God's Playmates -- 2/26/2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

GOD’S PLAYMATES

Job 40:15-41:34

            Think back to when you were a kid.  Did you have a few playmates?  Now before you start naming them, I want you to know that I’m not talking about the human kind.  No, I’m thinking about non-human creatures.  Perhaps you were just a plain ordinary kid who always played with other kids, but know that some of us were a bit more daring and exciting.  One of my favorite playmates was a lamb.  That’s right.  We called her “Fleecy.”  My memory of my childhood is rather sketchy, but I can still see the neighbor girl and myself running up the bed of a trailer and jumping off the end (two or three feet high).  Fleecy was close behind, jumping off the end of the trailer fearlessly. 

            Fleecy was a good playmate for a boy who was all of about six or seven years old, but sometimes a creature and its playmate aren’t so well matched.  I remember having a crazy cat, who was not endowed with much brainpower.  One night after Rhonda had gone to bed, I saw a mouse in the living room.  Of course, our cat couldn’t see it.  I had to drag him around and was finally able to show him the mouse.  No, he couldn’t catch it.  I had to go around and flush the mouse out from behind various pieces of furniture to give the cat a chance.  I did everything but actually catch the mouse for the cat.  Finally, after much coaching from me, he finally caught it, but he wouldn’t kill it.  Then I felt bad about handing that mouse over to a stupid cat who thought it was a playmate.  No, a mouse is not a good playmate for a cat.

            Have you ever been to one of those places like Sea World?  Did you see some tiny little lady take a ride on a killer whale?  It is a breathtaking sight for sure.  However, two years ago one of those trainers was killed by a whale there at Sea World.  The news media at that time reported that the same killer whale was responsible for two other deaths.   Although it makes nice entertainment, I would have to say that humans are not good playmates for whales.  The whale is much too powerful for any human being on the planet.

            Now I have a question for you.  It’s a rather unusual question.  You may laugh when I first ask it, but I want you to know that it’s a serious question.  Are you ready for it?  Here it is:  What kind of playmates does God have?  Yes, that’s the question.  I doubt that you have spent much time thinking about God’s playmates; I certainly haven’t.  However, our scripture for this morning gives us cause to consider that question.  As you will see, our text makes it clear that some creatures aren’t suitable to be playmates for humans, but it is implied that they are indeed suitable playmates for the Almighty.

            So here’s the plan for this morning.  We will first try to learn something about these two playmates of the Almighty.  At first, you might think that we are wasting our time on such a frivolous subject.  If this were only a passing reference, you might be right.  For instance, last week in Job 39 we read about the wild ox.  However, in the King Jams that word is translated “unicorn.”  I wouldn’t say that the subject of the unicorn is not important, but there are only nine references in the entire Bible, and the translation “unicorn” is much disputed.  Add to that the fact that how many horns the creature has does not affect the meaning of the text.  But what we have to face now is the fact that 44 verses of Job 40-41 are devoted to these two creatures.  Surely the Lord has a purpose in giving so much detail about His playmates. 

            So gird up the loins of your mind and let’s go…

I.  Meet Behemoth  (40:15-24)

            First of all, let me acknowledge that the English word can be pronounced in two different ways.  You can pronounce it “bi `hm əth” or “bē ə mӓth”.  Some people capitalize the word, while others do not.  That is true of various translations as well.  Now let’s read about behemoth.  The New King James begins, “Look now at the behemoth,” but the King James and others are likely better with “Behold now, Behemoth.”  Please pay attention to the description as I read.  Read Job 40:15-24…

Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox. 16 See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles. 17 He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18 His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron. 19 He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword. 20 Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there. 21 He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh. 22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him. 23 Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, 24 Though he takes it in his eyes, Or one pierces his nose with a snare.

            Meet behemoth.  When we look at behemoth, we are immediately struck by two things -- his size and his strength.  In verse 19 we read that “he is the first of the ways of God.”  In the scripture, “first” is used of time and of rank.  Here, it seems pretty clear that behemoth is first in rank, rather than in time.  In other words, no other creature can match him for size and strength.  He is the king of the hill.  His strength is emphasized by the fact that he moves his tail like a cedar.  His body is described as strong and hard, his bones like beams of bronze and his ribs like bars of iron.  In spite of his awesome size and power, he doesn’t seem to be a threat to those around him, because he eats grass.  Smaller creatures can take comfort in the fact that the big guy is a vegetarian. 

            The habitat of Behemoth is varied.  On the one hand, the mountain heights provide food for him (20), but on the other hand, he likes to lie in the shady swamps along the river.  Apparently, his great size and strength make him oblivious to the strong currents of the river. 

            The other thing we must say about Behemoth is this.  Though he is not pictured as an aggressive carnivore, he is not a creature with whom you would want to pick a fight.  The last phrase speaks of one who would dare to try to trap him.  Translations of verse 24 vary greatly, some seeing the would-be captors as piercing his nose, while others think this speaks of  behemoth using his nose to pierce through the snare they have set for him.  Either way, the point is that man cannot capture this great beast.

            Notice the term “sword” in verse 19.  “Only He who made him can bring near His sword.”  While most take this to mean that the Lord is the only one who can stand up against behemoth’s strength, some take it to mean that God is the one who furnished behemoth with a sword, referring to his sharp teeth.  Such teeth would be used either for defense or for cutting the grass and other. 

