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Take our Bibles, turn to Job
chapter 27. We'll be going through chapters
27 through chapters 31, dealing with Job's last speech
to his friends. As we've seen through this study,
Job's friends have been doing their best to tell him what he
is doing wrong. Overall, their comments, their
thoughts that God judges sin is true, but as pastor has pointed
out, they are applying the wrong medicine to Job's problem. And if you are like me, Or like
Job, if someone is continually telling you what you are doing
wrong, over and over and over, even though you know you are
not, you just wait for that opportunity to set the record straight. The
author of the book that Pastor is going through puts it this
way. These men have tried their hardest to force a bronco into
a stall much too small. They've pled, pulled, coaxed,
shoved, frightened, smacked, called him names, and they have
the bruises to show for it. But in chapter 27, Job bucks
free and cuts loose on his longest discourse by far. And he starts off in chapter
27, verse one. Moreover, Job continued his parable. Now, when we think about parables,
probably what's going to come into our mind is the study that
we went through before Job, the parables of Christ, where Christ
is using pictures to teach something for the audience. In the Hebrew,
the word parable, though, is a very versatile word. And what
it means, especially in this instance, is it is a speech designed
to cause someone to reflect and come to a verdict about the subject
under discussion. Okay, we would put it this way. This would be the closing arguments
in a court case. Job's saying, listen, I've heard
what you have to say. Here are my final remarks. And
when we get to the end of chapter 31, Job ends this speech very
effectively to let his friends know, there is nothing more for
you to add to this. What Job is going to deal with
in these several chapters is a discourse contrasting the theological
fantasy with reality. One of the difficulties that
I run into, that I know Pastor has run into, and other pastors
who seek to get more education, get their masters, work on their
doctorates, is taking those things that we can discuss around the
theological water cooler, in the dorm room, we can discuss
all of these theological concepts that are way up here, and we
can have all of the answers. But taking those concepts and
bringing them down and applying them in such a way that a young
person can understand those concepts. And that's what Job is dealing
with here. We're going to see that Job employs
the most extreme measure available in his society for a condemned
person to plead innocent. Okay, he is going to swear an
oath based on the existence of God. Verse two of chapter 27,
as God liveth. who hath taken away my judgment,
and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul all the while my breath
is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips shall
not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid
that I should justify you. Till I die, I will not remove
mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast
and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me
so long as I live." Okay? You know, Job is doing what we
would do in a courtroom today, where you put your hand on the
Bible, and you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, so help you God. That is what Job is
doing. And in his defense, he says,
I'm not going to justify you. I'm not going to let you have
the satisfaction of thinking that you are correct, because
you're not. Instead, I'm going to prove my
innocence. Job follows his oath of innocence
with an imprecation against his enemies in verses seven through
10. let my enemy be as the wicked. Okay, and if we think through
the arguments that Job's three friends have been giving for
the last several chapters, what do they say happens to the wicked?
Okay, the wicked will be destroyed, the wicked will be judged, the
wicked will go through all of these things, and they're applying
it to Job, and Job right here is turning it on them. He's saying,
let those who oppose me, let my enemy, which is going to include
his three friends at this point. Be as the wicked person. You
know, when we think of imprecations, okay, or imprecatory Psalms,
we see several imprecatory Psalms throughout the book of Psalms.
