I'm aware that listening to somebody speak with a different accent can be quite tiring, can't it?
You know, you think, oh, my ears are aching. Why don't you speak right?
But hey, we have the English language first.
And I am bilingual, so you're all right.
I don't have a PowerPoint, you know, because I'm a bit tech unsavvy.
Plus we're on holiday.
But we do have an outline, a listening guide rather than an outline.
So if you have your Bibles, which I hope you do, in whatever form you prefer, electronic or paper,
please turn to Job chapter 1.
In the Church Bibles it's page 417.
We are going to carry on with our study through the book of Job.
But before we get into this new section, I'd like to do a bit of review.
Not because David did a bad job last week. He did a great job.
But the problem is most of us is probably what?
It's gone.
Unless we're constantly looking at the Word and reading through the outline.
So just to remind ourselves, last week we saw a portrait of a blameless life.
A characterization of a man who walked close to God.
And we're introduced to this man in verse 1.
And we're told that there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.
So there's a man.
And this book is about a man.
It's a story about a man.
And we're introduced, first of all, to Job's testimony.
And it was fantastic listening to his testimony, wasn't it, last week.
We heard about his faith, didn't we?
That man was blameless, upright, one who feared God and who turned away from evil.
And one who was so concerned about his family, he interceded for them.
See, his faith, he had a strong personal faith, but it included others.
He prayed for his family.
He was concerned for his family.
Not only did we see his faith then, we also saw his family.
This man was a strong man, I believe, because he had ten children, seven sons and three daughters.
Well, I tell you, three daughters was enough for us.
But to have seven sons at the same time.
But you know, he had a wife.
And his wife isn't mentioned very often, is she?
In fact, she's only mentioned one, though, over in chapter 2 and verse 10,
where she actually says to him, curse God and die.
How many of us would want a wife like that?
We want an encouraging wife, don't we?
One who would stand by us in the faith.
But he also had other brothers and sisters.
And this is not brought out to us in chapter 1.
But if we flick over, and you can do this later to the last chapter, chapter 42,
we find that Job had many other acquaintances, people who ate bread in his house.
Now, hopefully they were friends, and not just rice friends,
who came to eat and enjoy his hospitality.
But we saw his faith, his family, and we also saw his fortune.
This was a rich dude.
I don't know if you've ever thought about that.
7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke.
Now, when I was at school, 500 yoke meant 1,000, right?
Because to be yoked, you had one here and one here.
So 500 yoke speaks about 1,000 oxen and 500 female donkeys.
Man, he's fortune.
I tried to find out in my preparation how much that would be in today's money.
And the estimates range from 55 million to over 200 million dollars.
And I think David said last week we could say he was the Elon Musk or the Steve Job of that day.
But he had a great fortune, didn't he?
He also had fame, and we saw that.
And he had very many servants so that this man was the greatest of all the people on the earth.
His faith, his family, his fortune, and his fame.
And he had friends.
A man of that wealth would have friends, wouldn't he?
And three in particular.
And as you go through the book of Job, you're going to see these three friends.
And the best thing they did was go and sit with Job and keep quiet for a week.
Because as soon as they opened their mouth, things went downhill, didn't they?
And as you go through the book of Job, we're going to see that.
And for the most of the book of Job, we see that dialogue between his friends and Job.
And then we saw that the scene switched from there was a man to now there was a day.
And the scene switched to heaven, didn't it?
And we realize that there's a lot more going on in the book of Job than meets the eye.
And we're introduced now by the words that there is a day.
And we saw the accuser, the adversary, didn't we?
We saw him.
And we saw that he had access to God.
And I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit surprised.
How can a fallen, sinful creature have access to a holy and righteous God?
Well, only by God's permission to start with.
And I think God probably dragged Satan into his presence and said,
Now you give me an account of what you're doing in this world.
I want to know.
Not that God didn't know.
He knows everything, right?
But he held Satan, the adversary, the accuser of the brethren.
He holds him to account.
And he says,
In all your patrolling and prowling through this earth,
have you considered my servant Job?
And David said that this word considered actually means a little bit more than,
Hey, have you noticed Job?
Or have you seen Job?
It means have you set your heart and your mind?
Have you considered him?
Have you studied him?
Have you observed him?
Because he's different to everybody else.
He's blameless.
He's upright.
He fears me and he turns away from evil.
Now this word considered, I found out it's actually a military term.
And it's used of generals who stand outside a city and study that city before working out a strategy on how to go and attack.
Now when we think of that word considered and what God is saying to Satan,
he's saying, have you considered?
Have you seen Job and how he's built his life on the fortress, my fortress, my solid rock?
Have you considered him?
Have you observed him?
Have you got any strategy concerning him?
But God reinforces, doesn't he, Job's testimony?
Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, blameless, upright, fears God, and turns away from evil?