            Okay, let’s leave behemoth for a moment and move on to chapter 41…

II.  Get a Load of Leviathan  (41:1-34)

            Most of you have heard the old saying about jumping from the frying pan into the fire.  That’s what we do when we move from behemoth to Leviathan.  Behemoth is big and strong, but Leviathan is downright ferocious.  Let’s read about him in Job 41:1-34…

Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? 2Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3 Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you? 4 Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever? 5 Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens? 6 Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants? 7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? 8 Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle-- Never do it again! 9 Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? 10 No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? 11 Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine. 12 "I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions. 13 Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? 14 Who can open the doors of his face, With his terrible teeth all around? 15 His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; 16 One is so near another That no air can come between them; 17 They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. 18 His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19 Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. 20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21 His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth. 22 Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him. 23 The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved. 24 His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone. 25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves. 26 Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin. 27 He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood. 28 The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him. 29 Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins. 30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire. 31 He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. 32 He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair. 33On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear. 34 He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.

            While Behemoth was docile, Leviathan is fierce.  Notice verse 10, “No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.”  Don’t you love all the question of those opening lines?  No one can capture this monster.  If you try, do you think he will beg you for mercy?  Do you think he will speak gently and try to make a treaty with you?  Will be so foolish as to try to play with him like a pet bird, or put a leash on him for your kids?  Listen to verse 8 in the ESV:  “Lay your hands on him; remember the battle--you will not do it again.”  And verse 25, “When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. Because of his crashing, they are beside themselves.” Leviathan is not user friendly, and he doesn’t care who knows it.  The word on the street is, “Don’t mess with that guy.” 

            A good portion of this passage is dedicated to the fact that no weapon can bring him down.  Though they are made of iron and bronze, he regards them as straw and rotten wood.  Arrows and slingstones are completely ineffective, as are darts.  Neither sword, spear, dart, or javelin has any effect. 

            While most of this passage is about his fierce temperament, as well as his strength that makes him dangerous and untouchable, there are a few words which describe his appearance.  The Lord speaks of his mighty power and his graceful proportions in verse 12.  His teeth are awesome and his tightly-sealed scales protect him.  His heart is hard as stone (24).  Attention is drawn to the strength in his neck (22). 

            Most interesting are verses 18-21,  “His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19 Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. 20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21 His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth.”  What better way to describe Leviathan than a mean fire-breathing dragon?  What are we supposed to make out of that?

           

III.  Identifying Behemoth and Leviathan

            Now that we have summarized the description of these two creatures, what are we going to do with them?  How do we interpret this portion of scripture?  Everyone admits that it raises some difficult questions.  Are these real living creatures?  Or is this an example of the writer drawing from sources in mythology?  If they are real animals, which animals?  We certainly don’t call anything “behemoth” or “leviathan” today.  But could the Lord be describing animals that we call by another name? 

            First of all, these are questions that have been asked for a long time by those who read the Bible.  And before entertainment dominated society, many people read the Bible.  The words “behemoth” and “leviathan” were not at all uncommon.  That’s why the name “behemoth” is still used to describe an object of enormous size.  A large ocean liner was seized from a German company in 1917 and was later named “Leviathan” by President Woodrow Wilson.  Nevertheless, there have been debates over the nature of these creatures for several centuries. 

            In short, some have taken a mythological or symbolical approach, while others have argued that they are literal creatures.  Albert Magnus, a Catholic leader of the 13^th century, viewed behemoth as a symbol of sensuality and sin.  About the same time, Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican priest and influential philosopher, identified behemoth as the elephant and leviathan as the whale.  As early as 1663, they were identified as the hippopotamus and the crocodile, which is the most dominant view today among those who see them as literal creatures.  One of the reasons that some Bible scholars have maintained that they are mythological or symbolical figures is due to the fact that neither of them seem to correspond exactly to any animal on planet earth.

            You should also be aware that the Hebrew word translated “behemoth” is used many times in the Bible, but except for here it refers to a common beast.   It is used as a name of an animal only here, and only here in Job 40 is it translated “behemoth.”  The term “leviathan” is used six times (if we include Job 3:8, where the KJV omits the clear reference to “leviathan”).  We don’t have time to debate the other references to leviathan.  Suffice it to say that most everyone is agreed that at least one occurrence is a reference to a literal sea creature, that being Ps. 104:26, “There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.”  So even if one or more of the references to leviathan portray him as symbol only, Ps. 104:26 makes it clear that God did make a creature which was called “leviathan.”  Because of other mythological creatures which bear some resemblance to the behemoth and leviathan in Job and because these two don’t fit well into the categories of animals we know, many Bible students have concluded that behemoth and leviathan of Job 40-41are not literal creatures.

            Let me make it clear that whether or not you take these creatures as literal or symbolical will not determine your eternal destiny.  There is certainly room for difference of opinion.  Having said that, until I get some further light on the subject, I see them as literal creations of God.  And that brings up the logical question:  “Okay, if they are literal animals, then what are they?”  The primary identifications of behemoth have been the elephant and the hippopotamus, while the main designations of leviathan have been the whale and the crocodile.  Today most commentators who favor the literal view of these chapters believe them to be the hippopotamus and the crocodile.

            The problem with that interpretation is simply this -- there are a number of characteristics of behemoth and leviathan that do not fit the hippo and the crocodile.  The identification of behemoth as a hippopotamus is attractive because it does indeed eat grass and other vegetation and because he likes the marsh land and the river.   However, the tail of a hippopotamus can hardly be described as being like a cedar.  I saw a video of a hippo swinging its tail, and in relation to the size of the hippo and its rear end, I would describe the tail as being more like a whisk broom than a cedar.  Of course, there are all kinds of explanations, but none of them can grow the tail of a hippopotamus into a cedar tree.  There is simply no comparison.  Also, if we take the sword of 41:19 to speak of the sword wielded by God Himself, it would indicate that no one but God can conquer the hippo, but that isn’t true.  Even in ancient times, men were able to subdue the hippopotamus. 

