Sunday, January 1, 2012
GOD IS RIGHTEOUS
Job 34
A couple of years ago some of us took a little course which emphasized that all believers are called to give godly counsel to others. Our greatest resource is the Word of God, for it is through the patience and comfort of the scriptures that we have hope (Rom. 15:4). But if we are going to give counsel to others, we must know where to start. And what is that starting place? Very simply, we must start with an accurate view of the Lord Himself. We live in a religious culture where the starting point is often the problem of the individual. As a result, we can so sympathize with the person in trouble that we compromise the truth about God. The only counsel of eternal value must preserve an accurate view of God.
Now I want to ask you a question about God. Is God righteous? It is very likely that every one of us will quickly say, “Yes, of course.” But let’s probe a little deeper. Do you believe that God always does the right thing regarding you? Can you say that everything He has brought into your life has been absolutely right? Or does your attitude reveal that sometimes you feel that He is a bit unfair to you? What about other people? Do you believe that God treats every person in the universe justly and fairly? In order to answer that, do you have to hear every case? Is God always perfectly right in all that He does? It’s easy to say “Yes” in the absence of trials, afflictions, and difficulties, but do we say the same thing when we are being squeezed by the pressures of this world? What about when we see great tragedies around us?
The truth is that we don’t have to look at our own experience or at the experience of others to know that God is righteous. He is always righteous, because that is His very nature. That is who He is. Warren Wiersbe put it like this: “An unjust God would be an unthinkable as a square circle or a round triangle. If it’s square, then it can’t be a circle. If it’s round, then it is no longer a triangle. In the same way, if God does something wrong, then He is no longer God. It’s that simple. While human beings may sometimes do something out of character, the Lord God is not capable of doing such a thing. He acts righteously because He is the righteous God.
I have just given away the basic content of the 34th chapter of Job. This morning we come back to the words of Elihu in chapters 32-37. Job 34 is the second speech of Elihu. In his first, Elihu emphasized that God is gracious by speaking to people in various ways. In his second, he will emphasize that God is just and righteous.
Note first of all the words of verse 1, “Elihu further answered and said:” By comparing those words to what we find in 32:6, 35:1, and 36:1, we see that this is the device used to show that Elihu is beginning a new speech. This helps us to understand that chapter 34 is a unit in itself.
I want to outline this chapter very simply. Notice in verse 2, “Hear my words…” Then in verse 10, “Therefore, listen to me…” Then verse 16, “If you have understanding, hear this; listen to the sound of my words.” It seems that each one of these admonitions to listen begins a new section in the chapter. So we will address the chapter with that simple outline.
I. Job’s Contention: God Is Not Just (1-9) God On Trial
Let’s read Job 34:1-9…
Elihu further answered and said: 2 "Hear my words, you wise men; Give ear to me, you who have knowledge. 3 For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. 4 Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know among ourselves what is good. 5 "For Job has said, 'I am righteous, But God has taken away my justice; 6 Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.' 7 What man is like Job, Who drinks scorn like water, 8 Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men? 9 For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing That he should delight in God.'
Elihu first addresses Job’s three friends. He refers to them as wise me, men who have knowledge. There is most likely some sarcasm in his words. As we have seen, they are not wise, but they think they are wise. The idea is something like this: “Okay, you men who claim to have wisdom and knowledge, together let’s take a look at Job’s claims.”
In verse 3 Elihu uses an expression that Job himself used back in 12:11. As a man tastes food carefully to see if it is good or bad, so they must carefully sift Job’s words, weighing them carefully. Several translations are helpful in their rendering of verse 4, “Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good” (ESV). As they discern what Job is saying, they must determine for themselves what is right an true. Why do they have to be so careful? Because Job has said, “I am righteous, but God has taken away my justice.” Job has made a very serious claim; he has said basically that God has done him wrong. While his three friends have soundly condemned Job for this very reason, Elihu is going to proceed cautiously but firmly to point out Job’s error. So at the very start he invites Job’s friends (and everyone else who will read this) to carefully consider the case that Job is making.
We might ask a question at this point, “Did Job really say that?” Whether he used those exact words, that is the basic case he has presented. His question is this: “Since I have not committed the sins of which I have been accused, then why all this suffering. God, why have you not given me the blessing I deserve?” Remember that Job didn’t start out this way. When he lost everything, including his ten children, he bowed and worshipped the Lord, saying, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (1:20-21). But over the months, blasted by both terrible physical suffering and the continued attacks of his three friends, Job has come to the point of accusing God of being unjust. He concludes that God has counted him a liar. He sees his afflictions as being incurable, even though he is not guilty of any great sin.
