-Overview the Journey of Job:
-Highlight last three weeks of God’s Speeches:
-Ultimately what we saw Job yearning for in the book is a Knowledge that God was still with Him and that he was still right with God
-Our final chapter though scriptural extremely hard to translate and identify seems to show that God has validated Job and brought him into the realization that God has never left him
All 3 Parts of today's text are said to be at times controversial and often debated:
1-6 we experience the end of the Poem with Job’s response
7-9 We see the rebuke of Job’s 3 friends and Job’s response
10-17 We see the vindication of God on Job’s life
Each will help us though see the beauty and wonder of God and hopefully show us that it is for righteousness’s sake that we live and breathe pursing God, not the blessings....
Let’s Dive into the text......
1. True Comfort Is Found in Dust and Ash
Ill..... Seeing vs hearing
-Spending time in Ethiopia......2006 before I went, I prayed about go read about the country, but nothing could truly prepare me for the experience.
-The Beauty of God’s creation, the Hospitality of God’s people, the need for God to work, the Joy of God through the journey…
-But not only did the experience open my eyes to the reality of God’s beauty that I never knew it opened my eyes to the smallness of who I am
In the first part today, this is what we see Job experience as he comes to the end of God’s speech.
-Remember God is the one who has approached Job (which was both Job’s desire and fear)
Job 42:1–6 ESV
Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
- Job answers God’s initial questions:
-Before Diving into an answer to the Lords questions Job makes clear the fact that God is Sovereign over all nothing he does can be thwarted or changed. A reality that was not new to Job, he had claimed it earlier, but now we see it begin to be drive home into his mind and life, it is form this initial framework that he responds…to the Lord’s questions....
His first response was a sign of submission, here we see him bring himself together and respond now to the full weight of what God has laid before him
Job 38:2 ESV
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Here Job responds in the affirmative that all that he spoke lacked a full and knowing understanding of God. He did speak from a hidden counsel because he lacked a knowledge of the mysteries of God.
-Job’s musings about how God worked and playing with the lines of God’s justice was based on his own mere observation, which he here clearly claims was missing a key component to see the whole board.
Star Wars the Last Jedi.... The resistance commander had a plan to save the whole army, but it required great sacrifice, and the plan was hidden from the crew (the main characters act on the false assumption the concocted based on observations not on fact or even knowledge of the person leading. they know she is a great general that has won many battles but now their butts are on the line they believe she is crazy) their plan because it lacked full perspective ends in calamity)
-Had God not stepped in maybe Job would have continued into calamity.... it’s hard to say, but By God’s grace we see he does step in and fills the gaps in Job’s thinking......sort of
Secondly....
Job 38:3 ESV
Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.
Job 40:7 ESV
“Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.
In the Second questions response, Job highlights the reality of what it means to hear verse seeing....
-HE speaks now of the reality that all that he thought, and beloved was based on what he was taught, possibly by others. But now in light of the revelation of God he Knows something new and massive About God
-We talk often about the reality that the Gospel is not a testimony, but that a testimony is valid that explains the gospels impact.
-A Life transformed not merely informed…
Job’s information was lacking in some crucial areas, but now that he sees and has experienced God that has all changed for him. He has gone from despising what God has done to him, to despising himself. He has gone from hating that God had made him like Dust and Ash to cherish the dust and ash he has become.
Deal With The text controversies:
Repent in the text can mean (Repent for sin, Relent from His argument, Comforted in his situation)
Looks of Hebrews study can go into this one text and much has with no clear winner.
Repent becomes a hard issue because of verse 7-9
Relent seems to be and acceptable alternative it matches with how God turns away from his own charges against people in scripture
I though fall into the comfort camp for several reasons:
- The Hebrew root that is used in the text has been used half a dozen times in relation to being comforted or seeking comfort in the book of Job. (the text has used multiple Hebrew words by Eliphaz and the friends for repenting)
- The Hebrew root word is directly connected to Concerning Dust and ash which is a symbol of his mortality and brokenness. Which he despised in chapter 30
- It parallels with the reality of the Christian life for those who suffer for righteousness’ sake, when viewed correctly.
Philippians 4:12–14 ESV
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
In All of Job’s pain he wanted to Know God had not left Him and here is brought into God’s fearsome presences he is not devoured but rather instructed. He is not brought to destruction, but being brought to light.
