One of my responsibilities as a parent is to raise my children into wise adults.
And by that I don't mean experienced and educated adults.
I mean wise adults.
We are told in Proverbs, the beginning of wisdom,
the very first foundation of wisdom is in fact the fear of the Lord.
And so wisdom is not a collection of knowledge and experience per se.
And it's not a collection of pithy sayings or abstract thoughts.
It is in fact relational.
It's about a relationship.
To grow in wisdom is to grow in relationship with our Lord
through all the ups and downs of our lives,
in all the ups and downs of our daily experiences.
And so my responsibility is to teach my children a knowledge of God.
Not that they might have a knowledge of the Bible,
but in fact that they might have God.
They might know God and that they might fear Him
so that they don't have to fear Him.
A big part of that teaching is me being a wise parent day by day.
That is that they see me fearing the Lord day by day.
And one of my responsibilities as your pastor is to do the same thing.
To preach and to pray and to live in such a way
that you are prepared in mind and heart to grow in relational wisdom,
especially in the day of calamity, the day of disaster.
The day that the biopsy test comes back positive.
The day that the police knock at the door to break the news of a fatal accident.
The day that you discover a terrible secret in a relationship.
These are the days that can be the start of unimaginable grieving and suffering.
And so my job is to prepare my children and you for those days
so that instead of cursing God,
you would in fact bow humbly,
worshipping Him and blessing Him as your sovereign and merciful Father.
And I don't mean, when I say that,
a stiff, upper lip, cavalier attitude.
Where you are resting on your own resources,
I mean a reverent and trusting worship of God.
And so this book of Job, as we begin in this search of wisdom,
takes us to the life of a man who loses everything.
As we just heard just then,
Job's possessions, his livelihood, his children and his health
are ripped away from him in tragic circumstances.
And even what he has left,
his wife and his mates,
turn out to be no help at all.
Job enters into crippling, mind-numbing anguish.
And on one level, you could say that the book of Job
is all about suffering.
It does offer certain insights into why bad things happen.
But I want to suggest to you that it is fundamentally
so much more than about suffering.
Because although there are a few insights into the issue of suffering,
the central idea of the book is not why suffering occurs.
The reason I say that is because it's no mystery at all to the reader
why suffering occurs.
We know the answer to that by the end of chapter 1.
The real mystery and the tension of the book
is not why suffering happens or why Job suffers,
but how he will behave towards God in his suffering.
Will Job curse God as Satan predicts?
Or will Job continue to trust God?
And this is the tension that draws us on as we read through the book.
Because it appears right at the very first couple of chapters
that Job does well.
And then you start reading chapter 3 onwards.
And it appears that Job's not doing so well.
The central theme is the nature of wisdom and where it can be found.
And the way it tackles that issue of the nature of wisdom
is by creating a conflict between two different views of wisdom.
One is the rigid connection between actions and consequences.
For instance, if you are lazy, you'll be poor.
If you smoke, you'll get lung cancer.
And if you have a rigid connection between actions and consequences,
then what happens is when you see the consequence,
you start reading the consequences back into actions.
The person's got lung cancer.
Must have been a smoker.
That person's poor.
Clearly they're lazy.
That is, in this idea of wisdom,
the world is ordered
and wisdom is about knowing the order.
Wisdom is about understanding the set rules
and principles of order in the world.
Or as the people on the video said,
wisdom's about knowledge from experience.
That's what that sort of wisdom is.
Knowledge from experience.
I've experienced this in the world
and that's what wisdom is understanding
as you grow older,
understanding what the order is.
Job's three friends are working with that kind of framework.
Because all this bad stuff is happening to Job,
it must be because he's done something really bad.
That is their experience.
And that is only partly right.
What Job helps us to see,
another idea of wisdom on this side,
is that life is rarely, if ever, that straightforward.
And that is the limitation over here of human wisdom.
My experience.
That's the limitation of human wisdom.
And Job helps us to see that biblical wisdom
is not so rigid.
It helps us to see that the order of our universe
is not always there for us to see.