            Now let’s move to leviathan, where we have more information.  The identification of leviathan as a crocodile is even more difficult than identifying behemoth with the hippo.  Even if we take the language about him breathing out fire and smoke as hyperbole (literary exaggeration), there are still major problems.  The greatest of those problems lies in the great emphasis upon the ferocity of leviathan and how no man can subdue him.  While a crocodile is powerful and can be mean, it has not been impossible for man to subdue the crocodile.  The ancient Egyptians did so regularly.  There are even references in literature to Egyptians taming and handling crocodiles.  The crocodile is not unaffected by the spear and the sword.  While the description of his scales would fit the crocodile, leviathan’s under parts are like sharp potsherds.  That is certainly not true of the crocodile.  Notice especially 41:33, (ESV) “On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear.”  Though the crocodile may be fearless, is he less so than some others animals?  Might we say the same about the lion or the tiger?  We couldn’t say of the crocodile that one would be overwhelmed merely at the sight of him (41:9). The leviathan that is described here is in a class by himself.  The crocodile doesn’t fill the bill. 

            Honesty seems to demand that the lengthy descriptions of behemoth and leviathan do not correspond with any creature that currently lives on the earth.  If that is true, we are left only with the options of taking these chapters symbolically or concluding that the Lord was speaking of animals that are now extinct. 

            The greatest problem with a mythological symbolical interpretation is the context here in Job.  What is God is trying to do, as He speaks to Job in chapters 38-41?  He is underlining the truth that there is a great gulf between the Creator and the creature, particularly between Himself and His servant Job.  We saw that in chapters 38-39, but now when we come to the climax in chapters 40 and 41, this is especially true.  Job was not able to answer questions about Gods inanimate creation nor about the details of the living creatures He had made.  While there was some reference to the power of the wild ox, the focus was upon Job’s lack of knowledge in comparison with God’s knowledge.  But now in chapters 40-41, the emphasis is not upon knowledge but upon power.  Notice that God is not asking Job questions about the nature of behemoth and leviathan, but He asks Job if he is able to stand up to leviathan.  The monologue of 40-41 describes the great power of God’s most powerful creatures and the fact that man is no match for them.  If behemoth and leviathan are not real living creatures, then God’s argument loses all effectiveness.  Job has no reason to fear creatures that are only symbols.  God makes His point crystal clear in 41:10, “No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him [Leviathan] up.  Who then is able to stand against Me?”  That only makes sense if leviathan is a real creature who strikes fear into the heart of every man. 

            Furthermore, notice that everything mentioned in chapters 38-39 is a real creation of God.  It doesn’t seem to be consistent for the Lord to now suddenly introduce mythological creatures with symbolic meanings.  Eric Lyons sums it up concisely:  “What’s more, these creatures were described in a context where many other real animals were men-tioned, including the horse, the hawk, and the ostrich (Job 38-39). Finally, if behemoth and leviathan were, in fact, make-believe, God’s entire speech (regarding His sovereignty over the created world) would be pointless” (Eric Lyons, “Historical Support for the Coexistence of Dinosaurs and Humans [Part II];” http://www.apologeticspress.org/ apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=1247). 
            Since the context would seem to demand an understanding of real literal creatures, we are left with the conclusion that behemoth and leviathan are among the many species which have become extinct.  In other words, they lived during the time of Job, but they are not alive today.  So what were they? 

IV.  Dinosaurs and Dragons

            While we don’t presently see these two creatures walking around on earth today, drawings which bear a great similarity to behemoth and leviathan have been found.  But where?  Some on the walls of ancient caves.  But that isn’t the only place.  Let me show you a few pictures.  [Hold them up.]   I would say that these look more like behemoth and leviathan than do the hippo and the crocodile.  But where did these pictures come from?  Your kids drew them for me.  But did they study Job 40-41 carefully before they drew them?  No.  So how were they able to do it?  I simply asked them to draw a picture of a dragon.  But how did they know what dragons look like?  They have seen pictures of dragons in various places, because people have always drawn pictures of dragons.   

            Now let me ask you another question:  “Of all the living creatures you know anything about, do these drawings remotely remind you of anything?”  I heard someone say they look like dinosaurs.  But how do you know what a dinosaur looks like?”  Scientists, who have never laid eyes on a dinosaur, have carefully constructed lifelike models from the bones of these creatures.  Even if we haven’t seen the models, we have seen pictures of them.  Now one more question:  “Do these pictures look more like a dinosaur, or more like a hippopotamus?  Do they look more like a dinosaur or more like a crocodile?”

            You might be thinking, “Ron, are you nuts?  How can you mention dragons and dinosaurs when we are talking about the Word of God?”  Maybe I am nuts.  Or maybe the world tries to make us feel foolish when we don’t fit into its mold.  Let me ask you a simple question:  “From what you know of dinosaurs, would you say that behemoth and leviathan more closely resemble the hippo and the crocodile or some of the types of dinosaurs you know about?  Which is more like a cedar tree, the tail of the hippo or the tail of brachiosaurus?”  You say, “Ron, are you saying the behemoth could have been a dinosaur?”  Why not?  I ask you, why not?

            There is one primary reason that most who read Job would not consider the possibility of the dinosaur identification.  And what is it?  They have swallowed the theory that dinosaurs lived and became extinct millions of years before humans came on the scene.  We have been conditioned to believe that.  But the simplest reading of Genesis 1 suggests that the Lord made all living creatures in just two days.  If that is true, then dinosaurs lived at the same time as people.  We are well aware that the theory of evolution disputes this view of Genesis, but thousands of scientific theories have proven false.  So why do people hang on so tenaciously to the theory of evolution, as if it were a fact? 