These are the Psalms that you read through and you come to
church and you hope that the pastor isn't gonna preach on
those. You know, those are the Psalms where David prays that
God would smash the teeth of his enemies. If you've ever had
a broken tooth, you know how fun that is. Or the Psalms where
David prays that God would destroy the children, you know, may this
person be childless. You're like, wait a second, that's
not a, that's not a lovey-dovey sermon that you want to hear
preached. But when we hear those imprecatory Psalms, and as we
see here in Job's instance, these imprecatory statements against
the enemies, they're not using these imprecatory
prayers as someone who has wronged me. Okay, when David prays the
imprecatory Psalms, he's not saying, God, this person has
wronged me, therefore you need to revenge me. But rather they
are reserved for those who are wronging God, those who have
done evil against him. And Job is giving these imprecatory
statements, and when we get to chapter 31, we're gonna see him
applying them even to himself to prove his innocence. And after
Job goes through this in verse, chapter 27, he teaches them things
that they should know about God. And as we read some of his statements,
it almost sounds like he is agreeing with them. Okay, in chapter five,
we heard about Eliphaz insisting the children of the wicked are
far from safety. And in Job chapter 27, verse
14, Job asserts that if the children of the wicked be multiplied,
it is for the sword. Okay, the children of the wicked
have no safety. Bildad in chapter eight dealt
with the fact the house of the wicked is unstable. Job here
in chapter 27 verse 18 asserts that the wicked builds his house
as a moth. Think of how stable and how sturdy
a cocoon is. How well is that going to keep
you safe? You know, it's not. Gabriel is
at the stage right now where he loves wrapping himself up
in the blanket, and he'll lay the blanket out flat, and he'll
make sure there are no wrinkles or creases, and then he'll lay
down, grab it, and he'll just roll. And then he'll want you
to step on him. It's like, no, child. This isn't going to protect you.
And that's what Job is saying. You know, the wicked person,
their security is just like that cocoon. And it seems to be agreeing
with what Bildad had said. Bildad and Zophar in chapters
18 and chapters 20 said that the wicked were constantly besieged
with terror. In Job here in verse 20 of chapter
27, terrors take hold on the wicked as waters. A tempest stealeth
him away in the night. The east wind carryeth him away
and he departs. The storm hurleth him out of
his place. And so it seems like Job is agreeing
with his friends, but in reality he is mimicking
them. The purpose that Job is getting
at we find in verse 11. After he has gone through and
he started by swearing his innocence on the existence of God, after
he's made these imprecatory statements against his enemy, Job states
in verse 11, I will teach you by the hand of God that which
is with the Almighty, will I not conceal? Behold, all ye yourselves
have seen it. Why then are ye thus altogether
vain? Job is going to teach his friends
the truth about God. And he says, these are things
that you have seen, but all your arguments are empty. You should
know these things, but you've been wasting my time for the
last 26 chapters. If Job were to read his life
in the chapters. Job is going to shift his tone
for the remainder of the defense. In fact, once we get through
this chapter, Job is no longer going to address these friends
at all. He says, I've said what I've needed to for you, now let
me tell you how it is. And while he is speaking to them,
he is not addressing them. And in chapter 28, maybe, there
we go. We missed one? Which one did
we miss? Oh, here. Oh, sorry, here. Okay, it sounds like Job is agreeing
with his friends in these statements. He's just kind of, and we've
seen kids do this on the playground. I know you are, but what am I?
The wicked is this, and so is that. He's just making fun of
them. He's mocking them. You think you know what the wicked
person's like? You think I'm wicked? You are. Okay, so Job is just imitating
what he has heard them say. And in chapter 28, we see the
wisdom of God. This statement that he makes
in this chapter, this whole chapter is just a masterpiece of poetic
brilliance as you read through it. Now there is some discussion
among the scholars as far as who is actually inserting chapter
28. Is the narrator interrupting
the story and putting this in as the narrator has interrupted
the story to give us key information before? He told us the stuff
in chapters one and two that Job doesn't know. And it's possible. You know, there's no huge issue
if the narrator is putting this in here, but there's no reason
to think that the narrator is doing this. It reads a little
easier, Job, going from, I'll show you who God is, to here's
the wisdom of God, and doing it himself. It revolves around a central
question found in verses 12 and then again in verse 20. Verse
12, Job asked the question, but where shall wisdom be found?