We can't always see the order of the universe.
And so therefore our experience is limited.
And it helps us to see that there is a God
who stands above the order
and knows the order
and is not restricted to the order.
And therefore biblical wisdom is being in relationship
with that God.
Which goes way beyond human wisdom.
That's the clash as we go throughout this book.
It is fundamentally about knowing and trusting the God
who knows and is sovereign and is good.
And this need for relational wisdom is especially crucial
when life is tough.
How do we grow in wisdom
when the world isn't as we think it ought to be?
And so in that respect
the book of Job
is kind of like a first aid manual.
You see a first aid manual
doesn't normally go into great detail
about all the different ways
that you can break an arm.
It's more concerned about
how do you fix the arm when it's broken.
So Job doesn't give us an exhaustive list
of why suffering happens.
He's more concerned to explain
how to behave towards God
when suffering happens.
And so let's have a look at it there.
Get your sheets open up.
Job 1 and 2.
In verses 1 to 6 of chapter 1
we get a glimpse of what Job is like.
He is unquestionably godly.
Three times in chapters 1 and 2
we are told that Job
was a blameless and an upright man.
The book begins with this declaration
in verse 1.
In the land of Uz
there lived a man whose name was Job
and this man was blameless and upright.
And then if you go down to verse 8
we are told what it means
to be blameless and upright.
A man who fears God
and shuns evil.
Which is the definition of wisdom.
According to Proverbs chapter 1.
To be blameless and upright
means to fear God and shun evil.
We are supposed to see Job
as the model of a righteous
and a wise man.
Not that he was perfect or sinless.
Not saying that for a moment.
All the contributors in this book
Job and his three mates
particularly his four mates
are convinced that all people are sinful.
And in fact Job's first act
in the book
is in fact to offer sacrifices
for sin.
So he's not sinless here.
We're not saying that at all.
We're meant to see Job
as an extremely well-to-do man.
He is upright
and he is blameless.
He's the complete man.
In fact it says
there is no one like him
among all the people of the east.
He is a head and shoulders
above everyone.
Everything
is
as we would want it to be.
A good man
enjoying a good life.
Actions are consequences.
We might even say
that Job has worked hard
on his godliness
and he's therefore
getting the rewards
from God
for that.
And so imagine the shock
within the space
of two days
all your children
are killed
you lose your job
your wife thinks you're mad
all your employees
are murdered
your superannuation
nest egg
is stolen
and just to top it all off
you now have no roof
over your head
because it probably
doesn't matter anyway
you've been admitted
to hospital
because from the top
of your head
to the soles
of your feet
you are covered
in gaping sores
which are oozing pus.
Oh one more thing
while you're there
lying in hospital
wondering about
how you're going to
pay the medical bills
and the funeral
for your kids
your long time
Christian mates
come in
and tell you
that the events
of the past two days
are all your fault
as you sit there
with a piece of brick
scraping your sores
it's all your fault
Job
if it wasn't for you
Job
none of this
would happen
in the space
of two days
Job
goes from prosperity
to poverty
from great comfort
to crippling
from pain
from the greatest
man in the east
to sitting on a rubbish tip
scraping
his body
with a broken piece
of pottery
and one of the worst
things for Job
is that
why
you see
Job
doesn't have
the full picture
Job
does not know
what we know
we get a glimpse
into the meeting
between Satan
and God
verses