            Read again 40:15, “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you…”  If God made a literal man, then he also made a literal behemoth.  This statement links man and behemoth closely together.  While this may not be a statement about making them at the same time, that possibility cannot be ruled out.

            While you are thinking on that, please consider something else.  Why is it that pictures and stories of dragons have been found among cultures around the world and over thousands of years?  We usually refer to dragon stories as legends.  Now listen to the comments of Eric Lyons…

Indeed, a wide variety of stories of large reptiles have been passed down through the ages from cultures all over the world. Many of these creatures sound very much like dinosaurs, or dinosaur-like (marine or flying) reptiles (e.g., plesiosaurus and pterodactyl). However, these animals never are called dinosaurs in the stories. Since the term “dinosaur” (from the Greek words deinos, meaning “fearfully great,” and sauros, meaning “lizard” or “reptile”) was not coined until the early 1840s (when fossilized dinosaur bones were first discovered and reconstructed in modern times), stories told previously of “fearfully great reptiles” could not have included the word “dinosaur.” Instead, the name attached to these creatures was “dragon.” Have some dragon legends been embellished over time? Of course. Just as people today tend to embellish the size of fish they catch or the size of a dog that nips their leg, people in the past said things about dragons that undoubtedly were exaggerations. Such inaccuracies, however, do not negate the overriding truth that “fearfully great reptiles” of many different shapes and sizes once lived with humans—anymore than the differences in worldwide flood legends mean we must discount the idea of a universal flood.  [see above; Lyons, Part I]

            What is amazing is how the dragon legends are so similar over varying cultures and time frames.  When asked to draw a dragon, a Chinese child will draw about the same picture sketched by a Canadian child.  And what they draw will have great similarities to pictures drawn on caves hundreds and hundreds of years ago.  Surely the likenesses are due to more than coincidence.  Behind these similarities are there not real living creatures? 

            Herodotus was a Greek historian who wrote about 450 years before Christ.  His history of the Persian invasion of Greece is highly respected for its accuracy.  That same Herodotus penned the following…

There is a place in Arabia...to which I went, on hearing of some winged serpents; and when I arrived there, I saw bones and spines of serpents, in such quantities as it would be impossible to describe. The form of the serpent is like that of a water-snake; but he has wings without feathers, and as like as possible to the wings of a bat (n.d., emp. added).  [Lyons, Part I]

Also consider this statement…

In his foreword to Dr. Shuker’s book Dragons: A Natural History, Desmond Morris remarked: “As recently as the seventeenth century, scholars wrote of dragons as though they were scientific fact, their anatomy and natural history being recorded in painstaking detail” (Shuker, 1995, p. 8). [Lyons, Part II]

            So is it possible that behemoth was a dinosaur and leviathan was a dinosaur or some dinosaur-like reptile?  If dinosaurs did indeed live with people, there is no problem with this conclusion.  As a matter of fact, chapters 40-41 make much more sense, when we understand that the Lord was giving descriptions of actual animals that Job would recognize.  Eric Lyons sums it up like this:  “If it were not for evolutionists’ commitment to their faulty billion-year timetable, it would appear they would have few problems accepting what is so obvious—that dinosaurs previously were called dragons, and humans once lived with them on Earth” [Lyons, Part II].

            That still leaves us with one pressing question.  What about 41:19-21?  ”Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. 20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21 His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth.”  Surely that is the classic description of a fire-breathing dragon.  But we all know that there has never been any such thing as fire-breathing dragons.  Do we?  How do we come to that conclusion?  Stories of fire-breathing dragons have circulated for thousands of years.  Generally, we respond by saying that people back then were ignorant and superstitious.  Does that mean that they couldn’t recognize a fire-breathing dragon when they saw one?  Progressive creationist Hugh Ross boldly said, “No dinosaur… ever breathed fire or smoke” (quoted by Lyons, Part II).  The truth is that neither he nor any other man alive today has ever seen a dinosaur, making it impossible to conclude that no dinosaur ever breathed fire or smoke.  Does God’s Word not say, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14).  Henry Morris put it well, “To say that the leviathan could not have breathed fire is to say much more than we know about leviathans (or water dragons or sea serpents).”  [The Biblical Basis for Modern Science, p. 359]. 

            Do you believe that a beetle about the size of my thumb could discharge a chemical at 212 degrees?  That is why some point to the amazing bombardier beetle as an example of seeming impossibility in God’s creation.  Though only a half inch long, “the modest beetle is a marvel of nature, a sort of six-legged tiny tank.  It defends itself by mixing chemicals that explode; firing through twin tail tubes that can swivel like gun turrets.  The bubbling liquid that shoots out at 212 degrees Fahrenheit is enough to deter most predators” (Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution, by Andy Butcher, at  http://www.bibleprobe.com/beetle.htm).   A 1985 Time Magazine article described the bombardier beetle as a cross between tear gas and a tommy gun (see Lyons, Part II).  Do all scientists believe that this beetle exists and can do these amazing things?  Yes.  Why?  Because they have seen it with their own eyes or heard from others who have.  Brothers and sisters, have we not heard from the Creator Himself, who is more than capable of creating fire-breathing creatures and apparently did so?

Conclusion 

            This glance into the identity of behemoth and leviathan has been interesting, to say the least.  I’ve shared where I am, but I must say that I am not going to be extremely dogmatic on this issue.  But now we come to the big question, about which I will be more dogmatic.  What is the point of all this?  Why does God spend 44 verses describing for us two creatures that don’t even exist in our day?  First of all, the Lord wasn’t talking to us first of all; He was talking to Job.  However, even we can learn from what He said to our friend Job.