Now in Satan's response, we see that he affirms that he actually has been observing Job in that way.
He says, yes, I have.
And he replied with an accusation, didn't he?
He said, well, Job is only that way because you've built a, what, a hedge or a fence around him?
And you've blessed everything he does.
In fact, you've paid him to worship you.
That was the implication, wasn't it?
In Satan's accusation.
You've actually paid him.
You're not worthy to be worshipped.
You have to reward people to pay you.
You take away that hedge.
You take away his blessings.
And he will what?
Curse you to your face.
And so we see, although Satan has access, and he makes accusations, and this, I think, is tremendously encouraging,
Satan is held accountable.
He doesn't have free reign to do whatever he wishes.
He's accountable.
In verse 12, and the second half, he says, God says to him,
Behold, all that he has is in your hand.
Only against him do not stretch out your hand.
God has set boundaries, and praise the Lord for that.
The good news is that Satan has to ask permission.
The bad news is it's sometimes granted.
It's sometimes granted.
I don't know if you remember or even considered this, but our Lord Jesus, when he was talking to the Peter, Simon Peter,
what did he say to him?
He says, Simon Peter, Satan has what?
Asked permission to sift you like wheat.
But I have prayed for you.
Wow.
Satan asking permission of God so that he can have some sort of input in Peter's life.
And that's exactly how it is with Job here, didn't we?
You know, Satan, and I think David mentioned this last week,
Satan has some power, but he's not omnipotent.
He's not all-powerful.
Satan is, he has some knowledge, but he's not all-knowing.
He's present, but he has to walk around.
He has to patrol.
He has to prowl.
So he's present, but he's not all-present.
You see, Satan is not equal to God,
and Satan is not even opposite to God.
And sometimes we think that, don't we?
There's God who is good and Satan who is evil.
No.
God who is good,
Satan, a created being, is evil.
If you want an equal or an opposite to Satan,
we have to look elsewhere.
Maybe the archangel Michael, who's a created being.
Satan is not opposite or equal with God.
He has power, but he's not omnipotent.
He has knowledge, but he's not omniscient.
He walks about and prowls about like a lion,
seeking whom he may devour,
but he is not omnipresent.
Let's put him where he is.
He is a created being,
a fallen, created being.
But God holds Satan accountable.
He cannot do anything he wants.
He cannot do anything that God does not give him permission to do.
And I praise the Lord that God has set boundaries for Satan's activities.
Only against him do not stretch out your hand.
And then David, I mean, David left us last week on a cliffhanger, didn't he?
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord,
and I was sat there, and...
But that's my job this week.
You know, now it's my job to speak,
and it's your job to listen,
and if you finish before me,
please don't make too much noise.
You get that one?
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
So what happened next?
Well, the scene now shifts again from heaven,
here down to earth,
and we're told,
and if you read on your outline,
it's all there,
we see Satan's attack.
Satan's attack.
That's verses 13 through 19.
Now we know that Satan's intent was to what?
To get Job to curse God.
And we see that in verse 11, don't we?
But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has,
and he will curse you to your face.
And so in this next section,
we see Satan's attempt to bring about that result.
Satan's attempt to bring about the result of Job cursing God face to face.
But remember,
God has instructed Satan not to touch Jacob's body.
And what we're going to see here,
that Satan's attack,
Satan's assaults,
were alternately caused by human and natural forces.
That's what we're going to see,
human and natural forces.
First,
there is an attack by men.
Then there's fire.
And then there's another attack by men.
And then there's another,
then a fire.
Well,
the question that came up in my mind immediately,
how is Satan able to do that?
How can Satan influence a group of people so much that they could go and attack an innocent man
and rob him of his livelihood?
How is Satan able to influence the weather?
So that fire comes down,
so that a mighty wind comes and crashes down the house that Job's children are in.
Well,
the first thing we need to remember is that God committed Satan to move.
He permitted Satan to move both kinds of these causes,
both human and natural.
God permitted him to do that.
Without God's permission,
Satan could not have even touched Job at all.
If you're taking notes right down,
we're not turned here,
but thinking about Satan's power in the future,
he will work mightily again with God's permission,
and he will deceive nations,
he will deceive people groups,
so that they believe a lie.
He will even be given power to the beast and the false prophet,
so that fire can come down from heaven.
But all this is allowed,
permitted by God,
in a certain point in history.
Or the future,
one day it will be history.
But not only did God permit Satan to move these natural and human causes for these problems,
he did so with rapid and precise timing,
so that Job,
while reeling in shock from one,
before he even had a chance to regain his balance,
from the news of one shock,
would be hit by another one.
And that's how Satan worked.
He didn't give Job chance to breathe.
So not only was he given permission to do these things,
the timing of it was also granted to him.
It reminds me of the line of that hymn,
and I asked John if we're going to sing it this morning,
when peace like a river attends my soul.