6 to 12
describe the encounter
in verse 7
Satan says
that he spends
his time
going to
and from
the earth
we know
from 1 Peter
that he
prowls around
like a roaring
lion
looking for
someone to destroy
and then God
puts on display
to Satan
a trophy
that he delights
in very much
verse 8
have you considered
my servant Job
there is no one
on earth
like him
he is blameless
and upright
a man
who fears God
and shuns evil
doesn't seem
like a clever
thing to say
does it
it's like
the owner
of a jewellery
store
meeting a thief
in his
store
late one night
and saying to him
what are you
doing here
and he says
just
wandering around
your store
and the owner
says
oh
why are you
here
let me show you
the most
valuable diamond
we have
doesn't seem
to make a lot
of sense
it might look
as if God
has made a mistake
but God
never says
oh dear
oops
I didn't see
that one
coming
so let's
just leave aside
that God's
making a mistake
here and
leaves us
with one
possibility
he is
setting Job
up for
trouble
he is
proud of
Job
Job's
fear of
God
has
endeared
God
to Job
in a
very deep
way
but Satan
quite naturally
is not
impressed
in verse
9
he insinuates
that Job
is not
such a
great example
of reverence
of God
he says
that the
only reason
Job
fears
God
is to
get rich
and so
Satan
says to
God
in verse
11
stretch
out
your
hand
and
strike
everything
he has
and he
will
surely
curse
you
to
your
face
now
what
God
could
have
said
at
that
moment
is
I
don't
need
to
prove
anything
to
you
or
to
anyone
else
I
know
the
heart
of
my
servant
Job
and
that
is
enough
for
me
he
could
have
done
that
but
he
didn't
in
this
case
God
chooses
to get
an
open
victory
over
Satan
for
his
own
glory
a
test
will
show
that
in
the
heart
of
Job
God
is
more
highly
esteemed
than
any
possession
or
any
family
member
so
why
is
God
doing
this
the
answer
is
something
of
immense
heavenly
significance
is
happening
here
God
is
in
the
process
of
demonstrating
to
the
heavenly
realms
and
to
us
the
readers
of
this
encounter
that
he
himself
is
supreme
in
the
heart
of
Job
God
is
not
because
of
what
he
gets
out
of
it
as
if
God
himself
was
of
no
value
Job
is
based
on
the
value
of
God
for
who
God
is
and
God
is
about
to
reveal
that
to
the
heavenly
realms
God
is
the
revelation
of
this
truth
is
so
important
that
God
is
willing
to
subject
his
great
servant
Job
to
grief
and
poverty
and
sickness
in
order
to
make
it
known
to
the
heavenly
realms
and
so
verses
20
and
22
record
the
great
victory
over
Satan
Job
got
up
tore
his
robe
and
shaved
his
head
then
he
fell
to
the
ground
in
worship
and
said
naked
I
came
from
my
mother's
womb
and
naked
I
depart
the
Lord
gave
and
the
Lord
has
taken
away
may
the
name
of
the
Lord
be
praised
and
in
all
this
Job
did
not
sin
by
charging
God
with
wrong
doing
Satan
has
proven
to be
wrong
Job
did
not
curse
God
when
he
lost
his
wealth
and
his
children
he
worshipped
and
he
blessed
God
and
so
the
superior
value
of
God
becomes
evident
to
all
in
the
heavenly
realms
and
to
us
the
readers
he
treasured
God
he
treasured
God
what
a
response
well
now
God
Job
will
be
blessed
by
God
for
such
a
great
response
and
he
will
go
back
and
be
healthy
and
wise
and
wealthy
and
everything
else
that's
actions
and
consequences
isn't
it
well
no
chapter
2
Satan
comes
back
again
to
God
and
runs
down
Job's
character
he
makes
the
accusation
that
if
you
take
away
his
health
he
will
curse
God
and
so
this
time
God
allows
Satan
to
touch
his
health
but
he's
not
allowed
to
take
his
life
and
according
to
chapter
7
verse
5
Job
was
covered
with
boil
like
sores
that
opened
and
were
running
with
pus
and
then
got
clogged
with
dirt
and
they
were
infested
with
worms
from
the
top
of
his
head
to
the
feet
open
gaping
sores
running
with
pus
with
maggots
this
was not
a case
of the
flu
and again
the worth
of God
is challenged