Where is the place of understanding? And then in verse 20, whence
then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? And Job, in asking these questions,
is going to demonstrate really the futility of our imagination,
of our mind, of our ability to come up with wisdom. And he does
this in three ways. Okay, this poem is about where
to find wisdom and understanding He starts it off dealing with
the fact that we know where and how to find earthly wealth in
the first several verses here. Starting in verse one, surely
there is a vein for the silver and a place for the gold where
they find it. Iron is taken out of the earth and brass is molten
out of the stone. He setteth an end to darkness
and searcheth out all perfection, the stones of darkness and the
shadow of death. The flood breaketh out from the
inhabitant, even the waters forgotten of the foot. As they are dried
up, they are gone away from men. As for the earth, out of it cometh
bread, and under it is turned up, as it were, fire. The stones
of it are the places of sapphires, and it hath dust of gold." And
Job starts off saying, listen, if you want earthly riches, earthly
wealth, we can figure out how to find the gold. We can figure
out how to find the silver. We can figure out how to find
the sapphire. Just reading through it again
right now, it boggles my mind. Do you know where the majority
of sapphires and diamonds are found? Volcanic tubes, where there's intense heat and
pressure. And Job says, under the earth
is turned up, as it were, fire, and the stones of it are the
places of sapphire. The Bible is not a science book, but it sure is scientifically
accurate. Job says, we know where to find the silver, we know where
to find the gold, but where is the mine for wisdom?
Where's the shaft for understanding? He continues it, where then does
wisdom come from? And where can one find understanding? And he deals with this starting
in verse 23. God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
Wisdom and understanding are found in God alone. God is the
only mine of wisdom and understanding. In verse 28, I find this interesting and maybe
it'll just be me. Job says, unto man, God, he said,
God said, behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. And to depart from evil is understanding. Does that sound familiar? Where else do we see that? Okay, Proverbs, the fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but we also see it earlier in
Job. Job chapter one, verse one, there
was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was perfect
and upright, one that feared God and eschewed or departed
from evil. So what God has told Job about
finding wisdom. Who is the wisest man that we've
come across in this book? In the book of Job. Job. Okay, you want wisdom, fear God,
and depart from evil, hate evil. And that's exactly who Job is.
And so his friends who have been telling him how bad he is, how
evil he is, how wicked he is, because God is judging him. God is essentially putting the
stamp of approval on Job right here saying, no, Job is a wise
person. He is the one that is correct.
His friends, not so much. Job directs the attention here
to the God who sees everything, who knows the truth about everyone. And when we get into chapter
29 and 30, Job reflects on the past and the present. You know, back in the good old
days. My good old days probably aren't
as good as some of the other good old days in this room. My good old days, you could go
outside in the neighborhood and not have to worry about stuff.
My parents' good old days, you could not just be in the neighborhood,
but you could wander anywhere, as long as you were home by the
time the lamp lights came on. The good old days, back when
you didn't have to worry about people driving 90 miles an hour
down the road because your car was only going to go 45. The
good old days. The good old days where politicians
weren't as corrupt. Never mind, politicians have
always been corrupt. But when we think about and reflect on
the good old days, we tend to think about when it
was good for us. Job, as he is reflecting on the
good old days here in chapter 29, he's not so much reflecting
on when things were necessarily good from a human standpoint
for him. He begins, he continues his parable,
verse one, by reflecting and reminiscing over the blessings
of the past. And here's what he says, oh that
I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved
me. when his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light
I walked through darkness, as I was in the days of my youth,
when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle, when the Almighty
was yet with me. You know, when Job is thinking
back to the good old days, the majority of his thought isn't
when society was better, when culture was more moral, When
I had all of my wealth. Where are the good old days for
Job? When God's blessing was there. When God was actively with him. And he spends these several lines
dealing with God being with him and it's only at the very end
where Job deals with anything material. When my children were
about me. I don't know how many times I've
had conversations with individuals who are older who tell me the
same thing, enjoy your kids now. And I'm thinking, okay, it's
4.30 in the morning and Gabriel is jumping on my head. I'm enjoying
this. But yes, enjoy your children.
When I washed my steps with butter and the rock poured me out rivers
of oil. Now, I would not recommend washing
your steps with butter when you get home. Maybe your neighbor's
steps if you don't care for them to, no. Okay, why would you wash
your steps with butter? Why would rocks pour forth oil? Job's using an analogy here.