And what's the next line?
We love that one, don't we?
What's the next line?
Let's say it together.
When sorrows like sea billows roll.
Have you ever been on a beach and tried to get in the water and a wave smacked you?
And you're just about to get up and what happens?
Another one hits you in the back.
And you're just about getting your breath and bam, another one hits you in the back.
I've done that in Dakar in Africa.
And I tell you, these were 10 foot waves.
And I thought I was going to die.
That first one came, knocked me over.
I was just about getting up for air and bam, bam, bam.
They just kept coming and coming.
You know what it's like when sorrows like sea billows roll.
So verse 13, we see the scene being set then for this new,
for this attack of Satan, this assault on this godly man.
It says, now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine
in their oldest brother's house.
The scene is set then.
And we know this was sort of a normal happening in the Job and Mrs. Job's household.
Their children would celebrate.
And I think it's probably talking about birthday celebrations.
Because in verse 4 in chapter 1, it says,
So it seems like they were celebrating on a special day.
And in my thinking, I'm thinking, birthday!
It's got to be a birthday celebration.
And so they were all gathered in the eldest brother's house for the big brother's birthday bash.
That should be on your outline too.
Now it may not have been a birthday, but I like to think it was.
And you know what I think is amazing too?
The sisters were invited.
Because usually in these Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, it's all about the boys.
But here we think about Job's family.
The sisters were involved too.
What a family.
But they were meeting together.
They were celebrating the big brother's birthday.
Now where was Job when all this was happening?
We're not told he was there with them.
But he wasn't there.
But that doesn't mean he wasn't involved, does it?
Because we know that as a father and as a priestly father to this family,
I like to think that he was praying for his family at this time.
Because he knew the type of things they could get up to.
We're told that in chapter 1, aren't we?
Verse 5,
And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them.
And he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all.
So as a father, he was not there.
He was absent, but he was not involved.
He was still involved, probably in prayer.
And probably preparing himself for his priestly duties.
Because he knows that when these guys are having a celebration,
they may sin and upset God in their hearts.
And I need to get the sheep.
I need to get the oxen prepared so that I can sacrifice and make offerings for their sin.
I don't know.
Maybe that's conjecture.
But I like to think that Job, although absent, was still involved with his family.
It was a special day.
And Job, whatever he's doing, wherever he is, he's separated from his family, but still involved.
When the first wave crashes on him.
That first billow of sorrow comes and hits him.
Just like that.
Verse 14.
And there came a messenger to Job and said,
The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them.
And the Sabians fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword.
The Sabians came and carried off the oxen and the donkeys and killed all his servants.
That's the first wave.
The loss of his stock and his servants then.
Well, who are the Sabians?
I don't know.
Maybe you could ask your pastors this week.
Who are the Sabians?
I don't know.
Several commentators offer insights into who these people were,
but we don't really know.
They were from the south and probably,
if you still have your map from the listening guide last week,
you'll see that Uz was probably in the Arabian desert.
So they were probably raiders, Bedouin raiders,
who came and stole his livestock,
the oxen and the donkeys,
and put the sword to all his servants.
And then as he's taking all that in,
another wave comes and crashes over him and knocks him down,
verse 16.
And while he was yet speaking,
while that messenger was giving his message,
there came another messenger and said,
The fire of God fell from heaven,
burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them,
and I alone have escaped to tell you.
The loss of his oxen,
the loss of his donkeys,
and then wham!
Before he's even got a chance to take a breath,
he's hit with this second message.
Hey, you know what?
God has sent fire.
And he's burnt up,
not only burnt,
but consumed.
Your sheep and your shepherds.
Consumed.
And this message with reference to God and heaven,
I believe,
is designed to really rock Job at this time,
because he trusts in whom?
God.
And whether it was fire from God,
or whether it was lightning,
or a firestorm,
nobody really knows,
but just this reference to God and heaven,
I believe Satan designed that
to really bring doubt and confusion into the mix
with Job.
Anyway,
it was powerful enough not only to burn,
but also consume.
You know what consume means?
Have you seen teenagers at a meal?
They will consume that food.
Meaning what?
There's absolutely nothing left at the end.
It's devoured.
It's eaten up.
And that's what this fire did to the sheep and the shepherds.
Wow.
Billows of sorrow,
waves of woe,
and it's not stopped yet.
There's another one.
Yet another wave comes crashing on this godly man.
And while he was yet speaking,
verse 17,
there came another and said,
the Chaldeans formed three groups
and made a raid on the camels
and took them and struck down the servants
with the edge of the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you.
Wow.
The Chaldeans,
a little bit more sophisticated than the Sabians,
these were a warring faction,
a very fierce group of people from Mesopotamia.
Fierce marauding people.
They'd split into three groups,
and one group had taken a thousand camels,
another group had taken a thousand camels,
and another group had taken a thousand camels.