In verses 7-9, Elihu gives an initial response to Job’s case. Let’s read again verses 7-8, “What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water, who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men?” There are pretty serious words. How can Job be called a scorner, a scoffer? And how can it be said that he keeps company with wicked men? Is Elihu implying he was wrong to even listen to his friends. No, that isn’t it. Rather, Elihu is saying that by accusing God of being unjust, he is joining the ranks of the wicked. It is serious thing to make such a charge against God, and that is why Elihu is so hard on Job.
Now notice verse 9, “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should delight in God.’” Again, we want to ask, “Did Job ever say that? Did Job say that there is no profit for the man who delights in God?” Though we have no record of those exact words, they accurately reflect the attitude of Job. We see some of this attitude way back in 9:21-22, “I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. It is all one thing; therefore I say, ‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.” Job is saying that it means nothing that he is blameless, because the Lord destroys the blameless and the wicked alike. We see a similar disposition in 9:30-31, “If I wash myself with the snow water and cleanse my hands with soap, yet You will plunge me into the pit, and my own clothes will abhor me.” Job suggests that it does no good to seek to be righteous before God. Perhaps an even clearer demonstration of this attitude is in 20:25-26, “Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? But when I looked for good, evil came to me; and when I waited for light, then came darkness.” Then Job reinforces this statement with his closing words in chapter 31. The whole chapter is a rehearsal of how he had lived a blameless and righteous life. “God, in spite of all I have done, you refuse to bless me.”
I remind you of how the book of Job began. It started with the conversation between God and Satan. That conversation makes it clear that Satan’s goal was to bring Job to the point where he would curse God. Job has not done that, but he has come dangerously close. Ray Stedman suggests that in order to bring Job to that point, the devil must lead Job to distrust God and feel that God has mistreated him (see Let God Be God, p. 179, by Ray Stedman). That is exactly where Job is at this point. Perhaps the reason Elihu is so hard on Job is that he wants to wake Job up to where he is headed. Whenever anyone begins to distrust God and entertain the notion that God has not treated him right, he is on the way to destruction. Elihu’s stern rebuke is appropriate for the seriousness of Job’s sin.
II. Elihu’s Theme: The Sovereign God Is Perfectly Righteous (10-15) God Declared Righteous
While Elihu has been speaking to Job’s three friends, he is well aware that Job is listening in. As we begin to read in verse 10, we see that Elihu continues to address Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar directly, though Job can also hear. Remember that Elihu has not only accused Job of being wrong in his view of God, but he has made the same accusation against these other three men (see 32:1-5).
Let’s read 34:10-15…
Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity. 11For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.12 Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice. 13 Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? 14 If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.
In these brief verses we find the core of what Elihu says in this chapter. In other words, if you want to quickly get the gist of chapter 34, then read these verses, especially 10-12. “Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity.” This is a beautiful example of Hebrew parallelism. Elihu says the same thing with slightly different words, and by doing so he means to emphasize his point. Don’t ever imagine that Almighty God is capable of doing anything wrong. He will never pervert justice in any way. You can count on Him to always be absolutely righteous.
Is God righteous? Do birds fly? Does water run downhill? Do dogs bark? Of course, even these little emphatic literary devices can fail, because one time out of a million a bird might not fly; a dog might not bark. But rest assured that God will always be righteous. He can do no other. Because He is righteous, He must do what is righteous. Our God knows nothing else. God has a record, does He not. A billion times a billion times a billion He has done the right thing. Forever and ever and ever and ever He has demonstrated His perfect righteousness without a single failure.
David says in Ps. 145:17, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” Again in Ps. 129:4, “The Lord is righteous; he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.” Jesus addressed God with the words, “O righteous Father…” (Jn. 17:25). Paul refers to Him as “the righteous Judge” (II Tim. 4:8). We read in I John 3:7, “Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” And when we come to the closing chapters of Revelation, we find that He is still righteous. Rev. 16:5, "And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus."
Make no mistake about it, God is righteous in His treatment of the people He created. 34:11, “For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.” At this point, Job was strongly contesting this truth. He was saying that God was not rewarding him properly for the way he had lived. Elihu says in no uncertain terms that God is always right in the way he rewards man for his deeds. As we have already seen earlier in this book, that does not mean that God immediately sets things right. He may not do so in this life, but in the end God will be proven absolutely just, righteous, and fair. When all is said and done, no one will be able to accuse God of making a mistake or perverting justice.
It’s at this point that we must run to our advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous (I John 2:1). If we look strictly at God’s justice in rewarding man for his behavior, we quickly become uncomfortable. If we don’t, it is because we don’t understand God. God demands perfection, and we don’t have it. Praise His name that He sent His Son, who is absolutely righteous, to stand in our place at the cross. Our fate does not depend upon our achieving perfect righteousness. If it did, we would have no hope. Rather, we can rest in Jesus, who is perfect righteousness. We can repent of our unrighteousness and trust Him who is righteous. That is our salvation.