            So what is the point?  As I mentioned before, the great truth of this passage is summed up in 41:10, “No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.  Who then is able to stand against Me?”  It’s as if the Lord is saying, “Job, what do you think about Leviathan?  Would you dare get close enough to him to wake him up?  Are you that brave, Job?  Or would you be afraid?”  Job would have to confess that he was terrified of Leviathan, just as any other man on the face of the earth would have to do.  Leviathan strikes fear into every heart.  Then comes the Lord’s crucial question:  “Then Job, do you fear Me, the One who made Leviathan and the only One who can contend with him?”  In the style of our Lord Jesus, we can say with confidence, “A greater than Leviathan is here!” 

            In the opening words of the book the Lord introduced Job as blameless and upright, one who feared God and shunned evil.  But now months have passed.  Job has endured great affliction and the repeated attacks of his “friends.”  During that time something has changed.  The Lord God is going to great lengths to expose that change, to show Job what his problem is.  In a nutshell, Job had lost his fear of God.  He has gradually brought God down to his own level.  He had forgotten who God was, but the Lord had a way of reminding him, and that way climaxed in this passage about leviathan and how the Lord stands above even the most magnificent of His creatures. 

            Last week we looked at verses 8-14 of chapter 40, where the Lord emphasized His ability to deal with the proud.  Ultimately, it was the pride of Job that He was attacking.  Now we have 44 verses about behemoth and leviathan.  And how do these verses end?  41:34,  “He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.”  Leviathan is the king over the children of pride.  Any man who comes face to face with Leviathan is humbled.  So what about a Creator who is able to create behemoth and leviathan?  Can anyone stand in His presence and not be humbled?  In these 44 verses, God is driving home His point that Job has become proud and has great need to humble himself.  This is God’s exclamation point upon the truth of 38:1-40:14.

            Go back again to 41:10, “No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.  Who then is able to stand against Me?”  As I think of the impact of those words, I am reminded of what the Lord said to Jeremiah.  The prophet was complaining to the Lord about the great wickedness of the people around him.  The Lord responded, “If you have raced with men on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?” (Jer. 12:5).  “Job, if you are scared to death of leviathan, why do you not fear Me?”  Though horses are faster than a man on foot, that comparison is child’s play in relation to the comparison between Leviathan and his Creator.

            Please hear me.  Beware.  We are vulnerable to the same change we see in Job.  When Job lost all his possessions and even his children, he didn’t shake his fist at God.  Rather, he worshipped God and said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”  It was through trials over a long period of time and through exposure to false ideas that his view of the Almighty gradually changed.  No doubt, Job didn’t really notice the change in himself, because it came so gradually.  Don’t think the same can’t happen to you.

            So how do we prevent this from happening?  How do we make sure we are continuing to reverence the Lord, to view Him as high and lifted up rather than lowering Him in our eyes?  “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).  “If you then have been raised together with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1).  Jesus said, “He who abides in me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit…” (Jn. 15:5).  If we don’t want our attitude to change, then we must cling to Him who is unchanging -- “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8).  The Lord is the rock of our salvation; there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning with Him (James 1:17).  Praise Him every day.  Give Him thanks continually.  Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit.            

            Some will be overcome by the crisis, but most of us are more vulnerable to the slow leakage that takes place over a long period of time.  Without realizing it, we gradually rely more and more on self and less and less upon the One who gave His life for us.  And that is why we desperately need one another.  There are times when you will see what is happening in me better than I will see.  That’s why we must continually come alongside one another while it is called Today (Heb. 3:12-13).

            Praise God for the message of Job.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Don't Hide Your Pride -- 2/19/12

Sunday, February 19, 2012

DON’T HIDE YOUR PRIDE

Job 40:6-14

            What do you think of proud people?  Doesn’t it bother you when you see someone who is eaten up with pride?  When I think of pride, I sometimes think of boxers.  It is common for a professional boxer to stand before a microphone and enthusiastically proclaim how he is going to beat the stuffing out of his opponent.  How often have you ever heard a boxer say, “Well, this is a big fight coming up.  I don’t know how I will do, but I’ve been training hard.  My opponent is a great fighter, but I hope I am able to beat him”?  I’ve never heard anything like that from a boxer; I have only heard arrogant and proud statements.  That kind of pride turns us off, doesn’t it?  Let’s be clear that such pride also upsets God.  Prov. 16:5, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord…”  To put it in other words, God hates pride.

            I had planned for us to go through Job 40-41 this morning, but plans change.  Instead, we are going to take some time to look at 40:6-14.  You will recall from last week that when God finally speaks to Job, beginning in chapter 38, He says nothing about Job’s plea for a trial before Him.  Throughout chapters 38-39 God does not even mention it.  So what did God do in those two chapters?  He lifted Job’s eyes to look at Him, the Almighty God.  He set the tone in 38:3, when He said, “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.”  The message of all God’s questions boiled down to this:  “Job, are you anything like me?  Do you know what I know?  Can you do what I do?”  It isn’t until chapter 40 that the Lord even acknowledges Job’s demand for a hearing.  40:1-2, “Moreover the Lord answered Job and said, “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?  He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”  Even then, the Lord is reminding Job that he is contending with the One who is able to do all the things He has enumerated in chapters 38-39.  “Job, what do you have to say to a God like that?”

            After Job humbled himself and stated that he wouldn’t say any more (verses 3-5), the Lord had more to say.  That is what we are going to begin to look at this morning.  As we focus on verses 8-14, don’t miss the underlying theme of pride.  I have mentioned a number of times that throughout the affliction of Job and his debates with his friends, it seems that pride is building in Job.  Elihu has testified to that fact.  Now we will hear what the Lord Himself has to say about it.