-He has found comfort in God’s revelation and discipline, he has found comfort in the nothingness, because he has the knowledge that the one who controls the whole of creation is his still. He has despised himself for losing sight of God in his trials.
And it is God who we see brings Job an even greater Gift as he brings hope, not only to Job but also to his three friends who in their “knowledge” false spoke about God and attempted to lead their friend astray.
And so, we see the life of a Christian experienced by Prayer.
2. True Comfort Is Experienced by Prayer
God Speaks again, not to Job here but to His friends....
Job 42:7–9 ESV
After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
-Job’s friends are condemned for how they spoke about God, while Job is commended (this has caused much controversy over the years)
-Options contend that Job is commend for repenting.......though as we see the Hebrew is connected the words said in the poetical exchanges not the questioning.
-Some Postulate then that all Job said was good and right.......This also seems to be lacking in support for Job says some harsh things from ignorance and pain
-Ultimately it seems to be connected to the reality that Job speaks of the fact that righteousness before God is the desire of God regardless of the results.
-Job has been given many an opportunity to: repent and turn back to God and receive the blessings of God, whether that be physical or spiritual” yet he has stated again and again that he will not lose his integrity for things.
-Job didn’t understand why the righteous would suffer while the unrighteous prosper, but he knew if that was the reality of things, then that would be his reality....
-remember the original deal was based on the fact that the only reason people love and trust God and live life for him is because they get stuff...... without it they would abandon everything to get it back.
-Here we begin to see the reality of Suffering and Sanctification leading to intercessions.
-God grants Job the opportunity to intercede from His friends. (overview the horrible things they said, and did)
James 5:11 ESV
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
-Job does it with Joy… the Miserable comforters have been openly rebuked by God called to make sacrifices and called to ask Job to pray for them. (and he does)
-Here again is why we are not like Job and Job ultimately shows us the reality of Jesus
-Gospel focus of Jesus dying for rebels and enemies… those who mocked him and spit on him, those who murdered his family.... they he interceded for, they he made a way for, they he brought back from the dead.
Romans 5:6–11 ESV
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
And it is through his role as intercessor that Job is vindicated by God
3. True Comfort Is vindicated by God
Job 42:10–17 ESV
And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. And Job died, an old man, and full of days.
-In Job’s prayer God begins the process of restoring Job
The concluding narrative though shows us that the restoration was over time...
-7 sons, 3 daughters each given a share of his wealth and identified in their culture ways as the most beautiful (signifying desirable)
-His family and friends (whom he thought abandoned him) arrive and bring blessings of Gold and rings to help easy His suffering
-Now from a literary standpoint some feel that the ending of Job defeats the whole text of Job it reminds me of my favorite movie: Stranger than Fiction
The final scene is as follows....
It's.... It's okay.
- It's not great.
- No. It's okay. It's not bad. It's not the most amazing piece of English literature in several years... ...but it's okay.
You know... ...I think I'm fine with "okay."
It doesn't make sense with the rest of the book though.
No, not yet. I'll rewrite the rest. My assistant said she'd go back to the publisher... ...and request more time.
- Why?
Don't know. It's awfully sweet though.
No, why did you change the book?
Lots of reasons. I realized I just couldn't do it.
Because he's real?
Because it's a book about a man... ...who doesn't know he's about to die and then dies. But if the man does know he's going to die and dies anyway... ...dies willingly, knowing he could stop it, then.... I mean, isn't that the type of man you want to keep alive?
Job’s ending though does point us to the reality of God being sovereign and God watching over His children, though suffering is a reality, the desire to live righteously and act in forgiveness towards those who persecute and harass us in our suffering seem to be plan to us when we see the whole. In the end the greatest blessing awaits us as we see God and experience his Kingdom for eternity, a greater blessing than all the prosperity of this life
Again, though I want us to remember that as with the beginning the life of a believer is one of suffering and blessing
Remember the Book of 1 Peter that spent much time on Suffering as a way of living the Christian life, and in remembering his epistle let us remember what Christ said about his life:
Luke 22:31–32 ESV
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Christ Prayed for Him for His faith, for Him to be strengthened.
The God who made Behemoth who controls the Leviathan, who watches over the lilies in the field and holds the storms of this world in his hands...... prays for us. Intercedes for us, strengthens us........ his broken worthless friends.
May we find comfort in our God and Lord Jesus Christ, not matter the Dust and ash we have become.