Notice quickly verses 13-15, “Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? 14 If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.” So who did put God in charge over the earth and appointed Him to rule the universe? No one. God is sovereign over all. If God chose to withdraw the breath of life, every human being would die immediately. I am well aware that most of the world does not truly believe it, but it does not change the fact that it is true. God is sovereign. I use that word deliberately. It is not used by the King James, though other translations use it. But the concept is throughout the Bible. It simply means that God is Lord over all. He does whatever He chooses.
Again, that could be a very scary thought. What if some of the world’s dictators were sovereign? What if they had the power do whatever they wanted? The great majority of the earth’s population would be in big trouble. But the Sovereign Lord is also righteous! He has done and will always do what is just and right.
III. The Righteous Sovereign in Action (Impartiality) (16-33) God Demonstrating Impartiality
Verse 16, “If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say.” Though you may not detect it immediately, Elihu now addresses his words to Job. We know this because the singular form of the verbs is used, rather than the plural that has been used up through verse 15. Now the focus is upon Job himself.
Let’s read 34:16-33…
If you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words: 17 Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just? 18 Is it fitting to say to a king, 'You are worthless,' And to nobles, 'You are wicked'? 19 Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands. 20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand. 21 "For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. 22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23 For He need not further consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment. 24 He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place. 25Therefore he knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed. 26 He strikes them as wicked men In the open sight of others, 27 Because they turned back from Him, And would not consider any of His ways, 28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted. 29 When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?-- 30 That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared. 31 "For has anyone said to God, ' I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; 32 Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more'? 33 Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know.
In this section we see both the sovereignty and righteousness of God laid out side by side. On the one hand, He rules over all. On the other, He rules with absolute righteousness. A big part of that righteousness consists in the fact that God is impartial. Unlike man, He does not favor the rich over the poor.
Notice that Elihu begins his address to Job with a couple of questions: “Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just?” He is saying, “Would it be right for God to govern, if He hated justice? That would be unthinkable. Job, surely you must acknowledge that the God who rules is just. Job, you are in danger of condemning the One who is the most just of all, God Himself.”
In verse 18 the New King James follows the King James and makes it a new question, “Is it fitting to say to a king…?” However, the context seems to favor those translations which link verse 18 to the one who is most just, from verse 17. The ESV reads, “who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man…’ Job must be careful not to pass judgment on the One who is not only just, but who is also Sovereign, as seen in the way He speaks to kings and leaders. Not only does the Lord speak to kings and leaders with absolute authority, but it is also worth noting that He does not favor those in high places nor those who are rich. Why should He, for they are all creatures that He Himself has made? The rich and powerful die just like all other people.
Verses 21-30 continue to emphasize the power of Almighty God in dealing with man. He does not have to ask permission as to how he will dispose of a particular person. Why should He, for His righteousness is high above anyone else who lives? Could we ever think of the creatures being more righteous than the Creator? That would be absolute foolishness. Unlike man, whose vision is clouded, God’s “eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps” (21). If a man chooses to do evil, there is no place where he can hide himself from the searching gaze of Almighty God. He sees perfectly, and He judges righteously.
Notice especially verse 23, “For He need not further consider a man, that he should go before God in judgment.” In other words, God doesn’t need to bring a man before Himself for a trial. What good would that do? God already knows the person perfectly, and He is the righteous judge. What could the unrighteous creature possibly add to the justice of the most righteous judge? Because this is true, “He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, and sets others in their place. Therefore He knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, and they are crushed. He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others, because they turned back from Him and would not consider any of His ways, so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; for He hears the cry of the afflicted” (24-28). What a demonstration of power, but we can rejoice in His power and sovereignty because it is coupled with perfect righteousness. Who better to deal so absolutely with men than He who made them and knows them inside out?
Look at verse 29, “When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, whether it is against a nation or a man alone?” “Gives quietness” and “hides His face” seem to be another example of parallelism. Surely the idea is this: “When God is quiet, declining to give an answer to a man or to a nation, who can call Him on the carpet for it?” This is where Elihu address Job most directly, because that is exactly what Job was doing. Because He couldn’t force God to give him an answer, Job was accusing Him for His lack of response. Elihu is pointing out how foolish it is for a mere creature to demand an answer from the righteous Sovereign of the universe.
Now we come to verses 31-33, "For has anyone said to God, ' I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; 32 Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more'? 33 Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know.” Suppose that Job or anyone else comes to the point where he admits to God that he has been disciplined because of his sin and vows not to do it again. Even then, is God obligated to that man? Must God answer man on man’s terms? Obviously, the answer is “No.”