Now the loss of these camels and his servants,
this would be devastating to Job.
You know,
I looked at the average price of a camel today.
Three thousand dollars.
Who knows what it would have been way back then.
But they were probably his most prized possession.
And yet you know these billows of sorrow
that roll in have not finished yet.
You would think the loss of his oxen and donkeys,
and then the loss of his sheep and his shepherds,
and then the Chaldeans stealing his camels
would be enough, wouldn't you?
But these billows continue to roll in,
and they're not stopped yet.
The biggest one is yet to come.
Verse 18 and 19.
And while he was yet speaking,
while he was yet speaking,
you see the suddenness and the rapidity of these
were designed by Satan to rock the faith of this man,
to get him to curse God to his face.
While he was yet speaking,
there came another and said,
your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine
in their oldest brother's house,
and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness,
and struck the four corners of the house,
and it fell upon these young people,
and they're all dead.
I alone have escaped.
There's no message of sympathy there.
Oh, Job, I'm very sorry.
It comes like a wave that just crashes
and hits this man on top of all the other things.
A great wind collapsed the house
and crushed his sons and daughters.
And this is probably the worst of all the calamities
that came upon Job
in a matter of minutes.
Wow.
I've written on my notes here,
pause for effect.
Let's just take a minute to take that in,
and I'll have a drink.
Thank you.
You know, we can read those things,
and we just think,
well, so what?
So what?
He's a man who lived so long ago,
it doesn't affect us.
Yet we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us.
We're able to walk in the Spirit
and be led by the Spirit.
And we know that God disciplines us as His children,
and we know that we can be persecuted for our faith.
Listen, this was a man who lived
when most of Europe was still in the Bronze Age, right?
He didn't have the benefits and the blessings that we had,
but he did have a relationship with God.
And we have the reader's edge, don't we?
We have the reader's edge,
as Andrew mentioned this morning.
We know what's going off.
We've listened in.
We're privy to that conversation
between God and Satan.
God granted Satan permission to touch Job,
but don't stretch out your hand against him,
but don't touch him.
We know that, but Job doesn't.
Job doesn't know what's going off.
He's there on a normal day.
His family is celebrating probably a birthday,
and all these things,
these billows of sorrow
just come rolling in and rolling in
and rolling in and rolling in.
His livestock is gone.
His servants are murdered.
His children crushed.
And all in a few minutes,
and it would seem that Job,
well, he has.
He's gone from a position of wealth and prosperity
to a place of wretchedness and pauperism.
He's got absolutely nothing.
Well, he still has his wife
and some friends,
but realistically,
he has nothing.
Now, remind us,
we need to be reminded again
of Satan's challenge,
don't we?
To keep this in perspective,
we need to realize that these things,
although they happened because of man,
and they happened because of natural causes,
acts of God,
if you want insurance speak today,
for whatever reason,
they call things acts of God
because most of them don't even believe in God,
but lightning and winds and earthquakes
are all classed as acts of God.
But these things have happened to him
because of Satan's challenge.
Verse 9,
And Satan answered the Lord and said,
Does Job fear God?
Job feared God for no reason.
Have you not put a hedge around him
and his house
and all that he has
and on every side?
You have blessed the work of his hands
and his possessions have increased in the land,
but stretch out your hand
and touch all that he has
and he will curse you to your face.
That's Satan's challenge.
And that was Satan's intent
to get Job to curse God.
Or would Satan be proved right?
I love a cliffhanger, don't you?
Will Satan be proved right?
You know the narrative,
the narrator that comes after.
Will Satan be proved right?
With the hedge removed
and all his earthly possessions gone,
would Job curse God?
We joke,
but this is serious, isn't it?
Would he plummet from loyalty to God
to disloyalty to God?
What would Job's reaction be?
Let me ask you a question.
Don't answer it.
What would your reaction be?
I know what mine would be.
See, Satan's intent was to get Job
to curse God,
but here we see the actual result.
The actual result that Job did not curse God,
but he did what?
He blessed God.
He praised God.
And in that we see Job's victory.
Job's victory 20 through 22.
So tormented by adversity,
his initial response was what?
To pour out his grief.
Verse 20.
Then Job arose,
whether he was sat down or not,
or whether this arousal is emotions,
and he tore his robe,
shaved his head,
and fell to the ground.
He was in grief.
He was in sorrow.
He was in terrible pain.
And we can't blame him for that, can we?
He tore his robe,
shaved his head,
fell to the ground,
and he demonstrated physically,
visibly,
and dramatically
the pain he was feeling inside.
Now many people,
and I find this hard to believe,
many people think
that believers,
children of God,
shouldn't experience
or express grief.
But Job's example,
I think,
teaches us otherwise,
doesn't it?
Here was a godly man
who was also,
what,
a grieving man.
A godly man is now
a grieving man.