            In order to get a bit of the context, we will being in verse one of chapter 40.  Let’s read Job 40:1-14…

 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said: 2 "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it." 3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4"Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further." 6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7 "Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: 8 "Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? 9 Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? 10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, And array yourself with glory and beauty. 11 Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. 12 Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place. 13 Hide them in the dust together, Bind their faces in hidden darkness. 14 Then I will also confess to you That your own right hand can save you.

           

            Notice verses 6-7, “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, ‘Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’”  Do those words sound familiar to anyone?  They should.  Except for the deletion of the words “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge,” it is an exact repetition of what the Lord said in 38:1-3.  Go back and look at it.  Job has now admitted that he said too much, basically acknowledging that he darkened the Lord’s counsel by words without knowledge, so the Lord doesn’t need to repeat that part.  This repetition signals the beginning of round two.  The Lord has questioned Job thoroughly in chapters 38-39, but He isn’t done.  It’s time for Job to gird up his loins and get ready for the second round.

            I am going to outline this section according to the basic statements that God makes, summarizing verses 10-13 in a general statement.

I.  Will You Prove God Wrong?  (8)

            Finally, the Lord deals very directly with Job’s demand for a trial before God.  Of course, the Lord has been aware of everything Job said.  He knows full well what Job wants.  He has heard Job’s complaints, but in His wisdom He determines that only now should He deal with them.  He does so with two simple questions:  “Would you indeed annul My judgment?  Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?” (8).  Those questions may hit a little closer to home when we read them out of the ESV:  “Will you even put me in the wrong?  Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?”

            Think about that first question:  “Would you indeed annul my judgment?”  That is, “Job, will you really say that my judgment is no good?”  Job might protest and say, “That is not what I am saying.”  But then comes the second question:  “Would you condemn Me that you may be justified, that you may be in the right?”  Think about the implications of what the Lord is saying.  The Lord is telling Job that both of them can’t be right.  In trying to put himself in the right, Job is condemning God.  Do you see that?  The only way Job can be right is by proving God wrong.  Surely God is warning Job about the seriousness of his contentions.   “Job, you are not just complaining about your affliction, but you are actually condemning me, your Maker.”
            This is not only a wake-up call for Job, but what about you and me?  Let those words “condemn Me” roll around in your mind for a while.  Is it possible for a human being to condemn God?  Indeed it is, for that is exactly what the Lord said Job was doing.  Bear in mind that in the beginning of the book of Job, God Himself declared this man to be upright and blameless, a man who feared God and hated evil (1:1).  Now that same man is condemning God.  That tells us that we better take notes, lest we find ourselves in a similar position.

            We need to ask ourselves some questions.  What am I complaining about?  Do I believe that God is in control of all things?  Don’t I acknowledge that nothing can happen to me except what God approves?  So if I am complaining about something in my life, I am saying that God has messed up.  Could I possibly hear the Lord saying to me, “Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?” 

            What can we do to make sure we never do what Job did?  At this point, let me put it like this:  “Never move past the attitude of Job at the end of chapter 1.”  After losing all his possessions and even his ten children, Job fell down and worshipped the Lord, saying, “Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:20-21).  In the very next verse we read, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (22).  The implication is this:  While Job was worshiping God and blessing His name, there was no room for sinful action or sinful thoughts.  May that be a lesson for us.  As long as we are truly worshiping the Lord in spirit and in truth, blessing His holy name, there is no room for sin. 

            You might say, “That sounds good, but it isn’t realistic.  No one can worship the Lord and bless His name all the time.”  Wouldn’t you say that’s a pretty good description of Jesus’ life?  Did not David say, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps. 34:1).  You say, “But even David didn’t practice what he preached.”  No, he didn’t, but that was the attitude to which he aspired, and that is the attitude for which we must long.  The farther we get from such all-consuming worship and blessing of the Lord, the more we are in danger of condemn-ing the very God we claim to know.

II.  Can You Do What God Does?  (9)

            Now verse 9, “Have you an arm like God?  Or can you thunder with a voice like His?”  I hear the flow of the conversation going something like this:  “So, Job, if you believe you are right and I am wrong, let me ask you a couple of simple questions:  Do you have an arm like God?  Can you demonstrate the power that I display day in and day out?  Or do you have a voice like God?  Can you thunder as I do?” 

            At first, a person might be inclined to accuse God of teaching that “might makes right.”  In other words, “Since I am more powerful than you, you have no right to approach me; I will crush you.”  First of all, even if that were the Lord’s attitude, there would be nothing wrong with that.  We have to be careful with that “might makes right” argu-ment.  It may be valid when talking about an evil dictator or a schoolyard bully, but bear in mind that some of the most educated people in our society will use the same argument to say that parents have no right to force their religious ideas on their children.  Yes, God is more powerful than every human being, but I remind you that His might is coupled with His righteousness, as we saw clearly in chapter 34.  

            I also want you to remember from chapter 36 that God is mighty in justice.  He uses His power to deal out justice to His creatures (36:5).  God’s strength is not confined to the glorious demonstration of His power in creation, nor to the raw power seen in the destruction of the flood.  It is by the wisdom of that same power that He was pleased to crush His Son at the cross and provide our salvation.

            God is calling on Job, as He did all through chapters 38-39, to demonstrate that he is on a par with His Creator.  If Job can indeed thunder as God thunders, that will be evidence that maybe his arguments should be heard.

           

III.  Then Deal with the Pride of Man  (10-13)

            Now verse 9 fades into verses 10-13.  The question of verse 9 will become much more specific in verses 10-13.  Let’s read again -- 40:9-13…

Have you an arm like God?  Or can you thunder with a voice like His?  10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, And array yourself with glory and beauty. 11 Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. 12 Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place. 13 Hide them in the dust together, Bind their faces in hidden darkness.