in that
moment
is it
God
himself
the
Job's
treasures
or is
it
the
earthly
treasures
of
family
and
possessions
and
health
the
great
tragedy
is that
when
Job's
health
fails
it
proves
too
much
for
his
wife
she
with
Job
have
endured
the
loss
of
the
possessions
and
their
children
but
now
with
the
life
of
her
husband
draining
away
leaving
her
utterly
destitute
her
faith
collapses
in
verse
9
are
you
still
holding
on
to
your
integrity
curse
God
and
die
and
you
can
just
imagine
in
that
moment
that
a
smile
comes
on
the
face
of
Satan
it's
not
going
to be
a
victory
for
God
this
time
but
then
comes
the
shattering
victory
of
Job's
faith
in
verse
10
you
are
talking
like
a
foolish
woman
shall
we
accept
good
from
God
and
not
trouble
in
all
this
Job
did
not
sin
in
what
he
said
her
response
was
foolish
that
is
it
was
unwise
here
is a
lesson
in
wisdom
in
the
face
of
calamity
comforts
and
calamities
come
from
the
hand
of
God
is
what
Job
says
comforts
and
calamities
come
from
the
hand
of
God
Job
will
not
relinquish
a
rock
solid
confidence
in
the
sovereignty
of
God
and
neither
should
we
remember
too
that
Job
is not
aware
of
this
dialogue
between
God
and
Satan
all
Job
knows
is
the
suffering
in
fact
as
you
read
through
Job
Job's
greatest
suffering
is
silence
from
God
that's
what
he
cannot
bear
is
silence
from
God
and
this
is
a
reality
for
us
as
well
decisions
are
made
in
heaven
which
affect
us
but
which
we
like
Job
know
nothing
about
and
one
thing
that
is
so
blatantly
obvious
in
these
early
chapters
is
the
controlling
hand
of
God
did
you
notice
that
in
the
two
heavenly
scenes
here
God
handed
Job
over
to
Satan's
power
not
to say
that
power
is
limitless
Satan
recognises
here
his own
limitations
he
has
to
go
and
get
permission
from
God
before
he
is
allowed
to
do
anything
and
so
in
chapter
1
verse
12
God
gives
permission
for
Satan
to
take
away
everything
from
Job
but
he
isn't
allowed
to
touch
Job's
life
you
can't
touch
his
body
that
is
Satan
couldn't
even
in that
moment
give
Job
a
common
cold
unless
God
allowed
it
to
happen
it's
because
Satan
is
not
equal
to
God
he
doesn't
know
what
God
knows
he
doesn't
have
the
power
that
God
has
he
does
not
control
life
and
death
he's
a
created
finite
being
and
he
needs
permission
but
when
Satan
has
done
his
work
of
taking
Job's
wealth
and
family
Job
says
in
chapter
1
verse
21
the
Lord
gave
and
the
Lord
has
taken
away
blessed
be
the
name
of
the
Lord
Job
says
that
it's
ultimately
the
work
of
the
Lord
himself
who
took
away
his
family
and
his
wealth
and
similarly
in
the
second
heavenly
scene
God
says
in
chapter
2
verse
6
to
Satan
he
is
in
your
hands
but
again
in
chapter
2
verse
10
Job
says
shall
we
accept
good
from
God
and
not
trouble
in
other
words
Job
again
goes
all
the
way
up
to
the
sovereignty
of
God
over
Satan
and
says
that
his
sickness
is
from
God
Satan
may
have
been
the
immediate
cause
but
ultimately
it is
from
God
and
the
inspired
writer
warns
us
not
to
criticise
Job
here
in the
very
same
verse
he says
in
all
this
Job
did
not
sin
in
what
he
said
he
did
not
accuse
God
by
going
all
the
way
up
to
God
and
saying
it
came
all
from
his
hand
Job
rock
of
refuge
and
hope
when
everything
else
was
crumbling
was
the
absolute
sovereignty
of
God
I
love
one of
Charles
Spurgeon's
quote
who
himself
went
through
enormous
physical
and emotional
suffering
in his
life
he
said
that it
was an
unbearable
thought
for him
that his
suffering
would come
from
anywhere
else
than his
sovereign
gracious
father
it was
unbearable
to him
that there
was any
other source
for his
suffering
than his
sovereign
gracious
merciful
father
to be
wise
to live
well
in
God's
world
is to
say
with the
psalmist
in
115
3
our
God
is in
the
heavens
and he
does
whatever
he
pleases
it's
to fear
God
and to
shun
evil
and so
let us
make the
absolute
