Sunday, October 9, 2011
TO WHOM WILL YOU LIKEN GOD?
Job 22-26
In the way of introduction to our study in Job this morning, I want to read you an excerpt from Steve Lawson’s little commentary on Job…
Augustine, the great thinker and theologian, was once walking along a beach, perplexed by the incomprehensible truth of the Trinity. Trying as he might, he simply could not grasp the vast truth of the triune nature of one God who exists eternally in three persons. Because he could not fully understand it, he was tempted to reject it. Augustine continued to walk along the shoreline until he came upon a little boy playing on the beach. As he watched, he saw the child run to the ocean with a seashell, fill it with water, and then return to pour it into a small hole he had dug in the sand. “What are you doing, my little man?” asked Augustine. “Oh,” replied the boy, “I am trying to put the ocean into this hole.”
Augustine smiled at the little boy’s faith. Such a task was impossible even for the greatest of men. Then it suddenly struck him. He was guilty of exactly the same futile act. “That is what I am trying to do with God,” he later confessed. “Standing on the shores of time, I am trying to get the infinite things of God into this little finite mind. It just will not fit.”
This was the deepening realization to which Job had arrived. With new awareness he understood that he was attempting to reduce the infinite, eternal God into the limited confines of his finite mind, and such a reduction is not possible. God, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, is too vase, too immense, and too expansive to fit into the confined space between our ears. (Job, Steve Lawson, pp. 223-24)
This morning we come to the third cycle of dialogue between Job and his friends, which is found in chapters 22-26. Lord willing, those are the chapters we are going to examine this morning. Because three of the five chapters are a good bit shorter than the ones earlier in the book, we may be able to read all five of them (or at least large portions of them). My goal is to simply give us some direction as we look at these chapters.
Before we plunge into these five chapters, let me mention a couple of things that will give us a foundation. First of all, we are going to see that the arguments of Job’s three friends are about to fizzle out. Eliphaz gives another one of his long speeches; Bildad has been reduced to six verses; Zophar doesn’t speak at all. Job will respond to both Eliphaz and Bildad, but he will have twice as much to say to Eliphaz. Eliphaz and Bildad are even more caustic than the last time they spoke. Job, I believe, speaks with more understanding than before. He still has bigger-than-life questions, but he also demonstrates a quiet and sure confidence in his God. I do believe that he sounds a new note of trust since he received that wonderful divine revelation and proclaimed, “I know that my Redeemer lives and will at last stand on the earth… and I will see Him face to face” (see Job. 19:25-27). I will try to point that out as we go.
If you want a title for this message, it would come from the words we read in Isaiah 40 -- “To Whom Will You Liken God?”
I. Where Is God When I Need Him? (Chapter 23)
Ray Stedman, who wrote a little book on Job, notes that after the accusations of Eliphaz, Job asks two important questions. The first of these questions is in chapter 23, where Job basically asks, “Where is God when I need Him?” Before we deal with that question, let’s take a moment to quickly go through the words of Eliphaz in chapter 22. In this chapter Eliphaz basically says three things…
1. He makes groundless charges against Job concerning very specific sins.
2. He accuses Job of saying, “God can’t see my wickedness.”
3. He urges Job not to be like the wicked, but to turn back to God and then he will be blessed.
Let’s read it. I’ve spent a good bit of time reading these chapters from more than one translation. This morning I am going to depart from the New King James a bit and read more from the English Standard Version. So let’s read Job 22:1-29 (ESV)…
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2 "Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. 3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? 4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you? 5 Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities. 6For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing. 7 You have given no water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. 8 The man with power possessed the land, and the favored man lived in it. 9 You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. 10 Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden terror overwhelms you, 11 or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. 12 "Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are! 13 But you say, 'What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness? 14Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.' 15 Will you keep to the old way that wicked men have trod? 16 They were snatched away before their time; their foundation was washed away. 17 They said to God, 'Depart from us,' and 'What can the Almighty do to us?' 18 Yet he filled their houses with good things-- but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. 19 The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent one mocks at them, 20 saying, 'Surely our adversaries are cut off, and what they left the fire has consumed.' 21 "Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. 22 Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart. 23 If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents, 24 if you lay gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed, 25 then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. 26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. 27 You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows. 28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. 29 For when they are humbled you say, 'It is because of pride'; but he saves the lowly. 30 He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
Much of what he says sounds very familiar, does it not? We’ve heard Eliphaz and his two friends sing the same tune since chapter 4. However, there are a couple of new elements in his argument. All along he has said that Job is guilty of great wickedness which he has been unwilling to admit. But now in verses 5-9 Eliphaz comes right out and tells Job what his sins are. As we read, he accuses Job of oppressing the poor and needy. He climaxes the section in verse 9, “You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.” Job has begged God to disclose the charges against him. The Lord hasn’t done so, but Eliphaz does not hesitate at this point. There is only one problem -- Eliphaz is making these things up. Job was not guilty of any of these sins, as we will see. Why would Eliphaz do such a thing? His theological presuppositions have so convinced him that Job has to be guilty of great wickedness, he feels compelled to name some of those evils.
