How Does Job Make It Through The Furnace

Job 23:8–10 8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; And backward, but I cannot perceive him: 9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: 10 But he knoweth the way that I take: When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Job says, “When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” One of the definitions of the word try: to purify. For gold to “come forth” as something we recognize, it must be refined. Refine: To purify. It is brought out of the ground as ore, often times to the eye not much more than a rock. It must be refined to bring the value out of it.

Ore is crushed, and placed in a furnace to be heated to nearly 2,000 degrees to remove things from it that are unprofitable or worthless. This of course is an intense process, that changes the character of the ore from that of a seemingly ordinary rock into something that is highly desirable and valuable. That is what God desires to do with the Christian and that is what He is doing with Job in the book of Job.

It is as his life begins to turn into a furnace that we first find Job. Early on we hear God ask Satan, Job 1:8 8 ... Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? With this question God crushes Job, as in response Satan destroys all he holds dear. We then read Job 2:3 3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. With this question God places Job in the furnace. Then Job 2:6 6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. God has now turned the furnace to full heat. He is extracting from Job’s life everything that He can! He is refining him to the point that he will glitter in rays of the evening sun! He is intent upon burning away everything that is less than precious, and leaving Job standing in the end as an example of what He can do with a Christian once He has refined him.

I. Job’s Problem - He Is In The Furnace

Job here has been through A LOT! In one day he lost: his livestock - oxen and donkeys were animals of provision (plowing) and burden, sheep were a source of income, camels were transportation. As his servants bring him word of these calamities each one says in turn, “I only am escaped alone to tell thee.” Now comes the final and most devastating blow of the day. The fourth servant appears and tells him that all 10 of his children have been killed at once. Next, he is stricken with “sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.” Then, when it seems nothing could add to his misery, his wife says, “curse God and die!” Then, three friends show up, set and morn with him for seven days, and START ACCUSING HIM OF BRINGING ALL OF THIS UPON HIMSELF THROUGH SIN!!!!!!! Now for 22 chapters we have a back and forth of essentially, “Job, you caused this” “no, I did not,” “Job, you sinned and brought this upon your self,” “no, I have lived holy and upright, and repented and sacrificed for my sins and my family’s sins,” “well if that was the case you wouldn’t be where you are now!”

A. He Feels Abandoned In The Furnace

In chapter 23 Job tells them, “look, if I knew where to find God I would ask Him and let Him tell you Himself I am right. THE PROBLEM IS I CAN’T FIND HIM!!!!!!!

Job 23:8–10 8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; And backward, but I cannot perceive him: Perceive 1. as, to perceive light or color; to perceive the cold of ice or the taste of honey. 2 To know; to understand; to observe. 3. To be affected by; to receive impressions from 9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

They tell me that in the ancient east these terms of “forward” “backward” left hand” and “right hand” actually refer points on a compass. Whereas our maps are drawn facing north, in the ancient East their maps were drawn facing east, toward the morning sun and the new day. “Forward” deals with the East, “backward “deals with the west, “the left hand” deals with the North, and “the right hand” deals with the south. So when they spoke of going “forward” they spoke of going into the morning sun.

So essentially what Job is saying is this, “I look into the morning sun of a new day, where I hope see the first rays of light coming out of the darkness, longing for a ‘shadow’ of His presence, but He isn’t there. I look back into the darkness where I watched longingly as the last rays of light and joy faded from view hoping that I can perceive Him, but there is no One to perceive. I gaze into the north where I know He works, and though I try I just can’t find Him!” The ancients regarded the north as the seat of gloom and darkness, but shining out of that gloom and darkness come the wonders of God! The North Star, steady in night sky guides the traveler on his way, maybe Job thought of the Aurora Borealis or northern lights and the wonder and splendor that they display. But in all the workings of God in that region Job said, “I still can’t behold him. I turn to the south and He has hidden Himself from me in the vast expanses of the unknown.” The south was considered an unknown region. The deserts of Arabia stretched away in that direction, and they were largely unknown and regarded as wholly impassable and uninhabitable on account of the heat. To those hidden and unknown realms, Job turns to see if he could find some manifestation of God. But God “hid” or “concealed” Himself in those inaccessible regions so that he could not approach him.

Job has done everything, he has gone everywhere, turned in every direction. He has looked in the light, in the darkness, in God’s works, and even gazed into the unknown and He still can’t find God!!!!!!!

It seems hopeless. It seems like the end! It seems as though he should just take the advice of his wife, “curse God and die!” So now what does Job Do? Where does he turn?

II. Job’s Comfort - God Sees Him In The Furnace

Job’s response after all of this searching and learning is, “I may not know where God is right now, but there is one thing I know, ‘Job 23:10 10 BUT he knoweth the way that I take: When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.’”

A. God Is In Control Of The Furnace

Job said, “He knoweth the way that I take.” That reminds me of Mark 6:45–50 45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: 50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

When God puts His own people into the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much. We may question why He does it to begin with, or why He doesn’t turn down the heat or even turn it off;... Job 23:10 is the answer: 10 But he knoweth the way that I take: When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Gold does not fear the fire. The furnace can only make the gold purer and brighter. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Patient, “Be” Commentary Series

Job realized that God had him in a furnace, he knew God was putting him through a purifying process. When gold is refined it, like silver shows a reflection.

Unrefined Gold is like dirt, it really has no value. For example, lets say that a mine was processing ore valued at 1 troy ounce of gold per ton. This would generally be considered a very high-grade ore, worth mining in most cases. Using this hypothetical value of 1 ozt./ton, each pound of ore would contain approximately 0.0005 (five ten-thousandths) of an ounce of gold. Now let’s assume that gold is valued at $1500 per ounce. That would make the gold in a one pound ore sample worth approximately 75 cents, and this is assuming that the ore is extremely rich.

Deuteronomy 4:20 20 But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

Isaiah 1:25 25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, And purely purge away thy dross, And take away all thy tin:

Psalm 66:10 10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

1 Peter 1:6–7 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Some people go into the furnace of affliction, and it burns them; others go in, and the experience purifies them. What makes the difference? Their attitude toward the Word of God and the will of God. If we are nourished by the Word and submit to His will, the furnace experience, painful as it may be, will refine us and make us better. But if we resist God’s will and fail to feed on His truth, the furnace experience will only burn us and make us bitter. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Patient, “Be” Commentary Series

I. Job’s Problem - He Is In The Furnace

A. He Feels Abandoned In The Furnace

II. Job’s Comfort - God Sees Him In The Furnace

A. God Is In Control Of The Furnace