sovereignty
of God
the
rock
on which
we build
our lives
and our
church
but let me
say as well
that this
does not
the sovereignty
of God
does not
work itself
out
in a
flippant
insensitive
superficial
fatalistic
response
to
suffering
for Job
or for us
verse 20
of chapter 1
Job got up
tore his
robe and he
shaved his
head
let your
tears
flow
freely
when your
day of
suffering
comes
the tears
of grief
and pain
are not
the signs
of unbelief
let me say
that again
the tears
of grief
and pain
are not
the signs
of unbelief
what made
Job's
worship
magnificent
for us
to behold
was that
it was
in grief
not because
it replaced
grief
it was
in grief
let your
tears
flow
freely
when your
suffering
comes
and let
us
at least
model
the silent
friends of
Job
at the end
of chapter 2
not when they
start speaking
but the silent
friends of Job
as they
gathered
and sat
with him
to weep
with those
who weep
friends
suffering
and hardship
are a certainty
both for you
as an individual
and even for us
as a church
let me tell you
that change
in any group
of people
brings hardship
and loss
it results
in grief
suffering
and hardship
is inevitable
individually
and corporately
growth
is optional
so given
the certainty
of suffering
and our
limited
understanding
of suffering
what Job
teaches us
is to trust
in God
that is in fact
what it means
to be wise
to go all the way
up to the God
who knows
even when our
experience
doesn't
in Philippians 4
Paul speaks
of a peace
that transcends
all understanding
it says this
rejoice in the Lord
always
I'll say it again
rejoice
let your gentleness
be evident
to all
the Lord
is near
do not be
anxious about
anything
but in everything
by prayer and petition
with thanksgiving
present your request
to God
and the peace
of God
which transcends
all understanding
the peace
of God
which transcends
your experience
and your knowledge
will guard
your hearts
and minds
in Christ
Jesus
you see
what Paul is
talking about
there in
Philippians
is a state
of being
reconciled
with God
through Jesus
in such a way
that we are
more satisfied
in him
than in
any understanding
that we may
have of our
passing circumstances
why would we
treasure Jesus
and rest in him
and the peace
that we have
in him
because he is
near
this God
is near
we see that
Job ultimately
looked to a
redeemer
in chapter 19
he says this
in chapter 19
I know
that my redeemer
lives
and that in the end
he will stand
upon the earth
in Job chapter 19
he says
I am here
God is there
and we need
someone in
between us
we need
someone in
between us
to help
in the day
of calamity
and he says
I know
that my
redeemer
is alive
and in the end
this redeemer
will stand
upon the earth
and how did
Job's redeemer
and our
redeemer
redeem
by living
more righteously
than Job
ever did
and suffering
more than
Job ever could
and by
taking upon
himself
more suffering
than he ever
could
Job's
patient
endurance
in suffering
is meant
to point
us
to this
redeemer
this
Jesus on
the cross
where he
ultimately
defeated
this work
of Satan
where the
victory over
Satan
is finalized
he is the
one who
can make
us stand
on the day
of calamity
and so
to be
wise
to live
well in
God's
world
is to
trust
in the
sovereign
goodness
of God
and for
this
Jesus
to be
your
peace
and your
treasure
and your
joy
in the
day of
calamity
so no matter
what happens
I have
everything
in Christ
even
if God
had in
fact let
Satan
take
Job's
life
I know
that Job
would have
said with
the psalmist
in 63
3
the steadfast
love of
the Lord
is better
than life
so when
your
calamity
comes
may the
Lord
give you
the grace
to be
wise
and live
well
may he
give you
the grace
to affirm
the sovereignty
of God
may he
give you
the grace
to let
your tears
flow freely
and give
you the grace
to let
Jesus himself
be your
treasure
and your
joy
Amen