lips against you,
and show you the secrets of wisdom—
for sound wisdom has two sides.
Know that God has forgotten
some of your iniquity.
Allow me to paraphrase a bit. He’s basically saying, “If only God would speak and tell you how things really are!” You think you’re so wise, but sound wisdom is like a double edged sword- it has two sides. This last phrase - know that God has forgotten some of your iniquity, is just weird, it seems misplaced, but in essence he’s saying. Look, there are sins you have committed and God has simply overlooked them. If he kept track of every single transgression we commit and he called us out on every single one of them, we’d never want to take a step in any direction! If our righteousness is like filthy rags, can you imagine the frustration that we’d live under if God called us out on everything we did that would merit his chastisement? No, he is merciful church. Hi chesed is our salvation, for bearing with such an obstinate and sinful people indeed requires the devoted loving mercy and hospitality that is embodied in that word chesed.
Up to the Ultimate
Up to the Ultimate
The thing is, as wise or as smart as we think we are. As pious or as good as we think we are, God’s wisdom and his ways are so far out of our understanding, that we should always seek to keep that in perspective. We can’t even begin to understand his wisdom.
“Can you discover the mysteries of God?
Can you find the limits of Shaddai?
They are higher than the heavens
—what can you do?
They are deeper than Sheol
—what can you know?
Its measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
There is no limit to what God knows, It is impossible for mere men to even begin to understand it. That phrase can you find the limits of Shaddai (the Almighty) Actually says, “can you find Shaddai up to the ultimate, or know the essence of the deep things of God?” That is saying a lot. It’s one thing for me to sit here and tell you know a light switch works. I will tell you when you flip it up the light turns on, and when you flip it down the light turns off. But what will an electrician tell you? He will tell you that when you flip the switch up it closes the circuit so that the electricity can flow through to the light bulb. That is still not knowing the essence of how a switch works though. The electrical engineer will tell you how the electrons will collide inside the conductive wire and they will transmit their energy to the the filament in the light bulb and that the filament will radiate in the gas and cause luminescence. But that’s still not the essence. The essence is what God knows about electrons and the gasses in the bulb and the quantum mechanics that he has created that go in to putting all of these things into motion, and exactly what is required to keep his laws working the way they’re supposed to. THAT is the essence, and that is something man will never be able to fathom.
It’s settled science. How many times have you heard people argue that? It’s settled science, you’re wrong. How many have heard of the Webb telescope that sent back its first photos from outer space? Well the images are just stunning. I’ll show you.
James Webb Space Telescope
Well not only are the pictures pretty, but scientists are discovering that many of their theories are flat out wrong, and much of the science that they used to describe the creation of the Universe has been disproven. So much for settled science, and guess what? No matter how many satellites they send up, they’re never going to be able to figure it out, and that’s because God’s wisdom is not fathomable by man!
So what then? What is the point of all of this? What is to happen to the church? What is to happen to humanity if even the church is deceived and goes after the deceptions of the world?
Luckily Zophar gives us an answer.
“If you devote your heart to Him
and spread out your hands to Him,
if you put away the wickedness
that is in your hand,
and allow no iniquity
to abide in your tent,
then you will lift up your face
without reproach;
you will stand firm and without fear.
You will forget your trouble;
you will remember it like water
that has flowed away.
Life will be brighter than noonday;
darkness like the morning.
You will be confident,
because there is hope;
you will look about you
and lie down in safety.
You will lie down
with no one to make you afraid,
many will seek your favor.
The answer then is what? Right there in the last sentence.
Court the favor of the Lord.
Job Agrees
Job Agrees
But now ask the animals
and they will teach you,
or the birds of the sky
and they will tell you,
or speak to the earth
and it will teach you,
or the fish of the sea
and they will inform you.
Which of these does not know
that the hand of Adonai has done this?
In His hand is the life of every creature,
and the breath of all the human race.
Does not the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?
Is not wisdom with the aged
and understanding bring long life?
“With Him are wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are His.
If He tears down, it cannot be rebuilt;
one He imprisons cannot be released.
If He holds back the waters,
they dry up;
if He releases them,
they destroy the earth.
With Him are power and sound wisdom;
both deceived and deceiver are His.
He leads counselors away stripped
and makes judges into fools.
He loosens the bonds of the kings,
and binds a loincloth around
their waists.
He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows the rulers.
He silences the lips of trusted advisors
and removes the discernment
of elders.
He pours contempt on nobles
and loosens the belts of the mighty.
He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings utter darkness into light.
He makes nations great
and destroys them.
He enlarges the nations
and leads them away.
He deprives the heads of the people
of earth of understanding,
and causes them to wander
in a pathless wasteland.
They grope in darkness with no light;
He makes them stagger like a drunkard.
Putting it All Together
Putting it All Together
Job and his friends agree on the unfathomable wisdom of God. They agree on some very important things here. The biggest of these is something that I learned when I was a very young boy. I remember sitting in my bedroom one night. I must have been five or six years old, and I was considering God. I remember looking at a small tin piggy bank I had that was in the shape of a globe and thinking. I wonder if the world is in God’s bedroom and he looks at us and he can see us just like I can look at this little globe. Then a terrifying reality dawned on me. If that’s the case, where is God’s bedroom? What can possibly contain God? It was the first glimpse I had of eternity, of infinity, of the magnificence and bigness of God. I did the only logical thing I could do at the time. I started crying and called out for my parents. My poor folks, I asked them for an answer they couldn’t give me. But they certainly tried. Ever since then, I’ve known two things. Understanding God is impossible, but discovering him daily is an adventure. The more I learn about him, the more he blows my mind. But with that understanding is this. For as much as I’ve come to now God, I know that I can never really know everything that God is thinking or planning. I can never understand his ways.
“For as the heavens are higher than earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Here’s my challenge to us today. Let’s take God at his word. Let’s not substitute our wisdom, let’s not substitute our logic, let’s not substitute our judgement. Let’s let God be God and be satisfied knowing that God is Good and that God is Right. Amen?
Let’s Pray.