            Notice especially the words that come right in the middle of this section (11b-12a):  “Look on everyone who is proud and humble him.  Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low.”  I would summarize this little section like this:  God is saying to Job, “Then deal with the pride of man.”  Understand what is behind this thought.  “Job, I demonstrate my power and my wisdom by humbling all those who are proud.  Now you do the same.” 

            Let’s back up a moment and look at pride.  Let me ask you a few questions.  Has there ever been a person born who did not struggle with pride?  Has a man or woman other than Jesus ever walked through life without being afflicted by pride?  Is pride sin?  How does God feel about pride?  How does God deal with proud people?  As you can see, dealing with those questions might take a little while.  That’s why I decided we should content ourselves with looking at this smaller section of scripture this morning.

            While it might be difficult to give you a single verse that proves pride is a problem for every person, consider Is. 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way.”  That’s a picture of pride.  Also, remember that Jesus referred to the devil as the father of the Jewish religious leaders.  Before we came to Christ, we were as much children of the devil as they.  And what was the sin of the devil?  He was bursting with pride, as he said, “I will be like the most High” (Is. 14:14).  I confess that pride is still constantly knocking at my door. 

            Is pride sin?  Absolutely.  Prov. 21:4,  "An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin."  We also know pride is sin because of the way the Lord regards it.  Let me start in Proverbs 6.  “These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination to him” (Pr. 6:16).  The writer is getting ready to list seven things that the Lord absolutely hates.  What is the first?  A proud look (17).  So we see that pride tops the list of the things God hates.  Prov. 8:13,  "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."  Prov. 16:5,  “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD.”  Is. 2:11-12,  "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 12.  For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low."  There are plenty of other such passages, but let me come back to Ps.138:6,  "Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off."  I believe that passage is the basis for the New Testament statement that we find in both James 4:6 and I Pet. 5:5, “…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”  What a tragic truth.  Oh yes, the Lord is capable of bringing the proud down, and He will certainly do that some day, but even now He resists the proud.  He holds the proud at arm’s length.  A proud person cannot draw near to God.  But praise His name that He gives grace to the one who is willing to humble himself.

            We also learn from the scriptures that pride is a very destructive thing.  “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).  “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife” (Prov. 28:25).  “A man’s pride shall bring him low…” (Prov. 29:23).  Notice how John puts together the pride of life with other sins which are not pleasing to God:  “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:16).

            Now come back to Job 40:10-13.  A fresh look at pride helps us to understand why God is so hard on the proud.  Notice again the key words at the end of verse 11:  “Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.”  The words that come before this in verse 10 and the first part of verse 11 describe how God does that.  The Lord adorns himself with majesty and splendor and arrays himself with glory and beauty.  The proud man tries to lift himself up, just as Satan vowed that he would be like the most High.  One of the ways God humbles the proud is by exalting Himself.  No matter how a proud man may puff himself up with praise, fix himself up with riches, and prop himself up with great exploits, he is still a dirty beggar in comparison with the Lord Almighty.  Not only does God clothe Himself with majesty, splendor, glory, and beauty, but He also disperses the rage of His wrath.  The proud man is never beyond His reach.  When He is ready, the Lord does indeed bring the proud low by pouring out His anger upon him.

            Now look at the end of verse 12 and the beginning of verse 13.  God tells Job to tread down the wicked in their place, but the implication is clear -- I myself am able to tread down the wicked.  And who are the wicked?  They are the proud.  When the Lord speaks of hiding them in the dust together and binding their faces in hidden darkness, who are the “them”?  He is speaking of the wicked, who are the proud.  God sets Himself apart from the proud and He ultimately destroys them, fully demonstrating the truth that He always resists the proud.

            Now let’s focus in on the point the Lord is making.  “Okay Job, O man who thinks that he can prove God wrong, do you have an arm of strength like God?  Can you thunder with your voice?  If you think you are any match for Me, then prove it by dealing with the proud.  Set yourself far above them by clothing yourself with majesty and splendor, even as I do.  Set forth your glory and beauty and see how you compare with me.  Go ahead, Job, pour out your wrath on them.  Look on the proud and humble them; bring them low.  Put those wicked people of pride in their place.  Lay them in the dust and bind them in darkness, even as I do.”  Do you see His point? 

            Please hear me.  We all know that Job was no match for God.  He could never deal with the proud as God did.  But why did Job put himself in a position that God would even have to say these things to him?  Was it not because Job himself had become proud?  The ultimate challenge for Job was not to humble proud men around him, but to humble himself, to bring himself low.  Up to this point, Job had not been able to meet that challenge.  But God, in His power and wisdom, knows how to humble proud men, and that is exactly what He is doing with Job.  These very words the Lord is speaking will serve to bring Job low.

            The big question is this:  “How did Job become proud, and why could he not see the pride in his own life?”  The answer is simple -- pride is deceptive.  While that is true of all sin, it is especially true of pride.  Pride blinds the spiritual eyes.  We see this principle all through the scriptures.

            Consider the second time the word “pride” is used in the Bible.  It is in II Samuel 17.  Let me give you the background.  David was out tending his father’s sheep, while three of his older brothers were serving in the army of King Saul.  At the time, Goliath, the Philistine giant, was coming out to taunt the Israelite army every morning.  He would challenge them to send someone out to fight him, but no Israelite had the courage to do so.  Jesse called on his youngest son David to take some food up to his brothers, but more importantly to see how they were doing.  In obedience to his father, David went up to the battle front.  While he was visiting with his brothers, Goliath came out and issued his daily challenge.  The Israelite soldiers fled away in fear.  David saw this and got into a conversation with some of the soldiers.  In the process of the conversation, David said, “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (I Sam. 17:26).  Now listen to the response of David’s older brother  Eliab in 17:27-28…

And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.  And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

            Notice that Eliab accused his little brother David of being full of pride.  Isn’t that interesting?  There is no indication whatsoever that David’s actions and attitudes were motivated by pride.  Was it not Eliab who was full of pride?  He could not bear to have his baby brother speaking so boldly, while he fled from Goliath in fear.  He accused David of being proud, but Eliab himself was the proud man.  It was that same pride that deceived him and blinded his eyes.