And we get our first glimpse,
I believe,
into Job's integrity.
Because it says,
in verse 22,
in all this,
Job did not sin.
You know, folks,
it's not sin to grieve.
It's not sinful
to be sorrowful
and in pain
over some adversity
or trouble
or some things
that are happening to you.
It's not.
It's really not.
It's not.
You see,
we can have two responses
to trouble.
And I use this
simply for an example
because I know
you'll probably get into this
next week
or some other time.
Two responses
to trouble.
One,
we have Job's response
and the other,
we have Job's wife's response.
See,
Job's wife had a lot invested
in this family,
didn't she?
Man,
she'd carried 10 children
after all.
She had a lot invested.
She probably cared
for those animals
and loved them
as farmers' wives do.
But we see in verse 10
of chapter 2,
do you hold fast
to your integrity?
Curse God and die.
You see,
that's one reaction
to adversity.
I'd like to look
at another example here
and this is in 1 Samuel.
1 Samuel 30.
Two reactions
to adversity
and trouble.
Now this,
I don't know if you know
this story,
but David
in his attempt
to get away
from King Saul
has actually taken refuge
amongst the Philistines.
Can you believe that?
He's got so desperate,
he's hiding
amongst the Philistines
and the Philistines
are so taken up
with David,
they've given him a city.
Or a town
called Ziklag.
And to cut a long story short,
so David doesn't have
to fight against Israel
on the side
of the Philistines,
the king lets him off
and says,
look,
you can't do that.
We're not going to let you
come on our side
and fight your own people.
We don't trust you
enough for that.
So,
David and his men
set off
back to this town.
In verse,
chapter 30,
verse 1.
And when David
and his men
came to Ziklag
on the third day,
the Amalekites
had made a raid
against the Negev
and against Ziklag.
That's David's town.
And they had overcome
Ziklag
and burnt it with fire
and taken captive
the women
and all who were in it,
both small and great.
They didn't kill them
but carried them off
and went on their way.
And when David
and his men
came to this city,
they found it
burned with fire
and their wives
and sons
and daughters
taken captive.
Okay,
adversity rolls in.
Then David
and the people
who were with him
raised their voices
and wept
until they had
no more strength
to weep.
An appropriate reaction,
wouldn't you say?
An expected reaction
to this disaster
that has taken place.
And that's what we see
Job doing.
He ripped his outer garment,
he shaved his head
and he fell down
on the ground
and he probably
wept a bucket load
of tears
and that's an
appropriate response.
But the problem is
is when we leave it there.
The problem is
when that is
our only response.
Because if we go
to verse 6
in chapter 30
it says this,
And David
was greatly distressed
for the people
spoke of stoning him
for all the people
were bitter
in soul.
You see,
that's one reaction
to adversity.
We become bitter
in our souls
and our hearts.
We start to shake
our fist at God
and those who
are causing us
so much problems
and bitterness
takes over
in our hearts.
But we see
an opposite reaction
from David,
don't we?
And David
was greatly distressed
for the people
spoke of stoning him
because all the people
were bitter in soul
each for his own
sons and daughters.
But,
and I love that word
but,
it's a word
of contrast.
It's a contrasting word.
It opens the door
to something greater.
But,
David
strengthened himself
in the Lord
his God.
Praise the Lord
for that.
That is encouraging.
You see,
we all face
adversity,
we will face
trouble
and we will
all
grieve
and sorrow.
But what after that?
Do we remain
in that grief
and sorrow
and bitterness
takes root
in our hearts?
Or do we find
strength
in the Lord
our God?
Just as David
did.
Though the fig tree
does not blossom,
though there be
no what?
Do we know that one?
I can't remember it.
Let's have a look.
It's in Habakkuk.
Anyway.
Though the fig tree
does not blossom,
nor fruit
beyond the vines,
the produce
of the olive
fail,
and the fields
yield no food,
the flock
be cut off
from the fold,
and there be
no herd
in the stalls,
oh woe is me.
I have absolutely
nothing left.
Yet will I rejoice
in the Lord.
I will take joy
in the God
of my salvation.
God the Lord
is my strength.
Amen?
Shall we say that together?
Let me hear you.
God the Lord
is my strength.
And again,
God the Lord
is my strength.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe it?
God the Lord
Because we need
to have our hearts
and our minds
anchored on God
and His strength
for when those billows
start rolling in.
When the billows
roll in
is not the time
to start and think
about having an anchor.
It needs to be done now
when peace like a river
attends my soul.
So that when the billows
of sorrow roll in,
we can say
it is well
with my soul.
You know,
for Job
it was more than
and I don't know
I like to
I think
I thought of it
like this
maybe someday
in the time of Job
had written a book
three steps
to deal with your grief.
Or maybe it's seven
I don't know.
You see,
it was more than
a three step method
to end his grief.