But how could Job hope to get away with doing such things (if he had done them)? Eliphaz has a solution to that problem as well. He claims that Job has said, “What does God know? He can’t see what I am doing.” And where did that come from? It is pure speculation. Job never said any such thing. With all his lack of understanding, Job has never suggested a lack of knowledge in the Almighty. Then Eliphaz closes his argument by repeating the belief that if Job will repent and turn back to God, he will once again enjoy the divine blessing.
Now let’s read Job’s response in chapter 23. As we read, think of that question that is behind what he is saying -- “Where is God when I need Him?” Read 23:1-17 (ESV)…
1 Then Job answered and said: 2 "Today also my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy on account of my groaning. 3 Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! 4 I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. 5 I would know what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. 6 Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would pay attention to me. 7 There an upright man could argue with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge. 8 "Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; 9 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. 10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 11 My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. 13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. 14 For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. 15 Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. 16 God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; 17 yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face.
Can you hear the question repeated, “Where is God?” Job says in verse 3, “Oh that I knew where I might find him.” Job desperately needed the Lord. How he longed to lay his case out before the Lord, even as he has stated more than once. Again in verse 8, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and [I go] backward, but I can’t find him. He’s working, but I can’t see him on the left or the right.” Job then adds toward the end of the chapter the thought that God is unchangeable and will do whatever He pleases. At that, Job confesses that He is terrified at God’s presence. “The Almighty has terrified me” (16).
Have you ever wondered where God is? Has there ever been a time when you felt like you couldn’t reach Him? Perhaps you had a great need in your life, but it seemed that the Lord was nowhere to be found. That’s where Job was.
But that isn’t the end of the story. A typical happy ending would mean that God shows up, heals Job’s ailments, and then fully explains why Job hasn’t been able to find him. But that is not what we find here. Instead, we see in Job a certain confidence in God in the midst of this great trial. I want you to notice three statements that Job makes in this chapter. At the end of verse 6 Job asks the question, “Would he contend with me in the greatness of His power?” In other words, “If I were to be able to stand before Him, would He blow me away with His unequaled strength?” Listen to Job’s answer to his own question in verses 6-7, “No, He would pay attention to me. There an upright man could argue with Him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.” Job trusts that the Lord would understand and give him a favorable verdict. Though Job knows full well the awesome power of the Almighty, he also remembers the tender mercies of his Lord.
Then after stating again in verses 8 and 9 that he can’t find God, he speaks these words in verse 10, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” Wow! Though Job does not understand why God won’t give him an immediate answer, at the same time he is confident that in the end God’s testing will purify him as gold. Yes, God uses trials to refine His people. Let’s read it again in I Pet. 1:3-7…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
As we saw, toward the end of the chapter Job confesses that he is terrified of Almighty God. Nevertheless, listen to what he says in verse 17, “Yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face.” His words remind me what Paul says in II Cor. 4:7-9, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9. Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed."
Let’s be encouraged by Job. When it seems that God can’t be found, don’t despair. It is possible to trust God in the dark. We may not know why we can’t find Him, but we can know that He will refine us as gold and that we can continue to trust Him in the midst of our confusion. We see this same attitude in Psalms 42-43, where the Psalmist cries out three times, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Ps. 42:5,11; 43:5 ESV). But every time he follows it up with these words of hope and confidence: “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God” (ESV).
II. Why Doesn’t He Set Things Straight? (Chapter 24)
Now I must warn you before we read this chapter that the second half of it is not easy to get hold of. To a large extent the exact interpretation you find will depends upon the translation you read. The New King James (and KJV), the ESV, and the NIV vary a good deal in the way they translate verses 18-25. I don’t believe it will be in our best interests to explore the details of the differences, but I do want you to be aware. The questions revolve around who the speaker is, whether Job is speaking for himself or quoting the words of his friends. However, even with the differences, the central theme of the chapter is clear. The wicked have their way in the world and it seems that God doesn’t do anything about it.