He's a hyperbole, if I have the correct term. Things were so
well, I had so much butter, I had so much fat off my milk that
I could have washed my steps with it. There was so much oil,
it was as if the rocks were just sweating oil. You know, similar
to when Solomon was king, and the Bible tells us that when
Solomon was king, silver was as the dust of the street. gold
was as rocks on the ground. And we think about how much wealth
gold and silver are today. And when Solomon is king, there's
so much of it. He's turning it into shields. Gold is a terrible metal to try
to block an arrow or a sword. And yet Solomon has so much gold,
he's making all these decorative shields. It's as if you were
to go outside in the parking lot and pick up some gravel and
you have a handful of gold. That's how common gold was during
Solomon's reign. Job says, man, the good old days
when God was with me. When he had respect from his
people. When I went out to the gate through
the city, when I prepared my seat in the street, the young
men saw me and they hid themselves. The aged arose and stood up.
Princes refrained from talkings and laid their hands on their
mouth. Nobles held their peace. When the ear heard me, so when
people heard Job speak, they blessed him. When the eye saw
me, it gave witness to him. And Job goes through and he explains
why, and it's not because he was wealthy. You know, I'm blanking
on the exact words, but in the... Now I'm blanking on the title
of the musical. Fiddler on the Roof. Okay? When he is singing
his little song about if I were a rich man, you know, if I had
all this wealth, I could go by the city wall and pray, and people
would ask me, "'Cause when you're rich, They think you know it
all. Job isn't saying, I open my mouth
and people are like, oh, he knows everything because of his wealth.
He tells us why people praised him. He says, because I delivered
the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had
none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish
came upon me. I caused the widow's heart to
sing for joy. In a society where widows had
no source of income, Job said, I provided it for them. If someone
had no father, they were fatherless. I took care of them. I put on
righteousness and it clothed me. Verse 15, I was eyes to the
blind and feet was I to the lame. I was father to the poor. The
cause which I knew not, I searched out. I break the jaws of the
wicked. I plucked the spoil out of his
teeth. Why do these people praise Job? Why did they love him? Because
he was a good person. Because he made himself known
in his community as one who was willing to help. We would put
it this way in the New Testament terms, he was a light put in
the windowsill for the world to see. He didn't just hide his
Christianity, he didn't hide his relationship with God under
a bushel. but he was active in his community. And when we get to chapter 30, Job switches from reminiscing
on the good old days to now reflecting on the shame of his present. But now, Job finds himself being
mocked They that are younger than I have me in derision, whose
fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of
my flock. These kids who their parents,
their dads aren't even worth hiring because they're worthless
fellows. The children of the worthless
fellows are making fun of me. Where might the strength of their
hands profit me in whom old age was perished? And he describes
these individuals, they are children of fools. And yet they mock me. I am their song. I am their byword. If you're wicked, you're gonna
sit on a dunghill just like old man Job. And he is being mocked
by them. He is in shame from them. His soul is poured out from before
him. Verse 29 says, I am a brother
to dragons. I'd love to be the brother to
a dragon. Wait, I have three brothers. Some of them act, no. What does that phrase mean? When
we think about dragons in our different cultures and different
fantasies, whether it be medieval or Asian, Dragons usually live
in some sort of outcast area, in some craggy rocks, in a cave,
out in the desert alone. That's where Job's saying that
he's lived. You know, I can't even live with my people anymore. I'm an outcast. I'm a companion
to the owls. My skin is black upon me. My
bones are burned with heat. You know, physically, I am just
exhausted. My harp, an instrument used for
rejoicing, is turned to mourning. My organ, okay, flute would probably
be the instrument here. Again, another instrument that's
usually known for peppy tunes is turned to the voice of those
that weep. There is no one source of Job's
misery. Several causes converge and reinforce
each other, and yet Job recognizes that the one who is the cause
and explanation for his problems is also the solution. And then
we get to chapter 31, and Job catalogs his righteousness. In
this chapter, Job is going to lay out a detailed testimony
of his innocence. And even talking about this with
pastor this morning, this isn't one of those lists that you need
to do to be saved. This isn't a list of as a Christian,
you have to do these or you are losing God's favor. But rather
this is a list of because God has done a work in my heart,
Here's the change that I'm going to show that the Spirit is doing
within me. And Job gives, I think that there
are 10 of them, 10 areas in his life where he is
going to demonstrate that he is above reproach. And in doing
some of those, he's going to give that imprecatory. If I am
doing wrong in this area, then let this be the issue, let this
be the solution. He starts off dealing with his
moral propriety. Verses one through four, Job
recognizes that man's primary vulnerability is not in an act, but it's in a thought. that takes
place beforehand. He starts off in verse one, I
made a covenant with mine eyes, why then should I think upon
a maid? Is not destruction to the wicked?