Number one,
rip your clothes.
Number two,
shave your head.
Not a problem.
Number three,
throw yourself down
on the ground.
But don't cut yourself
and don't do any tattoos.
You find the Old Testament
speaks about that
the heathen's way
of dealing with grief.
At least Job
didn't do that.
He didn't cut himself
or get any tattoos.
You know,
the Gende people
we used to
we had a ministry with
for many years.
After somebody died,
I mean,
they would throw
themselves on the ground.
They almost followed
this three step method.
They ripped their clothes
and they didn't shave
their head
but they got clay.
The whitest
or reddest clay
and they just
rubbed it all over
and if that wasn't enough
they would
roll in the ground
in mud
until they're
absolutely covered
from head to foot
in clay
and that was a way
of showing their grief
when somebody died.
And they could do that
for three days.
You know,
after three days
they used to make
a fire.
A big fire.
And somebody would
cut a length of bamboo.
Now, you know what
bamboo is?
I mean,
we're talking
big thick stuff
like this.
And somebody would
throw that
on the fire.
Don't do it at home.
Because that
little capsule
in that bamboo
when it gets hot
will expand
and there will be
an almighty explosion.
And that's what
they were after.
And they said
that when that
bamboo exploded
their grief
was gone.
But we know
and you know
that a little bit
of bamboo
exploding on a fire
does not get rid
of grief.
And we're able
to share that
with them.
And so Job
didn't just pour
out his grief.
Period.
He poured out
his grief
to God.
And that's the
difference.
That's the difference.
He poured out
his grief
to God.
And in doing so
he acknowledged
the greatness
of God.
And then Job
arose and tore
his robe,
shaved his head
and he fell
to the ground
and did what?
Moaned and groaned?
Took out his
cell phone
and checked
his social
to get his
mind off things?
No.
He worshipped
God.
You see he had
a relationship
with a person.
The tearing
of the clothes,
the shaving
of the head
and the falling
on the ground
was simply
a cultural way
of expressing
grief.
But there has
to be more
so that bitterness
doesn't set in.
He poured
his grief
out to God
and if
pouring his
grief out
was the
expected result
then what he
did next
I would say
was the
quite unexpected
result.
Right?
He poured
out his grief
and he worshipped
God.
Wow!
Another pause
for effect.
Wow!
He acknowledged
the greatness
of God.
He acknowledged
the greatness
of God.
He actually
worshipped
God
in his
grief.
Are you
kidding me
Job?
He's a
better man
than I am.
Probably a
better man
than you
or woman
than you
are.
not only
did he
acknowledge
the greatness
of God
he considered
the goodness
of God.
He considered
the goodness
of God
didn't he?
Verse 21
and he said
naked I came
from my
mother's womb
and naked
I shall
return
the Lord
gave
and the
Lord has
taken away
blessed
be the
name
of the
Lord.
He
recognized
that his
loss
resembled
his
birth
and also
his
death.
He had
been
naked at
birth
and he
would be
naked at
death.
Similarly
now he
was
figuratively
naked.
Now I
don't know
about you
but it
says
naked I
came from
my
mother's
womb
and naked
I shall
return.
Oh we
have a
problem
here
don't
we?
Is it
possible
that when
we die
we return
back to
our
mother's
womb?
Well not
physically
not
literally
no.
But actually
this phrase
naked I
shall
return
it
refers to
returning
back to
the earth
because the
earth was
often seen
in these
ancient cultures
as being
mother.
I mean we
talk about
mother earth
these days.
Some
translate it
as I
will return
or I
will depart
so the
earth is
likened to
a mother's
womb.
And the
psalmist
says that
doesn't he
in Psalm
139
my frame
was not
hidden
from you
when I
was being
made in
secret
intricately
woven
in the
depths
of the
earth.
So this
mother's
womb
becomes a
picture
man is
made from
the dust
he will
return to
dust.
He's
born of
a woman
but he's
returned
back to
the earth.
So whatever
these
phrases mean
I think the
message is
clear and
plain don't
you.
We can't
take it
with us
when we
die.
If you
don't get
anything else
from this
message this
morning remember
this you
cannot take
it with
you when
you die.
You know
and all
those pictures
and jokes
about U-Haul
trailers and
no trailer
hitches on
the back of
hearses and
no pockets
in shrouds.
Well there
may be jokes
and there may
be little
slogans but
they're true.
We cannot
take it
with us
when we
die.
Hold on
to stuff
lightly.
Hold on
to it
lightly.
We're only
stewards after
all of
God's
goods
gifts.
Hold
what I
hold
what I
have of
God
in trust
for God.
See
everything
Job had
he knew
and he
recognized
that God
had given
him.
The Lord
gave
and the
Lord can
take away
blessed
be the
name
of the
Lord.
You see
for Job
it wasn't
oh I
have worked
so hard
and the
Sabians
have taken
away.