Is God looking for a person who will say, “Lord, I know that I have done wrong. But from now on, I am not going to do this sin or that sin. Instead, I am going to go to church meetings regularly; I am going to read the Bible; I am going to pray”? No, that is not what God is looking for. That is the fallacy of “Christian commitment.” Commitment smacks of control. The person who makes commitments decides what it is to which he commits himself. Our Lord is looking for surrender, for the man or woman who says “Yes” to the conditions laid down by the Lord Himself. Ray Stedman puts it like this…
Our Lord is not in the business of reforming people. He’s in the business of renewing people. He doesn’t want to make us better; He wants to make us new. God desires our repentance and relationship, not reform. It’s not enough to say to God, “I’m guilty, but I will try not to do that again.” What God demands of us is unconditional surrender, completely giving up the right to run our own lives. That is what God seeks from us, and He will accept no other basis for a relationship with Him. (p. 183)
Elihu then gives Job a direct challenge to respond. “Job, I can’t tell you what to decide; you have to do that. Now tell me what you think.” Apparently Job remained silent, because Elihu continued. And that brings us to his conclusion for this speech.
IV. Elihu’s Conclusion: Strongest Accusation Yet (34-37)
Let’s read Elihu’s conclusion in verses 34-37…
Men of understanding say to me, Wise men who listen to me: 35 'Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom.' 36 Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost, Because his answers are like those of wicked men! 37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.
It seems that Elihu is referring to the attitude of Job’s three friends, for they viewed Job as a man who spoke without knowledge. Though they didn’t use those exact words, that was certainly their contention. We see more than a hint of that in 15:2, “Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?” The implication is clear: “Job, you are not wise because you so-called knowledge is vain and you are nothing but a windbag.” Not only does Elihu point to the attitude of Job’s three friends, but he also makes it clear that he agrees with them on this point. Notice: “Wise men who listen to me:” Elihu says the same thing about Job: He speaks without knowledge; his words are without wisdom.
After reasoning through Job’s thinking and coming to this conclusion, what does Elihu think should be done? “Oh that Job were tried to the utmost, because his answers are like those of wicked men!” (36). Elihu began in chapter 32 with a certain calmness, but now he is more than a little blunt. Job was being tested, but let him feel the full force of that testing. Why? Because he is talking like the wicked talk. He is saying things about God which ought to be reserved for wicked men.
Perhaps the words of verse 37 are even more harsh: “For he adds rebellion to his sin.” Wow! Let us understand that rebellion is not necessarily about going out and doing what the world calls evil things; rebellion has to do with our inward attitude toward God. When Saul refused to wipe out all of the Amalekites and destroy all their stuff, he was guilty of rebellion because he didn’t trust God enough to do what he said. Job is guilty of rebellion because he doesn’t trust God with what is happening to him, because he will not trust God without an explanation of his suffering. Though Job was not guilty of the obvious outward sins of which his friends accused him, he did possess sin, but now he has added something worse than the sin he already had -- rebellion.
I don’t know exactly what is intended to be communicated by the clapping of the hands. Perhaps it is best seen as an expression of anger and indignation, as in Num. 24:10, "And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times." Some translations render it loosely as showing no respect (New Living) or giving insult (God’s Word Translation).
Finally, Elihu says that Job multiplies his words against God. As we have seen, Job did not spare his words. After the dialogue between him and his friends, after he had responded to Bildad for the last time, Job then went on five more chapters for good measure. We learn from the scripture that words can be a wonderful blessing. Prov. 10:11, “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life…” 10:20, “The tongue of the just is a choice silver.” 10:21, “The lips of the righteous feed many.” Nevertheless, in that same chapter we find these words, “In the multitude of words there wanteth (lacketh) not sin” (10:19). Also, listen to Prov. 17:27-28, "He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. 28. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." In this case, Job said far more than was appropriate.
Conclusion
Our God is Sovereign. He rules over all. Nothing can sidetrack his plan. If you want to call Him a dictator, that’s fine, for whatever He dictates will come to pass. He knows the end from the beginning. Why does He have such knowledge? Because those things He knows from the beginning are the very things that He brings to pass. He knows the future because He forms the future. What do you think of a God described by the words of Ps. 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens; he has done whatever he has pleased”?
Good news! Glorious news! The Sovereign God is the righteous Lord. Yes, He is the God who does whatever He pleases, but praise His blessed name that it pleased Him to crush His own Son (Is. 53:10), to send His Son to die in our place. God has done what is right for His glory, and He has done what is right for our good. Can you give glory to that Sovereign and righteous God?
For many of us here this morning, the Sovereign God of the universe has become our Father! The dictator is our Dad. And “he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things” (Rom. 8:32)? Will our Father ever do us wrong? Is He not orchestrating every circumstance of our lives to make us like His own dear Son?
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
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