Job recognizes that fornication or adultery doesn't start with
the act, but it starts with that look. Sin surfaces first as an
internal betrayal before it ever becomes an external behavior.
And despite what we may think, okay, this is something in my
thoughts, no one's going to know. Job reminds us in verse four
that God sees his ways. He continues dealing with his
financial propriety. Job was a very wealthy man. But he recognizes and defends
the fact that his, of his integrity in dealing with his wealth. You know, what is the struggle
for those who have wealth in this world? It's to be controlled
by it. But Job recognizes that there
is no greed. If I have walked with vanity
or if my foot hath hasted to deceit, You know, if I'm doing
things under the table, let me be weighed in an even balance
that God may know my integrity. Let me sow, but another eat,
and let my offspring be rooted out. He says if there's any financial
dealings where I did something under the table, if I have any
of that type of wickedness, then let somebody else take my wealth.
let my kids go hungry so that somebody else can take what they
should have. He continues dealing with marital
purity, starting in verse nine. If mine heart have been deceived
by a woman, or if I had laid wait at my neighbor's door. You
know, if I am guilty of adultery, and that's why God is judging
me. Then let my wife grind unto another and let others bow down
upon her, for this is a heinous crime. Job is saying that if I have
stepped out on my wife, then absolutely let somebody cheat
on my wife in front of me. We're thinking, wait a second,
why is Job letting his wife bear this punishment? That doesn't
seem fair. It's not that Job wants his wife
to suffer in that way. What Job is doing is he's just
giving this example to, again, maintain his purity. Here's how
innocent I am. I am so innocent in this that
I'm gonna give the worst possible scenario to happen to my wife. But that's not gonna happen because
I'm innocent. He deals with domestic equity.
In a society where slaves were second class at best, where the
rights were minimal or non-existent, Job recognizes that there is
a reason to treat them well. Verse 13, if I did despise the
cause of my manservant or my maidservant when they contended
with me, then what am I gonna do when God rises and visits
me? Because he recognizes in verse
15, did not he that hath made me in the womb make him and did
not one fashion us in the womb. He recognizes what makes me different
than my servant. You know, we can bring this into
the culture racial wars of today. What makes me different than
someone of a different ethnicity? Okay, what makes me better than
my Filipino brother? Nothing, because the God who
made me also made him. And he didn't make a mistake
with me. Or with Jerry. Beth may disagree, no. The same
God who made me, the same God who made Job is the same God
who made his servants. Job says, because the same God
made all of us, who am I to treat somebody else worth less than
me? Who am I to take advantage of
someone? Because we're all gonna be held accountable to the same
God. He deals with his social generosity. This is an area where independent
fundamental Baptists tend to hold their purses a little bit
tighter because this sounds an awful lot like the social gospel
and that's not the gospel at all, so let's just ignore this
part. Job says, if I have withheld
the poor from their desire, or if I have caused the eyes of
the widow to fail, if I have eaten my morsel myself alone
and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof, or from my youth he
was brought up with me as with a father, and I have guided her
from my mother's womb, if I have seen any parish for want of clothing
or any poor without covering, if his loins have not blessed
me, if he were not warmed by the fleece of my sheep, if I
have lifted my hand against the fatherless when I saw him, When
I saw my help in the gate, then let my arm fall off. Job was one who was active in
his community. He was one who, as he had the
ability to meet the physical needs of others, he did so. And again, it wasn't to get the,
yay, Job. It was so that he could show
the God who made him to that person. And Job is so serious
in this one. He says, if I have not helped
the poor when it was in my ability to do so, let my arms fall off. You guys are accusing me of being
wicked. I'm innocent. Material detachment. Verses 24
and following. If I made gold my hope, Or if
I said to Feingold, you are my confidence. If I rejoice because
my wealth were great. Well, this is also an iniquity
to be punished by the judge for I should have denied, verse 28,