He didn't
even say
I've worked
so hard
and the
fire of
God has
taken it
away or
the
Chaldeans
or even
the great
wind has
taken it
away.
He didn't
even say
the Lord
gave
and the
Sabians
and Chaldeans
have taken
it away.
The fire
and the
wind have
taken it
away.
He
considered
not only
the direct
causes
the wind
and the
Sabians
and the
Chaldeans
but he
also saw
behind that
the sovereignty
and total
control
of God
in all
circumstances.
And in
this we
see that
Job
remained
blameless
before God
verse 22
in all
this Job
did not
sin.
He
maintained
his
integrity
before God
didn't
he?
In all
this
everything
he faced
and everything
he said
Job
did not
sin.
That
included
having
grief
being
grieved
and pain
for what
was happening.
You know
it kind
of reminds
me of
some
New
Testament
verses
1 Corinthians
10 31
whether you
eat or
drink or
whatever you
do
man that
covers
everything
doesn't it?
Whether you
eat or
drink or
whatever you
do
do all
to what?
To the
glory of
God.
And I
believe that's
what Job
did at
this time.
In all
this Job
did not
sin.
Whatever
you do
in word
or deed
do everything
in the
name of
the Lord
Jesus Christ
Colossians
3 17
giving
thanks to
God the
Father
through him.
So he
remained
blameless.
He maintained
his integrity
but he also
refused to
blame God.
He didn't
engage in
this blame
game.
Now many
people do
when adversity
comes.
Neither did
he blame the
Sabeans
or the
Chaldeans
and he
didn't blame
the government
because of
their lack
of concern
about climate
change
in the
fact that
fire could
come and
burn up all
his sheep
and his
shepherds
and a
massive wind
could come
like he'd
never be
seen before
and although
their house
was built
to building
codes
it still
fell down.
He didn't
play that
blame game.
He refused
to play it
it says
in all
this Job
did not
sin or
charge God
with any
wrong.
many times
we find
when we
in adversity
when those
billows of
sorrow
begin to
roll over
us we
begin to
blame
God
don't we
and blame
everything
for our
situation.
Now these
are good
examples
to us
should our
world
cave in
or should
we face
calamities
that are not
quite up to
this standard
but the
question still
remains
at least
in my
mind
how was
he able
to deal
with this
in the
way he
did.
We've
already
mentioned
he doesn't
have the
benefits and
blessings
that we
have.
How did
he deal
with it?
So by way
of application
I want to
think about
Job's
assurance
here and
we'll look
at three
statements
of faith
that give
us insight
into how
Job could
handle these
things.
And I
think it's
because he
knew something.
He had
knowledge about
God and he
had knowledge
about God's
ways.
And just
like us
Romans 8
28 says
and we
know
and we
know that
for those
who love
God all
things work
together for
good because
they're making
us more like
the Lord Jesus
Christ.
You see Job
knew something
we have to
know something
too.
that God
is working
things out
for our
good to
make us
more like
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
The first
statement then
and we'll just
look at these
real quickly.
We don't need
to spend much
time on them.
The first
statement of
faith is in
verse 15
of chapter
13.
Though he
slay me
yet will
I trust
in him.
Though he
slay me
yet will
I trust
in him.
I will
hope
in him.
To know
that we
have a
deep
unconditional
relationship
with the
God of
the universe
and we
can trust
him with
our lives.
That's what
got Job
through this
situation.
He
recognized.
I mean
what else
could happen
to Job?
He'd lost
everything.
His health
was gone
and yet
he could
say look
I'm trusting
God
and even
if he
slays me
I'm still
going to
keep
trusting
God.
And that's
what got
Job
through
this time
and it
will get
us through
too.
The second
statement of
faith is in
verse 19
verse 25
through 27.
And I
think these
verses are
amazing.
An amazing
statement.
And listen
Job was not
just making
a theological
statement here.
This was
from the
heart.
Job
chapter 19
verse 25
and I'm
going to
emphasize the
personal pronouns
here.
For I
know
that my
Redeemer
lives.
Wow this
is from
Job.
Right?
This is from
the book of
Job.
Not from
the New
Testament.
I know
that my
Redeemer
lives.
That's
fantastic.
Right?
And at
the last
he will
stand upon
the earth.
Yet in
my flesh
I will
see God.
See Job
had an
understanding
and knowledge
concerning the
Redeemer.
He had
knowledge and
understanding
concerning
redemption.
And he had
knowledge and
understanding
somehow about
the second
coming of
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
These are
things he
knew.
And they
made a
difference to
how he
handled this
adversity.
Whom I
shall see
for myself
and my
eyes shall
behold and
not another.
My heart
faints
within me.
So the
truth of
the Redeemer,
the redemption
of the soul,
the second
coming of
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
the end
of the
world and
the promise
of eternal
life are
what saw
Job through
this
adversity.