Let’s read Job’s response in 24:1-25 (ESV)…
"Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? 2 Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. 3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge. 4 They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves. 5 Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poorgo out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children. 6 They gather their fodder in the field, and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man. 7 They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. 8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains and cling to the rock for lack of shelter. 9 (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.) 10 They go about naked, without clothing; hungry, they carry the sheaves; 11 among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil; they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst. 12 From out of the city the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help; yet God charges no one with wrong. 13 "There are those who rebelagainst the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. 14 The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. 15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me'; and he veils his face. 16 In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. 17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. 18 "You say, 'Swift are they on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the land; no treader turns toward their vineyards. 19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned. 20 The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; they are no longer remembered, so wickedness is broken like a tree.' 21 "They wrong the barren, childless woman, and do no good to the widow. 22 Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life. 23 He gives them security, and they are supported, and his eyes are upon their ways. 24 They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like the heads of grain.25 If it is not so, who will prove me a liar and show that there is nothing in what I say?"
The theme of this chapter is stated in that first verse: “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?” Is it because there just isn’t much wickedness in this world? Job makes it very clear that wickedness is running wild in the world. And, of course, we would like to say, “Job, you ought to see it now.” Why doesn’t God relieve those who are oppressed and punish those who do the oppressing?
In verses 2-17, we read about the evil done by wicked men, especially in oppressing the lowly. All through the passage we also read about the plight of those who are exploited by the wicked. Right in the middle of it we find the words at the end of verse 12, “But God charges no one with wrongdoing.” Why does God let them get away with murder? It certainly doesn’t seem fair, does it?
Is not this a question that is often asked in every age? Why doesn’t God punish the wicked and give refuge to those who are hurting? How long can things go on like this? Is there no justice in the world? Perhaps you yourself have asked some of those very questions. But long before any of us ever considered those queries, Job was asking them. He was looking for answers.
Some answers are given in verses 18-24, but as I said, those answers are not easy to interpret. Perhaps one of the biggest questions is this: Is Job repeating again that the wicked are taken away by death without having to face suffering? That is why he said in 21:13, "They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave." This is the idea supported by the ESV. Or, is Job now emphasizing that while the wicked sometimes fare well in this world, they cannot escape death and the final judgment of God? This is the opinion of the NIV. We read from the ESV. Now let’s read from the NIV 24:18-24…
"Yet they are foam on the surface of the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one goes to the vineyards. 19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow, so the grave snatches away those who have sinned. 20 The womb forgets them, the worm feasts on them; evil men are no longer remembered but are broken like a tree. 21 They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow show no kindness. 22 But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life.23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. 24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others;they are cut off like heads of grain.
I must confess that I simply don’t know. There is a good basis for each of these views. Perhaps we can leave it there and still see clearly why Job is asking the question. Surely Job includes himself with those who are suffering and oppressed. He may also be considering his friends’ lack of compassion as a deadly evil.
Let’s leave Job for just a moment. Regardless of how we take what Job says in the last part of this chapter, we have already looked at the great truth of Psalm 73. Though the wicked may prosper and we may not understand why God doesn’t punish them, when we see the whole picture, we realize that God will set all things straight in the end. His justice is not denied, just delayed. The time is coming when every human being will face God. As Steve Lawson comments, the only solution is to settle out of court. God offers us a plea bargain, if you will. Instead of facing God on our own merits, we can plead guilty, admitting that we are worthy of death, even eternal punishment. But then we throw ourselves on the mercy of the court and ask God to give us the merits of His Son Jesus, the One He sent to be the propitiation for our sins. And what will it cost us? In a sense, nothing, because Jesus paid it all. In another sense, it will cost us our verse lives, for when we are truly His, we understand that we are bought with a price and we are not our own anymore (I Cor. 6:19-20). We lay down our lives that He may take them up for His own glory.
III. What a Mighty God We Serve (Chapter 26)
Job will end this third cycle by proclaiming what a mighty God we serve. He does so in response to Bildad, whose words we find in chapter 25. Let’s read what Bildad has to say… (25:1-6 ESV)
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: 2 "Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high heaven. 3 Is there any number to his armies? Upon whom does his light not arise? 4 How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? 5 Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes; 6 how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!"
Ray Stedman refers to Bildad as “Bildad the Brutal.” You can see why. In this very short speech he emphasizes two things: the sovereignty of God and the sinfulness of man. It’s quite simple. In pointing to God’s great power, Bildad is likely telling Job that there is no use for him to fight against God. Of course, he is still maintaining that Job has committed great wickedness and is resisting God by refusing to repent. That is not the case, but Bildad is convinced that it is. Job was not trying to hide his sins. Job has admitted that he has sinned, and remember that in the first chapter we find Job offering sacrifices. Though he didn’t perfectly understand, he was looking for the Redeemer, who would die for his sins.
When we come to verses 4-6, we see that Bildad forsakes any pretense of gentleness and takes off the gloves. He is saying that no one can be righteous and pure before God. Then he illustrates his point. Perhaps Bildad speaks of the moon and the stars rather than the sun, because this discussion took place at night. John Gill sums up his point: “It [the moon, along with the stars] is darkened, confounded, and ashamed; it hides its beautiful face and draws in its borrowed and useful light at the approach of Him who is light itself, and in whom is no darkness at all.” The moon and the stars have no glory at all compared to God. They cannot be seen as pure compared to God. If that is true, how much less can man be pure in his eyes, in light of the fact that he is a maggot and a worm?