the God that is above. As rich and as wealthy as Job
was, he somehow managed to get that wealth despite his desire
to not be tied to wealth. He said, if I put my trust in
my money instead of my wealth or instead of God, then I am
denying God. I'm not trusting him to get me
through. Relational sympathy. Job has
not been vindictive, verse 29. If I rejoiced at the destruction
of him that hated me, Or if I lifted myself up when evil found him,
neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to
his soul. You know, that person who has wronged him. Job says,
I'm not waiting for God's judgment to fall on that person. We look around at society around
us, and the wicked are prospering. And there are times in our Christian
life, I'll admit it, you guys can be more holy than I in this
area. But there are times where in
my mind, I think, God, why don't you judge that person for that
sin? It's well within your right. Why are you letting him get away
with that? Job says, I'm not looking for
that to happen. He says, if I hear something
bad has happened to somebody else, I'm not jumping up and
down dancing. Yee-haw, he got what came to
him. Job says, no, I'm not vindictive. Communal hospitality. Again,
dealing with the fact that he is helping those around him. Verse 32, the stranger did not
lodge in the street, but I opened my doors to the traveler. Okay,
if anybody needed anything, Job says, I was there. Personal iniquity or integrity. Job is aware well that he is
a fallen creature. Verse 33, if I covered my transgressions
as Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom, Yeah. How does Job know the story
of Adam and Adam's sin? Moses doesn't come around for
another 2000 years to write the book of Genesis. But the story had been passed
down, and Job understood. What did Adam do when he sinned?
He hid from God. But what does Job say, verse
35? Oh, that one would hear me. Behold,
this is my desire, that the Almighty would answer me. Here's how sure
I am of my innocence, of my personal integrity. I don't want to be
like Adam and hide from God, but instead, God, I want you
to show people that I am who I say I am. And agricultural sensitivity
is the tenth one. Okay. No, Job is not a tree-hugging
hippie. But Job recognizes that God has given him this earth.
and their resources to use wisely. Verse 38, if my land cry against
me, or that the furrows likewise complain, if I had eaten the
fruits thereof without money or have caused the owners to
lose their life, if I have misused the land, let my land grow weeds. And then he ends the argument in a way that I I am very seriously
considering ending all of my conversations with, here in verse
40, the words of Job are ended. The words of pastor are ended,
you are dismissed. We're done. Job says there's
nothing else that you can add to this. Now, one of his friends
who has been sitting quietly the entire time doesn't like
the fact that Job's words are ended because he's going to pop
on the scene in the next chapter and will be introduced to Elihu
next week. But Elihu, when he comes on the
scene, he is essentially going to condemn Job in this speech,
chapters 27 through 31, because Job doesn't really give the source of his ability to
have a material detachment or relational sympathy or other
areas of his personal integrity, Job doesn't give the source.
How is Job able to do these things? Because the God who made him
enables him to do so. Some suggest that Job's sin especially
in this chapter, is the sin of pride. Look at how proud Job
is. He thinks he can't be condemned.
But when we see God come into the picture in a few chapters
here, God never rebukes Job for his pride. what we can see, what we do see
him is God does censure Job for defending his own righteousness
at the expense of God's righteousness. I am, God is righteous, but I
am more righteous than he is because if he were righteous,
these things wouldn't be happening to me. And that's where we want
to make sure that we are not being holier than thou to God.
Okay, but Job, you know, He mourned those times where he didn't have
God. But he still recognizes that
he's only able to have wisdom from God.
The Defense Rests
Series Job: Beyond Suffering
Job's friends have stopped their painful helping. Job now lays out what his character is like and why God should not allow him to suffer. These are Job's closing arguments to prove to God that he is right and God might be wrong.
| Sermon ID | 322241545581582 |
| Duration | 44:33 |
| Date | |
| Category | Midweek Service |
| Bible Text | Job 27-31 |
| Language | English |
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