And you
know something,
it's truth
like this that
will see us
through those
rough times.
Though he
slay me,
yet I will
trust him.
I know
that my
Redeemer
lives.
Chapter 23
verses 8
through 10.
Job was
waiting for
God to
come down
and hear
his case.
But God
sent to be
absent.
So Job
says in
verse 8,
behold,
I go
forward,
but he
is not
there.
I go
backward,
but I
don't
perceive
him.
On the
left hand,
when he
is working,
I do
not behold
him.
He
turns to
the right
hand,
and I
do not
see him.
But,
he
knows
the way
that I
take.
Through
all this
trouble,
he didn't
know where
God was
and what
God was
doing,
but he
knew one
thing,
God
knows
me.
And he
knows what
I'm going
through.
He knows
how I
stand.
He knows
how I
am blameless
and upright.
He knows
how I
follow his
word.
And when
he's done
with me,
I will
come forth
as gold.
That's
amazing.
I don't
know if it
affects you.
It really
affects me
things like
this.
I don't
know what
God's doing.
I don't
know where
God is
in all
this,
but my
confidence
is that
he knows
me.
He knows
where I
am.
And when
all this
is over,
I'll be
like pure
gold.
Pure
gold.
Tested in
the fire
if you
wish.
Coming to
an end
here.
Let's
just go
to 42
verse 1.
Chapter
42,
the last
chapter in
the book
of Job.
And then
Job
answered
the Lord.
Remember
the Lord
actually
presents
himself and
makes his
case.
Chapter
42
verse 1,
Then Job
answered the
Lord and
said,
I know
that you
can do
all things.
Do we
know that?
God can
do all
things.
And no
purpose of
yours can
be thwarted.
You could
have stopped
all this
happening to
me,
God,
but you
allowed it
anyway.
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
speak.
Hear and
I will
speak and
I will
question you
and make
it known
to you.
Listen,
I have
heard of
you by
the hearing
of the
ear,
but now,
but now
I really
know you,
but now
my eyes
see you.
Last week
David asked
a question,
how did
Job and
the patriarchs
know so
much about
God?
By the
hearing of
the ear,
right?
By the
hearing of
the ear.
What Job
had gone
through here
brought him
from theoretical
understanding
of God
to experiential
understanding
of God.
He says,
yeah,
I've heard
all about
that.
It's
great,
and I've
put my
trust in
that,
but now
I really
know you
because you
brought me
through this
situation.
Listen,
I used to
know it
under this
morning.
There's
got to be
some
application
here,
weighed
down
with
trouble,
and you're
saying,
I don't
think I
can make
it.
I really
don't
think I
can make
it.
The
pressures
are too
heavy on
me.
Consider
Job.
And that's
the New
Testament
interpretation
of the
book of
Job,
isn't
it?
Consider
the
steadfastness
of Job,
how he
dealt
with
adversity,
and how
the end
was to
show that
God is
merciful and
compassionate.
Job said,
I'm going to
trust God no
matter what.
I'm going to
stand with
God no
matter what.
I know that
my Redeemer
lives and
one day I
will be with
him forever.
forever.
And really I
don't understand
what's going
on here
now,
but he's
working things
out for my
good,
making me
more like
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
You see,
and this is
what it boils
down to.
If we can
trust him
for our
eternal
destiny,
can we
trust him
with the
things that
happened to
us on
the way?
Most of
us would
say yes,
I'm saved,
I'm going to
spend eternity
with my
Lord and
Saviour,
Jesus Christ.
Praise the
Lord.
But we
stumble with
the things
that happened
to us on
the way.
And if
anything,
that's what
the message
of Job
is, and
I hope
you'll take
that away
this morning,
is that we
can trust
God for
what happens
on the
journey,
just as we
can trust
him for
the end
result where
we'll be
with him
in glory.
Let's
pray.
Heavenly
Father,
we thank
you for
your word.
We know
that these
stories and
truths are so
familiar to
us that we
can sometimes
just pass over
them or take
them for
granted.
Father,
we pray that
we would
recognize this
for what it
truly is,
your word,
the truth of
the living
God,
and that this
story is
definitely
truth,
and it
just teaches
us,
Father,
that even
when we're
going through
trials and
tribulations,
we can trust
you.
We can
trust you,
even when we
don't know
what is going
on at this
time.
So,
Father,
we pray that
our hope
that we have
in the Lord
Jesus Christ
and his
return would
also help us
to go through
the trials,
tribulations,
and sorrows,
and billows
that roll
over us
during this
life,
and we
pray,
Father,
that our
trust will
be like
Job,
who says,
even if he
kills me,
I'm going
to trust
him.
For me to
live is
Christ,
to die
is gain.
And,
Father,
we thank
you for
your word
this morning.
Amen.