Commentators debate whether Bildad was accurate in referring to man as a maggot and a worm, images which speak of the corruption and the weakness of all mankind. If you look at all the scriptures, there is some basis for this language. But perhaps what is more important is what Bildad did not say. While he is certainly right about the corruption of man and how he cannot be pure before God in his own strength, he says nothing about the mercy, lovingkindness, and grace of God. He leaves no room for hope. His words would leave us to conclude that his main object was to crush Job.
Now we come to Job’s response in chapter 26. Let’s read it in 26:1-14 (ESV)…
Then Job answered and said: 2 "How you have helped him who has no power! How you have saved the arm that has no strength! 3 How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge! 4 With whose help have you uttered words, and whose breath has come out from you? 5 The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. 6Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. 7 He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. 8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. 9 He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud. 10He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke. 12 By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he shattered Rahab. 13 By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. 14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?"
We can outline this chapter by dividing it into two parts. In verses 1-4, Job sarcastically congratulates Bildad on being so helpful. (The KJV and NKJV punctuate it with question marks, but I believe the ESV and NIV are right in using exclamation points). Job is saying, “Even though it is true that I have no strength and no wisdom, what have you done to help?” In the second section (verses 5-14) Job himself speaks of the power and majesty of the Almighty God. Bildad had spoken of God’s greatness, but Job has even more to say. He concludes in verse 14 by saying, “Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” Job makes it clear that even after saying all these things about God’s majesty, he hasn’t even scratched the surface because we are able to grasp but a tiny fraction of God’s glorious being. Job saw more than Bildad, but he still understood that he comprehended little of His majesty. Yes, what a mighty God we serve!
Conclusion
Let’s come back to the thoughts with which we began…
Augustine was right. Trying to fit the infinite truth of God into the finite limitations of man’s mind is like attempting to fit the Atlantic Ocean into a small seashell. The infinite simply will not fit into the finite. Richard Rolle once said, “He truly knows God perfectly who finds him incomprehensible and unable to be known.” That is, the more we learn about God, the more we realize how little we know about him.
The Almighty exceeds our greatest thoughts of him, no matter how lofty they may be. Our minds simply cannot conceive it. May we, like Job, stand in absolute awe and utter amazement of this infinite God. May we lower ourselves before him with humility. May we adore and magnify the one who alone is worthy. May we give him the glory due his name. (Job, Steve Lawson, pp. 226-27)
As we go through the book of Job, we may conclude that both Job and his friends had a lot to learn about God. Please allow me to remind us that we too have much to learn about God. Though we who belong to Him will some day see Him as He is, we will spend all eternity seeking to comprehend all He is. Century after century we will stand in awe of His glory and majesty.
No wonder the Psalmist invites us with the words, “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.” Let us bow down and kneel before Him because He is worthy of our praise and our very lives. If we could comprehend all of God, we could not worship Him. He would be on level with us. It is because He is high above all the earth and exalted far above all gods that we worship Him.
Please listen carefully to these words…
True worship of God is fueled by a deepening knowledge of God. Head knowledge that does not lead to heart worship is worthless and leads only to pride. But when our knowledge of God is growing in depth and fervor, our worship will also grow in depth and fervor. When we have a fresh understanding of the attributes of God, there is a great admiration of the majesty of God that occurs when we worship. This appreciation is experienced by those who have an encompassing view of God’s greatness. Do you have a deepening knowledge of God? Do you convert head knowledge into fervent heart knowledge? Is your worship fueled by your knowledge of God? (Lawson, p. 227)
Let me add that worship that is not fueled by the knowledge of God becomes empty sentimentality. The key is longing to know Him better day by day, as we meditate on His Word and abide in Christ.
Praise God that we are studying Job. Here is a man who was blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. Yet such a man struggled to comprehend God and His ways. Yes, he was a man with shortcomings and some inadequate ideas, but he kept on seeking to know God. In our so-called enlightened age, we have a tendency to become smug, to think that we know so much about everything, including God. Brothers and sisters, friends, it’s deception. No matter how much we know, we only get a glimpse of the fringes of His glory and majesty. People often see Christianity as boring because they have tried to bring God down to their own level. When we get even a glimpse of His glory, what else can we do but fall down and worship Him. May the Almighty thunder down upon us with a revelation of His glory. Our spiritual hearing is so impaired that He will have to. Praise His name that He can and will, for He delights to reveal Himself to those who seek Him.
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