            In the fifth chapter of Hosea, the prophet accuses Israel of spiritual prostitution.  Listen to what Hosea has to say to these people:  “They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.  5  And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face…” (Hos. 5:4-5a).  We understand that God is rebuking Israel for her spiritual idolatry, but what is this statement about Israel’s pride testifying to her face?  How could she be guilty of such terrible iniquity and still be proud?  Because pride is blind.  When we read the rest of Hosea’s message, along with the early chapters of Isaiah, we see that in spite of their idolatry, God’s people still regularly offered their sacrifices, kept the Sabbath, and lifted up their prayers.  They were proud of their outward religion, but they were blind to their inward poverty.

            The classic example of such pride is in Luke 18.  This, of course, is the example of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  Listen again to Jesus’ description of the highly religious Pharisee in Luke 18:10-12…

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

The Pharisees considered themselves to be the most spiritual people in the nation, but they were blind to their pride.  Pride and deception go hand in hand. 

            We tend to say, “Oh yes, but that’s the Pharisees.  We know they were bad guys.  Surely there is no danger of a church ever becoming proud like that.”  Yes, there is such a danger, and that danger confronts us today, and it will threaten us as long as we are a church.  Some of you know where we are heading.  Please turn to Revelation, chapter 3.  Let’s read Rev. 3:14-16…

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 

            Bear in mind that this is the Lord Jesus speaking.  So why is He so intense and so hard on this poor church?  What have they done?  Is one of the leaders guilty of sexual immorality?  Has someone embezzled thousands from the treasury?  Is one of the members guilty of blaspheming God?  What could the problem be, that Jesus would want to spew them out of His mouth?  The answer is in verse 17, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.’”  What do we call that?  It’s pride.  Oh yes, it is self-sufficiency, and self-sufficiency is always rooted in pride. 

            But that isn’t the end of the story.  Read all of verse 17, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’--and do not know that you wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”  What a picture!  How can a person not know that he is miserable?  How can a man be ignorant of his own poverty?  And it gets worse.  How could anyone be blind and not know it?  And even the first two humans created knew they were naked and were ashamed.  But there is no shame in the church of Laodicea.  These people were not only proud, but they were blind.  Because the Lord loved those people, He rebuked and chastened them, calling on them to repent with zeal.  Pride is a spiritual disease that blinds those who are afflicted with it.

            Not only could Job not bring low the pride of others, but he could not even conquer his own pride.   That is exactly why God, before going ahead with his questions which revolve around His creatures, includes this discussion of pride.  Ultimately, it is the pride of Job with which He is dealing.  Pride is a very key component of this section.  Remember that round two of God’s questioning begins in 40:6, where the Lord tells Job to get ready to answer.  Then we have this section which deals with pride.  Now go to the end of the section.  What is the very last word in chapter 41?  It is “pride.”  That is no accident.  Next week we will see how God deals with Job’s pride in the rest of chapter 40 and in chapter 41.

IV.  Then I Will Acknowledge Your Ability to Save Yourself  (14)

            The Lord wraps up this direct assault on Job’s pride with the words of verse 14, “Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you.”  Notice the significance of the word “then.”  Then -- after you have demon-strated that you can humble the proud and bring him low by manifesting your glory, pouring out your wrath, and setting the wicked in their place -- then I will acknowledge your ability to save yourself. 

            Think about it for a moment.  Let that thought sink in.  If Job can do all these things, then God will have to admit that Job is capable of saving himself.  Then he has a right to question God’s wisdom and assert his own.  He might indeed be right and the Lord wrong.  He might be able to take God to court and win.  But all of this hinges on Job being able to humble the proud even as the Lord Himself does.  Again, it is very easy for us to see the point -- Job cannot do it.  He has nothing like the Lord’s ability to humble the proud.

            So if that is the case, then what must be true?  The converse is simply this -- “But, Job, if you can’t humble the proud by manifesting your glory, pouring out your wrath, and setting the wicked in his place, then I cannot and will not acknowledge your ability to save yourself.  Your wisdom cannot compare with mine.  You are speaking out of turn and you are foolish to think you can win a case against me.”  That’s all the Lord is saying, but it is plenty.  It should be enough to bring Job to his knees.  But we will save Job’s response for its proper place and time.

Conclusion

            When we started this morning, I asked you this question:  “Doesn’t it bother you when you see someone who is eaten up with pride?”  Then I pointed to boxers as people who tend to be eaten up with pride.  But it isn’t that simple, is it?  Everyone can see the pride of boxers, but who can see the pride of his own heart?  Does it bother you when pride gains a foothold in your life?  Pride is number one on God’s hate list; how does it rank on yours?  The pride in my life is every bit as ugly and hated by God as the pride in that arrogant boxer.  But do I really believe that?

            Job was afflicted deeply by pride, but he was blind to that truth.  Only the Lord Himself would be able to convict Job of his pride, but praise God that He was able to do it.  We will see move evidence of that when we get to chapter 42.  Ultimately, only the Lord Himself can convict you and me of pride.  For that reason, there is nothing better for us to do this morning than to come before Him who searches the hearts.

            We read it last week and we read it again Wednesday evening.  Let’s read it again now -- Ps. 139:23-24,  “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24.  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  There is nothing more wicked than pride.

Let’s pray…